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COMPUTER GAMING
I am the teacher ... aren’t I? Not when it’s a Minecraft classroom! Club is a maker Brisbane Gram mar School’s The Lunchbox meets during that boys 8 and 7 Year for nt onme space envir tion. This is educa in es lunchtimes to explore new technologi oom tool, classr tial poten a as craft their story of trying Mine er. Hunt writes Debbie hbox Club to pilot a 2016 is the year our school allowed The Lunc able to use the be t migh we Minecraft group, to explore how l. Schoo le Midd our of oom program in the classr to play the game. We As the teacher, I know very little about how ng for something looki had already explored Scratch, and were across curric ulum y widel ng readi s more challenging. I’m alway to own this pilot boys the d wante and s, trend ing and about learn something and c project. Minecraft seemed popular, very publi for us to test out. never master it It became apparent from the outset that I would and let them forge as well as the boys. I had to ‘let go’, jump in, us. of all for ahead. It has been a valuable journey all the players in our The biggest challenge for me was to connect t, the curric ulum tmen depar IT the of rt suppo The school system. was vital to ers decision makers and the boys’ classroom teach to keep the boys the with success. So, too, was the negot iation . space oom classr our project contained to
Designer learning
rstanding of the My plan was to train the boys in a simple unde n activities to desig to them invite and , culum Australian Curri ing. To do study support the units of work they were currently learn ing ing ‘Mak blog, a this, I settled on the plan largely from n writte y simpl It’s o). howt ecraft /min in Minecraft fun!’ (bit.ly quick ly very They . ation inform more no d neede and the boys oom work, and adopted a unit of work from their regular classr cts as: proje group the ibes planned their activity. Ben descr the school’s Minecraft “There are many projects going at once on once and for all prove to goal: one with them of all r, EDU serve teacher for any by that Minecraft can be used very effect ively aptions to contr ous enorm been student education. There have castle and ing tower a icity, electr of ding rstan help with the unde historical of ion another yet to come to provide a 3D demonstrat the ce enhan to ouse fortresses and even an enormous treeh
STONE KEEP CASTLE
“This project aims to provide Year 8 students with a simulated model of a stone keep castle, which is studied in the medieval Europe section of the year. It aims to create interest in learning, and will have information stations that will be used to take notes and enhance the learning experience for all. While still in early development, the castle will have rooms filled with their allocated purpose (armoury, storage, etc.), a town will be built around the castle that will teach about peasants and social classes, and many more educational exhibits to come.” Ben
CARDBOARD CATHEDRAL, CHRISTCHURCH
ience. And these are understanding of the environmental exper Rumours of settings only the current major projects in progress. es are spreading like studi book in books being built to help with and smaller team, EDU the is that grass wildf ire among the a like science exhibit projects are scattered throughout the land gen atom.” hydro a es work in progress that already includ ed, and the boys From here, I made a chart of activities plann Humanities, the and ces Scien ry, Histo in cts proje began to build some Maths ing, Think Environment, Electricity, Computational probability, and so on.
Changing relationships
an engag ing For me, I have learned a great deal about what e in chang the ibe descr to ult diffic program can do! It’s . group this in nt evide been have that ps relationshi nt found access to Early on, we had an incident where a stude ct. The boys proje er anoth ed teacher status login, and affect responsibilities ed group of e natur the ssed discu alerted me, we ct the group, prote to and obligations, changed the teacher login managing with s issue more no and continued. There have been the server. diversify beyond my As they kept building and projects began to ge the project, mana to r knowledge, I appointed a Student Leade needed. He when oring ment for me and report the progress to d do no neede I and , peers ated dedic of group created his own MORMON TEMPLE, HAMILTON