Activity: Learn how to use a new tool, software, or game,
and write about your experience.
Description of Activity
In preparation for the next school
holidays (April) I have purchased MinecraftEdu with ten licenses for the
library in which I work (downloaded from www.minecraftedu.com). The library
will be running a Minecraft Club for the duration of the holidays in our
Learning Lounge which holds ten laptops. The sessions will be run on a local
server, allowing gamers that are new to Minecraft the chance to try multiplayer
for perhaps the first time and more experienced players an opportunity to show
off their skills. The sessions will be held daily on a drop-in basis so that we
can assess the popularity of the sessions, the length of time gamers stay and
the ways in which they use the club.
Having
played Minecraft at home with my own children, on both PC and Xbox, I was
fairly certain that I would be able to download, install and run the sessions
on the library laptops. This process did prove to be fairly straightforward,
with the assistance of Council’s IT Department as there were some steps that required
additional permissions. The actual setup of the program was also quite
straightforward as although it has a different launcher program to the public
Minecraft game, the world setup was very similar. From this point a number of
decisions had to be made in regard to restrictions and controls we wished to
place on the game, world setup, challenges and activities.
What did you
learn?
MinecraftEdu
is a variation of the original Minecraft that includes capabilities to restrict
and control various elements of the game. These controls allow the teacher or
game leader to set up challenges, restrict usage and monitor behaviour. During
the setup, I discovered I can limit options such as controlling night mode,
which would speed up game play, I can turn off mobs (the various animals and
creatures within the game) and control options such as excluding TNT and selecting
creative or survival mode. I also have the capability to control the gamers, by
moving them around the game, restricting their game play and removing them from
the game. This may prove useful if the gamers are not following the rules or
being fair to others.
According
to the MinecraftEdu website, there are numerous activities, maps and worlds
that other users, teachers and libraries have uploaded to the website and are
free for us to utilise. I am hoping that during the school term we can continue
the Minecraft Club, with a different theme, activity or challenge for the
participants to engage with on a fortnightly basis. An evaluation of the
popularity and success of the Minecraft Club during the holidays will determine
whether this continues.
How was the
activity relevant to your professional practice as a librarian for children and
young adults?
I
have been very interested in getting a Minecraft Club up and running in the
library for some time, both as an addition to our usual school holiday program,
but also as a means to engage with a wide variety of ages during the holidays. Our
general holiday sessions tend to attract five to nine year olds and while Minecraft
appeals to this age group, I also hope to attract the ten to 15 year olds that
do not frequent the library during school holidays to the same degree. I also
hope that those children that do not have access to a computer in the home will
be able to experience the game and share this experience with their peers.
Were any
gaps in your knowledge revealed? How might you fill those gaps?
There
were (and are still!) quite a few gaps in my knowledge in regard to the
installation of a game such as Minecraft onto a LAN server. I am hoping, as the
holidays approach, I will have a better understanding of the game and with the
help of our library student trainee, I can develop the skills needed to run the
Minecraft Club successfully. I am also counting on the kids that will come
along being knowledgeable about the game, and I am sure I will pick up tips as
I go along.
Minecraft
is not just a game; that is obvious by the number of schools that use the Minecraft
Edu version. The capability to engage children in learning via a game is such a
powerful tool. The children are using a variety of concepts and skills and
developing these skills while having fun and as Tromba (2013, p.22) stated in an
article about teaching with Minecraft, it “is a great way to build teamwork and
to build community”. Children, at the present time, are more than comfortable learning
and playing in a digital environment, they are confident in this world and they
enjoy a challenge. In Minecraft, children are having to read and write, solve
problems, work in teams, use maths concepts, all while ‘playing’ the game;
these are all skills that I am more than happy to encourage in the library.
References:
Cipollone,
M., Schifter, C. C., & Moffat, R. A. (2014). Minecraft as a creative tool:
A case study. International Journal of Game-Based Learning. (2). pp. 1-14.
doi:10.4018/ijgbl.2014040101.
Gauquier,
E. & Schneider, J. (2013). Minecraft programs in the library: If you build
it they will come. Young Adult Library
Services. (11). pp. 17-19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1317657066?accountid=10344
Tromba,
P. (2013), Build engagement and knowledge one block at a time with Minecraft. Learning & Leading with Technology, (40). pp. 20-23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
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