Minecraft in the Classroom: Ideas, inspiration, and student projects for teachers

Minecraft in the Classroom: Ideas, inspiration, and student projects for teachers

Released October 2014
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780133991048

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Book description

Learn how educators are using Minecraft® as a powerful instructional tool to engage students and teach subjects as varied as math and humanities.

This book offers ten classroom projects from teachers using Minecraft® to teach math, science, languages, and more. Each project includes learning objectives, project organization and tasks, and ideas for reflection and assessments.

You’ll also find detailed instructions for setting up and running a Minecraft® server in the classroom, both the regular and the popular MinecraftEdu versions.

In this book, you’ll discover

  • What Minecraft® is and why it’s such an engaging tool for the classroom.

  • How to set up and administer servers that students use for their projects.

  • What MinecraftEdu is, how to set up and manage it, and how to use its teacher controls.

  • Techniques for using the game in special-education settings.

  • Step-by-step instructions for printing 3D models of your classroom projects.

  • Ways to use the game in a variety of different subject areas.


    • You’ll find essential advice and captivating projects for using Minecraft® to enhance students’ learning experience from educators using Minecraft® in the Classroom: Shane Asselstine, Dan Bloom, André Chercka, Adam Clarke, Stephen Elford, Colin Gallagher, David Lee, John Miller, Eric Walker, and James York.

    Minecraft® is a trademark of Mojang Synergies/Notch Development AB. This book is not affiliated with or sponsored by Mojang Synergies/Notch Development AB.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. Contents
    6. Introduction
      1. Minecraft in the Classroom
      2. Who Is This Book for?
      3. Who Am I?
    7. Part 1: Minecraft in Education: The Basics
      1. 1. What Is Minecraft?
        1. “Minecraft Is...”
        2. The Basics
      2. 2. Working with MinecraftEdu
        1. Getting MinecraftEdu
        2. Server Setup
        3. Getting Students into Your Minecraft World
        4. Accessing the Teacher Menu
        5. Using MinecraftEdu Blocks
        6. Making Your World Accessible from Outside Your School
        7. A Quick Word on Mods
      3. 3. Working with Regular Minecraft
        1. Installing the Minecraft Server
        2. Editing Minecraft Server Files
      4. 4. Minecraft in Education—Why?
        1. Collaboration
        2. Creativity
        3. Differentiation
        4. Digital Citizenship
        5. Engagement
        6. Fun
        7. Independence
        8. Leadership
        9. Relevance
    8. Part 2: Minecraft Classroom Projects
      1. 5. Teaching with Minecraft Pocket Edition
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
      2. 6.1. Minecraft and Teaching Humanities
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
        10. References
      3. 6.2. Minecraft and Teaching Humanities
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
      4. 7.1. Minecraft and Teaching Science
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
      5. 7.2. Minecraft and Teaching Science
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Sharing the Project
        9. Project Future
        10. Resources
      6. 8.1. Minecraft and Teaching Math
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Sharing the Project
        9. Project Future
        10. Resources
      7. 8.2. Minecraft and Teaching Math
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Sharing the Project
        9. Project Future
        10. Resources
      8. 9. Minecraft and Language Learning
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
      9. 10. Minecraft in Transdisciplinary Learning
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
      10. 11. Minecraft and Special Educational Needs
        1. Project Summary
        2. Project Goals
        3. Learning Objectives
        4. Organizing the Project
        5. Getting Started
        6. Completing the Tasks
        7. Reflection and Assessment
        8. Project Future
        9. Resources
    9. Part 3: Minecraft—Where Next?
      1. 12. Minecraft in Education—the Future
        1. Computer Programming in Minecraft
        2. LearnToMod
        3. Minecraft and the Real World
      2. 13. Minecraft and 3D Printing
        1. Playing, Making, and Learning in 3D
        2. Making Minecraft Real
        3. Minecraft 3D Printing
        4. Using Your Own Printer
        5. When Things Go Wrong
        6. Creating Mashups
        7. Lesson Ideas
        8. Resources
    10. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Minecraft in the Classroom: Ideas, inspiration, and student projects for teachers
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: October 2014
    • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
    • ISBN: 9780133991048