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Minecraft EDU Workshops

Minecraft EDU Workshops
Posted on 03/02/2023
Students participating in Minecraft EDU Workshops

Superior North Catholic District School Board (SNCDSB) partnered with Cobblestone Collective to offer Minecraft EDU student workshops throughout the month of February. The workshops integrated coding and the new Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum Expectations. The three 90-minute workshops began on February 1.

Classrooms were invited to join the live Youtube virtually. Students were engaged in learning first about the specific science curriculum content, then they were provided with a build challenge using Minecraft EDU. Students enjoyed the collaborative learning with students from across the SNCDSB district. SNCDSB’s Focus on the Future strategic priority aligns this work with the Board's Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP).

Student working on Minecraft EDU

The workshops students participated in were:

Exploring Earth and Space Systems with Minecraft: Education Edition.

This lesson focused on the topic of renewable and non-renewable resources. During the classroom discussion, students learned about different types of resources and examples of renewable resources integrated into their daily lives. Students will use Minecraft to build a renewable energy source appropriate for a chosen biome, and use coding skills to automate large systems.

Exploring Life Systems with Minecraft: Education Edition

This lesson introduced the concept of prey and predators, and how they interact within an ecosystem. Students learned about biotic and abiotic factors that shape the environment and explore examples of environmental factors that can impact organisms in the ecosystem, including humans. Through exploring the Frozen Planet II World inside Minecraft: Education Edition, students were able to learn the importance of the Arctic Ocean and classify the animals and organisms that live there. The facilitators lead a discussion of how organisms work together to provide biodiversity in the Arctic and consider the potential consequences of a warming planet on the Arctic environment.

Exploring Structures and Mechanisms with Minecraft: Education Edition

This lesson explored the concepts of structures and mechanisms. While discussing and building inside Minecraft: Education Edition, students learned about the different types of simple machines, including inclined planes, pulleys, screws, wedges, levers, and wheels & axles. They also learned about a structure and looked at examples of real-life structures, including animal-built ones, such as beaver dams and bee hives. Students also explored Rube Goldberg machines and build ramps to understand the practical applications of simple machines in everyday life. Students were then challenged to build their own Rube Goldberg machine in Minecraft.

Student participating in Minecraft EDU workshop

"Together We Educate Heart, Mind and Soul."

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