Can Minecraft be the Ultimate Educational Tool?

We've been working closely with PBS's Mike Rugnetta, check out his videos and subscribe! His channel, known as "PBS Idea Channel" is a YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers, their aim is to find cool ideas that our society could use, and this time we've worked with PBS, Gamepedia, Edutopia, and MinecraftEDU's Joel Levin, to prove that Minecraft can actually be, society's next generation of learning in schools. Here is the link to Pbs Mike Rugnetta. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0BN5AWOe8

So, could Minecraft actually be the ultimate learning tool for our next-generation of students and teachers? Well, here's the answer: Yes! Since 2012, there have already been over 500 positive reviews from parents that have described how Minecraft has actually changed the way their kids work and study, like, when Joel Levin said that his daughter wasn't even 5 yet, but she had actually spelt her very first word using Minecraft! Since Minecraft's reputation in education is increasing so quickly, creator Markus "Notch" Persson and Joel Levin have teamed-up and created an official, third-party mod called "MinecraftEDU"
This "MinecraftEDU" is actually an officially licensed mod specially optimized and built for teachers and students to use in the classroom. It is estimated that MinecraftEDU is used in over 20,000 schools across 6 continents in the globe.

Thanks to long research studies students and scientists have proven scientifically that Minecraft can be used as a powerful learning tool, faster than traditional methods of learning, such as using textbooks and reading typical schoolbooks. So children who are using Minecraft feel like what they are learning is useful, which MEANS that children, would be more encouraged to learn, they feel like they WANT to learn, thanks to Minecraft.

So, what are the benefits? Source: Gamepedia

1) Say for reading, players can write and read their own books and publish them in the Minecraft universe, which is a major step and a turning point in both gaming and education in gaming.

2) Spelling, teach a new language by using signs, even Latvian! Or create riddles for your friends. Minecraft has proven that it can increase your spelling skills by 30% than traditional methods of spelling education.

3) Mathematics, measure the time of how long it takes for a block to hit the ground, say I need 2+2 wood for a crafting recipe, solve mathematical problems in game! Geometry for 3D modelling, Measurement for arcitechture, the possibilities are endless!

There are endless educational benefits by using Minecraft.

By Martin