p>Since COVID-19-related concerns cause school closures around the world many educators are opting for remote learning to keep students engaged. To help teachers and students stay connected to the classroom, Minecraft: Education Edition is available now until June 2020 for all learners and educators with a valid Office 365 Education account. Please fill out this form to confirm your account and request access to Minecraft.
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p>We have also compiled an exclusive Minecraft remote learning toolkit, that includes more than 50 lessons, STEM curriculums and project-based learning activities so educators can use Minecraft: Education Edition with their students, whether they are at home, at school, or in a different remote learning environment.
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p>Features such as classroom multiplayer allow students to collaborate on projects in their Minecraft worlds, while building, planning, learning and even chatting as they collaborate. Multiplayer Mode is accessible by downloading this guide. Students can use tools like the Camera and Book & Quinl to capture screenshots, write about their work, and export their in-game portfolios to PDF once they are ready to submit their projects.
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p>"Distance learning requires students to be involved in content in news ways," explains educator and Minecraft certified trainer Becky Keene. They require activities and learning environments that encourage them to learn, since they work from home. Minecraft supports almost any topic, and students can show me their learning without a break!"
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p>When students collaborate online in Minecraft: Education Edition, it presents new opportunities for them to develop the ability to communicate and solve problems together. Mark Henkels, a Minecraft educator in New York, says, "It's the social interaction that's a major part of the reason why Minecraft is so popular and great. It's the reason why Minecraft is such a an educational and enjoyable environment."
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p>Here's how to setup Minecraft Education Edition on your device or your school:
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p>Check here to determine if your school account is eligible. - If you have a valid O365 EDU account, fill this form to request access to Minecraft Education Edition until June 2020. Download Minecraft: Education Edition for Windows, Mac or iPad.
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p>You can download and try a no-cost lesson on Windows, Mac, or iPad even in the absence of an O365 EDU account. Learn more about other Minecraft distance learning tools here.
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p>Find free lessons, online training and distance learning projects for Minecraft: Education Edition:
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p>Explore STEM Language Arts, history lessons with the remote learning toolkit. https://fun-gallery.com/ This includes creating historical monuments as well as modeling animal and plant cells and using coding to create an outdoor garden. - Join the 2020 Minecraft Education Challenge with your students by using a programmable toolkit to solve real-world sustainability and inclusion problems. - Take a free introduction online course for educators on the Microsoft Education Community (MEC) and check out this Starter Guide to learn the fundamentals of teaching with Minecraft: Education Edition. Check out these building challenges for fast-paced, fun and innovative activities to get your students involved in STEM and storytelling. This YouTube playlist teaches you how to make use of different tools to set up games, monitor and manage your classroom.
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p>Educational content available for Minecraft Bedrock:
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p>We recently introduced a new category of educational worlds for Minecraft players everywhere in the Minecraft Marketplace to support families during school closings. The new Education Collection includes worlds you can play with your kids and familymembers, as well as work by the creators Everbloom, Jigarbov, Lifeboat, Razzleberries, The World Foundry, Blockworks and Imagiverse! These worlds are available for free until June 30 2020. Anyone using Minecraft for Bedrock can find these worlds by launching Minecraft and then navigating to the in-game store.
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p>There is no quick solution for major disruptions, such as school closures. However, these resources can help educators and students stay connected and involved in learning. Feel free to share advice on remote teaching and learning with the Minecraft Education Edition community on Twitter or Facebook.
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