I sometimes feel like educators don't understand what I mean when I say I'm a Minecraft Teacher. I wanted to have a blog post to send people to, when I see their eyes glaze over, or that ever-so-subtle "oh, you're a hipster tech teacher" look crosses their eyes. Look, the simple truth is that my students are consuming content, curating their own experiences, and sharing learning in a powerful way. And we do it together. And we do it while playing a video game. Samples from Term 1 & 2So how does it work? This class runs 8 weeks per term, 3 terms per year. The class has 30 students per term, ranging from K-7. I have 2 high school helpers who assist the learners when I'm not online. Each week my students receive a quick overview of a weekly challenge. It usually contains links to dig deeper and explore the concepts. Usually this is in an email, but I also post a sign in the Challenge Hut. This term we've been utilizing Canada's 150th Celebration and doing a lot of learning about Canadian themes. This mostly tends to be social studies content, but also can include science, language arts, math, and career outcomes. The students do some learning and explore some ideas that are relevant to their ability, and then they log in and begin sharing their learning with me. Challenge ExampleHere is the first weekly challenge for 2017: Hello Miners! Did you know that 2017 is Canada's 150th birthday? To celebrate we will be doing Canada themed Challenges all term! The St. Lawrence river is a vital habitat and shipping lane. It helps Canadians from the interior get their goods to the coastal cities and abroad. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a series of connecting dams, canals, and passageways that allow ships to go all the way to the Great Lakes. It is more than 3700KM long, and travels a variety of altitudes! It is still a major engineering feat. It was finished construction in January 1959! You can find out more information at the links below. Your challenge signs are waiting in the Purple Hut! http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=t5o&AN=98916517 http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/seaway/history/ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/st-lawrence-seaway/ The students have a week to complete the challenge, and then add their username to The Challenge Hut, so everyone can see their accomplishment, and students have an idea of who can help them if they run into trouble or need ideas. It's the Wall of Champions idea- digitally. Pictures of the CanalsOvert and Hidden Curriculum GoalsOvert: Meeting educational standards- this term and next term we're learning about Canada. Social studies, geography, government, economics, etc. Hidden Curriculum: (often taught via situations that arise instead of artificially created conditions) online safety, digital etiquette, digital leadership, community engagement, Adversity
Final ThoughtsI'm so thrilled in how this class has developed and the way that it's encouraging my students. I've had a number of parents email to express their gratitude. Many of my students struggle to make in person connections, so this purely online class allows students to come in on an even plane and develop relationships, leadership, and friendships. One thing I'll be changing for Term 3 is how I share the information and how I ask students to check in. I'll be using Google Forms for the students to get connected to their content, and to leave comments or share their learning that Minecraft doesn't handle well (text based, video or linked content). I'm not totally sold on this- I don't have Google Classroom, so there isn't a great way for the students to share each other's content and ideas, but I'd like to try One last thing: If you're under the impression that an Online Class can't have the same community as a face to face classroom, you are very mistaken. I've only met 6 of my students face to face, but the connections that we've forged, the adversity we've overcome, and the learning we've done speaks for itself. Just in case you need proof though, let me share a couple more photos. I feel like I could write a book about this subject, so leave comments or questions below!
1 Comment
Desiree
6/2/2017 12:00:03 pm
Yay! Awesome tips! My students (high school) have their own accounts. My tech dept wouldn't set us up.🤔
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AuthorI respond to Sarah, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Smoore, Miss Sarah, (and sometimes Mom!). I have been an DL (homeschool!) teacher for 2 years and am now a proud member of the SD35 team! Archives
September 2018
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