Weekly Reflection #6 – Gamification of Learning and Kara Dawson on Minecraft as a Learning Tool
Week of March 6th
What a great week! I found it very interesting to learn about gamification of learning, and to dive further into Minecraft Education. I am blown away by the extensive learning opportunities that are offered through Minecraft Education, and see myself using this tool in the classroom.
Fostering Problem Solving Skills through Gamification of Learning
Gamification of learning, which has been around since the early 1960’s (suprisingly!), can be used to increase learners problem solving skills through online games and programs. This can include typing games, language learners such as Duolingo, programming through applications like Scratch, and even Minecraft (Education). It was inspiring to learn about computational thinking, and how this can be used to develop problem solving skills applicable to real-world settings through this process. Games offer an approachable and fun way for learners to engage with content, and students often feel excited to learn through settings that honour their interests! Furthermore, gamification through online platforms can allow for cross-curricular concepts to be introduced, all while developing digital literacy and problem solving skills. So cool!
Here is a screenshot of my Scratch programming! This felt like a blast from the past, and as I explored the program I quickly realized that the programming skills I once had learned from this platform were feeling quite rusty. It was interesting to work through building a sequence, and I found it challenging! This is a great way for students to be creative while working through each programming block, thus developing problem solving skills in the process!
Kara Dawson and Minecraft Education
WOW! I am utterly blown away by the vast amount of learning opportunities offered through Minecraft Education, and quite frankly feel envious that I was not able to experience this during my grade school education! In my experience, teachers would often role their eyes when students brought up Minecraft, so I am pleased that student interests have been integrated into such a wonderful learning platform! Minecraft Education offers learning in an approachable and familiar way through a platform that many students already know and love, and encourages creativity, problem solving, and collaboration.
Kara Dawson, who joined us from SD71 in the Comox Valley, is a Minecraft Education expert, and she offered us much insight on this program! She introduced us to pre-build worlds, where students can complete challenges, explore worlds and learn from characters along the way. These pre-built worlds are complimented by lesson plans, with some including built in slide-decks. I appreciated that Kara discussed guidelines, and offered insights from her own experience. She reminded us that if a world does not have a lesson plan along with it, that one should be created alongside the world so that students have something to stay focused on. She also discussed creating rules and guidelines for playing with student input, allowing for student ownership of the rules. I really appreciated her expertise, and learned so much about this wonderful platform. I am really excited to incorporate this into the classroom (and my day-to-day life, too!).
To conclude, I found this week really valuable, and can see myself using a lot of the resources offered today in my future classroom!