Making With Minecraft

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Making With MinecraftBrian Aspinall @mraspinall mraspinall.com

What is “Computational Thinking” ?

• Computational Thinking (CT) is a process that generalizes a solution to open ended problems. Open-ended problems encourage full, meaningful answers based on multiple variables, which require using decomposition, data representation, generalization, modelling, and algorithms found in Computational Thinking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_thinking

@mraspinall• www.mraspinall.com

Jeannette Wing: Computational Thinking https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~15110-s13/Wing06-ct.pdf

CT is a process in which solutions to open ended problems are derived using technology.

Discuss the notion that coding is a subset of computational thinking, but not the only subset.

What is “Computational Thinking” ?

• Thinking about and solving problems or completing tasks using technology.

• Coding is a tool used in Computational Thinking. • Building structures is Minecraft is a form of Computational Thinking. • Creating spreadsheets and organizing data and graphs is a form of

Computational Thinking

@mraspinall• www.mraspinall.com

Computational Thinking, Learning Skills & 6 C’s(Opportunity for anecdotal)

Organization Responsibility Independent Work Collaboration Initiative Self-regulation

@mraspinall mraspinall.com

Minecraft Experience

I have heard of Minecraft I have seen Minecraft I have tried Minecraft

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.

Source: https://minecraft.net

What is Minecraft

Infinite Lego with same size blocks

History

On June 1st, 2009 Markus Persson quits his job at an established games developer to create his own game. Unemployed, but enthusiastic, Markus was looking for inspiration, and it came from indie game development blog, Tigsource.

Though Markus’ original idea wasn’t as fully featured as the Minecraft you’ll play today, "Cave Game" was created from the same DNA. This was a game about placing and breaking blocks in a 3D world. The primary motivation was to create an experience where each individual component felt fun. A game that could be both accessible and emergent.

History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9t3FREAZ-k

Original Cave Game (5 mins)

History

After years of success, Microsoft officially acquired Mojang (the company Markus started) in the fall of 2014 for a reported $2.5 billion.

Today Minecraft is available on the PC, Mac, Xbox, Playstation, PS Vita (~ $27USD)

The pocket edition is available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Amazon Kindle Fire (~$8)

Minecraft: A Virtual Tour (15 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqLPtN7GY0o

Listen to his thought process. He discusses real-world applications & connections based on research he has done prior to constructing this mansion. He even goes as far as to offer problems and solutions to his architectural design.

What Curriculum Connections Can You Make?

Curriculum Connections (Gr 1 Science) Minecraft Mansion

Curriculum Connections (Gr 7 Science) Minecraft Mansion

Curriculum Connections (Gr 4 Social Studies)(Medieval Castle)

Redstone (Financial Literacy)

Redstone is a fictional mineral acting as electrical wire to build electronic circuits, circuitry gates, pistons, dispensers, and other machines thus making your Minecraft world more interactive.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redstone

Redstone Tour (2 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b4lq9Lw-2E

Redstone (Circuits)

At the Core

Minecraft is math

The basic building block is 1 cubic metre.

Patterning & Algebra

PA Day?

http://brianaspinall.com/creating-structures-growing-patterns-using-minecraft-onted/

Spatial Reasoning

https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/LNSPayingAttention.pdf

Spatial Reasoning

According to the National Research Council (2006), spatial thinking involves three components: “concepts of space, tools of representation, and processes of reasoning” (p. 3).

It involves understanding relationships within and between spatial structures and, through a wide variety of possible representations (from drawings to computer models), involves the means to communicate about them.

When a child rotates a rectangular prism to fit into the castle she is building at the block centre, she is employing spatial reasoning, as is the student who uses a diagram of a rectangle to prove that the formula for finding the area of a triangle is 1⁄2b 3 h.

https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/LNSPayingAttention.pdf

Patterning Castles (Grade 7 / 8 Science & Math)

Expectations (Science)

• design and construct a variety of structures, and investigate the relationship between the design and function of these structures and the forces that act on them;

• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between structural forms and the forces that act on and within them.

Expectations (Math)

• determine a term, given its term number, in a linear pattern that is represented by a graph or an algebraic equation;

• make connections between solving equations and determining the term number in a pattern, using the general term (e.g., for the pattern with the general term 2 n + 1, solving the equation 2 n + 1 = 17 tells you the term number when the term is 17);

• solve and verify linear equations involving a one-variable term and having solutions that are integers, by using inspection, guess and check, and a “balance” model (Sample problem:What is the value of the variable in the equation 30x – 5 = 10?).

Can you identify the pattern rule?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1s5jrqwf00

Patterning Scavenger Hunt

Source: http://www.edugains.ca/resources/LearningMaterials/SummativeUnits/Grade7.pdf

Further Discussion:

At what point does the height of the cargo become unsafe?

Persuasive “pitch”

Proportional Relationships

Math PortfolioSeymour Papert’s work suggests strong evidence for a constructivist approach to mathematics.

Having students “construct” math using Minecraft on the same map yields an ongoing document of mathematical thinking.

“Mathland” as he calls it, is a place where students are immersed in mathematics.

Source: https://vimeo.com/44907186

Virtual Tours

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtWBMtxdvs8

** Consider: Safe Schools Act ** http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/safeschl/eng/ssa.html

@jpedrechJim Pedrech

Design Challenge

What tasks / lessons / projects will you try with your students?

Geography (Terrain) History (Design Fort Malden and recount the war of 1812)

(4 mins)

Getting Started Minecraft Pocket Edition (app)

iOS $10

Android $9

Windows $8

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/minecraft-pocket-edition/id479516143?mt=8

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/minecraft-pocket-edition/9wzdncrdzsbb

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mojang.minecraftpe

Getting Started PC & Mac Version

https://minecraft.net/store/minecraft

Minecraft Server (Shared Minecraft Space)

Teachers and students can build structures together on a shared map.

Collaboration Teamwork “Gallery Walk” Can shut off server during specified time

Responsibility after hours Requires $ and setup

Minecraft Edu (NEW)

Don’t feel like building educational worlds for your students from scratch? Download ours! Or check out a growing number of worlds submitted by teachers from around the globe. MinecaftEdu worlds are available for a wide range of subject areas and age levels. Download what you need, or adapt and re-purpose someone else’s creation. And if you create something cool, share it with the rest of the MinecraftEdu community!

Search for pre-existing maps based on subject and grade level

https://minecraftedu.com

Making With Minecraft

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