by Stone Marshall | Jun 8, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Children at two Downpatrick primary schools have been building a shared future, albeit a digital one.
Children from Downpatrick Primary School and St Brigid’s Primary School visited Castle Ward on Monday for the launch of a new education programme, Minecraft at Castle Ward.
The cross-curricular project uses the game to encourage children to explore the National Trust-owned property.
Most schools participating in the pilot were supported by Shared Education.
Shared Education supports children in separate schools engaging in joint classes or projects.
The project is the result of a collaboration between the National Trust and iTeach, a Belfast-based education programming development company.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a computer game in which you build things using cubic blocks.
It is a bit like Lego but you never run out of blocks and they never fall over.
Players can walk among their own creations, and play online with other people who are in the same world.
This is the first programme of its kind to feature to a National Trust property and the trust hopes to develop the programme across more of its sites.
National Trust co-ordinator, Geoff Magill, said: “The 18th Century Corn Mill at Castle Ward is being brought to life on Minecraft as schools combine the latest technology with the outdoors.
“They will learn about the history of the Corn Mill, the engineering aspects and traditional milling processes in an interactive tour which will culminate in pupils actually constructing the building in Minecraft.
“We are also pleased to announce that the programme will be available in conjunction with the Shared Education initiative which enable schools from diverse communities to come together and share the experience.
“The programme is currently in its pilot stage and will be available to schools from September,” he added.
Building a shared future in Minecraft at Castle Ward
by Stone Marshall | Jun 7, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
When you combine two items correctly in Minecraft, it makes a new item – a bit like chemistry. So it isn’t surprising really that a modded version of the game is successfully being used to replace certain elements of chemistry lessons in schools.
Students are inadvertently learning traditionally tricky topics such as polymer synthesis (making plastic) and refining oil with greater ease.
Imagine a class without lessons, tests and homework, but with missions, quests and teamwork,” Lead researcher Dr Ronald Smaldone ponders. “Video games offer an attractive educational platform because they are designed to be fun and engaging, as opposed to traditional approaches to teaching through lectures and assignments”.
Dr Smaldone says that holding the attention and focus of students, and providing information in a meaningful way, is a significant challenge for online education (and all education for that matter).
“Imagine having educational content that would not only command the complete focus of students, but even excite them so much that they would consume it without needing to be assigned it,” Dr Smaldone says.
Dr Smaldone points out there are “many advantages” to providing educational content in a computerised game format, one of which is that it allows learners to move at their own pace.
“A horizontal learning approach allows students who understand the material quickly to move on to more challenging material, whereas those that need extra time can take it, making it truly personalised,” Dr Smaldone says. “Management of the pace of learning is extremely important when interacting with students remotely. Educational content must be provided in such a way that they do not become bored (the material is not challenging enough) or frustrated (the material is too challenging)”.
The Minecraft mod used for these lessons integrates concepts of chemistry and engineering into the gameplay. Called Polycraft World, the development of the mod maintained two main goals — the science must be accurate, and it must add something fun to the game.
In one of many trial classes, over a period of 12 months Dr Christina Thompson taught a one hour general topics class entitled “Video Games and Learning” to a small (thirteen students in each class) group of students of mixed subject background and age, through the Honors College at the University of Texas at Dallas. No in-class science instruction was given, but a non-graded part of the class was to play Polycraft World.
Without ever being asked to learn or remember anything from the game, students were given a pop quiz written in entirely scientific language which asked them questions ranging from identifying the chemical components of polymers based on their acronyms, to drawing a distillation tree for crude oil given a blank piece of paper.
Despite this, five of the thirteen students could correctly draw a crude oil distillation tree to three levels of distillation, with three more able to draw it to two levels of distillation. And they learned this entirely from playing Minecraft.
This is just another example of the way that video games can be a positive contribution to a child’s development, countering the traditional negative stigma gaming has carried for far too long.
Minecraft Is Successfully Replacing Chemistry Lessons In Schools
by Stone Marshall | Jun 7, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
“Minecraft at the Sydney Opera House” is an epic two day festival, and host to Australia’s first Minecraft competition.
Held in the Concert Hall on July 2 and 3, the event brings to life one of the best-selling video games of all time, its 120 million-plus players captivated by a world of limitless exploration and creative possibilities. Described by organisers as “a true choose-your-own-adventure experience” the festival will be unbeatable school holidays entertainment for children, families, and Minecraft devotees of all ages.
“The Sydney Opera House is about creativity in all its forms. We encourage makers, builders and artists of all kinds,” Sydney Opera House Senior Producer for Children, Families and Creative Learning, Jamie Dawson, said. “This event is about bringing Minecrafters together to share ideas, challenge each other and to meet the creators of one of the world’s most popular games. And where better to do it than the Opera House.”
The Opera House’s grand Concert Hall and Northern Foyers will be transformed into a Minecraft extravaganza spanning three sessions over two days. Attendees can come and go between the main competition on stage and the activities in the foyer.
Minecraft at the Sydney Opera House is designed for everyone: from dedicated players of all ages (who can compete to win an Xbox One), to parents and educators who can understand and unpack how the game can be applied in an educational setting – and even younger gamers who can meet (and challenge) new friends.
Alongside the competitions, Lead Creative Designer of Minecraft, Jens Bergensten, will participate in the interactive sessions. Lydia Winters, Brand Director of Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft, will share her Minecraft tricks and tips and answer fans’ questions.
You can grab a ticket here.
There’s A Minecraft Festival Coming To Sydney Opera House
by Stone Marshall | Jun 6, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Scholastic says it will stop distributing a fan-fiction Minecraft book that compares an Indian character’s name to a fart.
A Toronto mother tweeted a photo of a page in Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, accusing the book of “modelling racist behaviour for my kids.”
‘I was really troubled by the idea that my children, who have long and complicated names, might end up reading something like this.’ – Sailaja Krishnamurti, St. Mary’s University
In the passage, the protagonist’s mom tells him he’s about to room up with foreign exchange student Rajit Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta — an Indian name also famous for being the longest railway station name in India.
“It sounded like my mom farted,” the boy reacts.
When Halifax’s Sailaja Krishnamurti first came across the passage on Twitter, she became concerned about her own kids.
“Certainly my son loves to play Minecraft, and they’re of an age where they could be reading on their own without my looking over their shoulder,” Krishnamurti told As It Happens host Carol Off.
Krishnamurti is a religious studies professor at St. Mary’s University in Halifax who studies representation of South Asian culture in children’s literature.
“And so I was really troubled by the idea that my children, who have long and complicated names, might end up reading something like this on their own and not really know how to process how that might make them feel.”
The book, which has no named author, is part of the Zack Zombie series, described online as “an original work of fan fiction which is not sanctioned nor approved by the makers of Minecraft.” It is sold online via Amazon, and distributed through Scholastic.
Contacted for comment, Scholastic at first denied responsibility for the book’s content, noting it was not published in-house, but rather by a company called Herobrine Books.
‘We are grateful for letting us know about this issue and want to apologize for any offence or harm it may have caused anyone.’ – Nicole Zaccagnini, White Water Agency
However, the company later responded to say it would no longer be shipping the book.
“Our partnership with Canadian schools and families is a privilege, and one that we take very seriously,” Scholastic told As It Happens in an email.
“The author has been made aware of your comments and is deeply troubled that the text has been construed as racist, as this was never intended, and he is eager to make editorial changes to be sure the text is corrected. Further on in the story, the character recognizes and apologizes for his bad behaviour and the two characters become friends, with Zombie learning a valuable lesson in friendship, diversity and acceptance. ”
But Krishnamurti said the story’s positive ending “doesn’t excuse the racism that’s being enacted right at the start of the book.”
Nicole Zaccagnini, publicist for the Herobrine series, apologized for the passage and told As It Happens they have “already made steps to remove the offending statements from our book so that no one will be hurt by this in any way.”
“We are grateful for letting us know about this issue and want to apologize for any offence or harm it may have caused anyone,” Zaccagnini, an account executive at the public relations firm White Water Agency, said in an email.
“We believe that all cultures, religions and groups in which people identify with are all special in the building blocks of our society.”
Krishnamurti, meanwhile, said this whole debacle just shows the importance of diversity in children’s literature.
“I think it’s an instructive moment for all of us as parents and as people who are thinking about children’s literature to really advocate for more diverse representations in the books our children are reading.”
Scholastic pulls fan-fiction Minecraft book that compares Indian name to a fart
by Stone Marshall | Jun 6, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The long-awaited Discovery Update for Minecraft: Pocket Edition has gone live for Android users. This is a huge new update for Mojang’s popular sandbox game, with a bunch of new content and features. The biggest new addition is the Marketplace, an in-game store where players can purchase new content provided by talented Minecraft creators.
As we previously reported, the Marketplace offers a way for players to buy new in-game skins, texture packs, maps and more to help extend their Minecraft experience. It will also help Minecraft creators earn money for their efforts. Marketplace items are purchased with Minecraft’s new in-game currency, Minecraft Coins, which in turn are bought using real-world money.
Adding an in-game store would be big enough for Minecraft, but there’s tons of additional new items and content included as part of this Discovery Update. As the title suggests, players will be encouraged to explore the game world to find new maps, monsters and puzzles, including finding treasures in the Woodland Mansions. You will also encounter new creatures, including helpful llamas that will carry much of your found treasure for you. You can check out the entire change log for the Discovery Update at the official Minecraft site.
What are your impressions of the Minecraft: Pocket Edition’s Discovery Update? Do you like the new Marketplace feature? Let us know in the comments!
Minecraft: Pocket Edition Discovery Update adds Marketplace in-game store and more
by Stone Marshall | Jun 5, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The Discovery Update is here!
Pocket and Win 10 gets Marketplace, mansions and more!
The long-awaited 1.1 update for Pocket and Windows 10 is out today. We’re calling it the Discovery Update – and not just because we like the way it sounds! There are new features and secrets to explore, not least the spooky Woodland Mansions. What treasures lie within – and what peril? That’s for you to find out (or shamelessly look up on the wiki)!
There’s loads more. Llamas. Shulker Boxes. Dyable Beds. New blocks, like glazed terracotta and concrete. New enchantments, like Frostwalking and Mending. Ingot Smelting is a thing. Add-Ons are now additionally exciting, and will let you remix movement properties. You can now get the Skyrim Mash-Up Pack, too! Find the full changelog below.
Of course the big headline is… Marketplace! It’s a place where Pocket and Windows 10 players can browse, buy, download and play cool community creations from within the game itself. You can get a rundown of what kind of stuff you’ll find on there at launch in this quick guide to Marketplace! There’s also a nice video to tell you all about how it works. Lovely.
Anyway, here’s the full 1.1 changelog!
New Features:
- Minecraft Marketplace
- Skyrim Mash-up Pack
- Llamas
- Shulker Boxes
- Woodland Mansions
- Cartographer Villager & Exploration Maps
- Illagers (Evokers & Vindicators)
- Vex
- Concrete & concrete powder
- Glazed terracotta blocks
- Dyeable beds (and you can jump on them, too!)
- Iron and Gold tools can now be smelted into Iron Nuggets and Gold Nuggets
- Adventure Mode
- New game rules: DoFireTick, DoMobSpawning, DoTileDrops, MobGriefing, DoEntityDrops, KeepInventory, DoMobLoot, DoDaylightCycle
- New achievements
- Mending & Frostwalking enchantments
- Totem of Undying
- Off-hand slot (only works for arrows & Totem of Undying)
Tweaks:
- Changes in world generation. Seeds which contain pre-generated structures such as ocean monuments & igloos may generate those structures in different places now
- The sun now rises in the East and sets in the West
- CanPlaceOn & CanDestroy are now supported in the ‘/replaceitem’ command
- Dampened the vertical look speed when using a controller
- Improved navigation of the settings screen when using a controller
- The X button can now be used to clear the hotbar on the Creative inventory screen when using a controller
- Improved controller input when selecting items on the Creative inventory screen
- Maps are now numbered so you can tell which map is which!
- Empty Maps with Compasses have been renamed to Locator Maps to distinguish between Empty Maps without Compasses
- New sleeping animation slowly lowers you into serene slumber
- Updated color palette for wool blocks and carpet
- Stained clay blocks have been renamed to terracotta
- Improved lead rope physics
- Cave Spiders now attack with poison time based on difficulty
- Worlds will now show a screenshot preview in the main menu
- 1 melon block can now be crafted into 9 melon slices
- 1 cobweb can now be crafted into 9 strings
- Eating animation can now be seen in third-person camera
- /locate command will now find more structures
- The screen safe area can now be adjusted in Video settings
- Add-Ons: movement properties are now data-driven
Bug fixes:
Woah, woah, woah! There are far too many fixes to list here! My favourites:
- Good news for Elytra fliers – You can now shoot yourself with a bow and arrow (and can splash yourself with potions again, too!)
- Horses now make sounds when they jump! Neeeeigh!
To see a more complete list of bugs, you can find the full changelog here: http://aka.ms/mcchangelogs
The Discovery Update is here!
