ICT's Tool Review: Minecraft
Minecraft is a Mojang (Microsoft property) videogame that runs on smartphones, computer, and game consoles. You can buy the original game for 26.95 U$ dolars on https://minecraft.net. You can also download the demo for free, but its time limit is 100 minutes (5 days inside the game).
This game is sandbox construction game that can be played both, single player and multiplayer modes . "Gameplay involves players interacting with the game world by placing and breaking various types of blocks in a three-dimensional environment" (MinecraftWiki, 2017).
This game was not created with a target audience in mind, so it is aimed for everyone due to its popularity. Perhaps, it could be more attractive for young children, because of the constructions and the colours. This game can be played in five modes: creative, survival, adventure, hardcore and spectator.
An example of how to use it for academic purposes, is the use of Adventure or Customizable Maps. As a teacher, you can use this method, to make students practice English Grammatical Structures, at the very same time they have fun in the game.
After the success of using Minecraft as an ICT Teaching Tool, Mojang released an Education Edition of the game. You can download it from http://education.minecraft.net.
It is obvious that this Tool is related to the Gamification Method, because it turns the learning into an attractive and fun game.
The limitations of the game could be
- The price: A young child could not pay it by himself, without the help of his/her parents
- WiFi connection: If you want to play multiplayer, or even when you want to download it, you need WiFi connection, or else you won't be able to play it.
- You must have a technological device to play it.
I must admit I have played this game for a while. Since it gives you the opportunity to totally explore a world that generates itself as you travel through it, the survival features that makes the game more realistic and the background story that it's quite interesting . I believe it's a great idea to implement it as a pedagogical tool. The particularity of this game is the sensation that you have infinite Lego pieces to create whatever you want. As the name itself tell you, this is a Crafting game, in which you can craft different weapons, tools, pieces of furniture, armors and different useful things.
ReplyDeleteFrom a pedagogical perspective I believe this can be a useful tool. I know that in order to work as a pedagogical instrument there are teachers that design buildings and special maps in order to bring a open world experience to their students without going anywhere. All the magic happens behind a screen