Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Education Edition of Minecraft on Track for Summer Release

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/15/16

Mineraft for education

Microsoft is on track to deliver its Minecraft: Education Edition this summer with an "early access" program that will let any teacher download the open world game. However, those teachers will need to be running either Windows 10 or OS X El Capitan (at least in early days) and have an Office 365 Education account.

The company acquired this education-specific version of the game earlier this year from TeacherGaming.

The education edition, which will be available at this site, will include lesson plans and a Minecraft mentoring program to match up teachers new to the game with those who have experience in using it in a classroom setting. Starter lessons are already available there for the current edition of Minecraft.

Starting in May, Microsoft will host a beta program with participation from 100 schools worldwide to generate feedback on the product. A month later the early access program will open. The company said the software would be available in 11 languages. Lesson plans are expected to be developed over the summer, including creation of reusable projects.

Feedback has already poured in from teachers who have used Minecraft in their classrooms.

"As an English teacher using Minecraft for storytelling, one of my main challenges was how to evidence student learning and projects outside of the game," Simon Baddeley, an English teacher in Wakefield, England, told Microsoft. "The new camera and portfolio tools are going to be great features, allowing students to be able to export these shots directly from the students' portfolio into a specified OneDrive folder is a major step forward and allows much easier integration with other applications."

Rafranz Davis, director of professional and digital learning at Lufkin Independent School District in Texas, advised the company "to make sure there was a beginner on-ramp experience for teachers who are new to Minecraft, to help them learn to play the game."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract data flow

    Google Announces New Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform

    Google Cloud has introduced a new platform for building and managing enterprise AI agents, as the company seeks to turn its Gemini models and Vertex AI tooling into a broader system for automating business workflows.

  • Digital Network of User Profiles and Data Connections

    Microsoft, RSA Updates Focus on Identity Security in the Age of AI

    Two authentication announcements coming out of the recent RSA Conference both point in the same direction: Organizations need a more flexible, unified approach to identity security, especially as AI agents start acting alongside human workers.

  • AI logo near computer equipment

    White House Issues National Policy Framework for AI

    The White House has released a four-page AI policy framework aimed at setting a national approach to AI, with priorities including child safety, intellectual property protections, truth and accuracy guardrails, and worker training for an AI-driven economy.

  • digital file folder with padlock symbol

    FERPA Was Written for File Cabinets, Not Cloud Servers

    Passed in 1974, FERPA was never meant to govern cloud-based platforms, artificial intelligence, or the invisible flow of student data across third-party vendors. Our students deserve better.