Minecraft Ed Edition Releases Free Hour of Code Lesson
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 11/16/21
Minecraft
Education Edition has released a new, free Hour
of Code. "Timecraft"
lets students learn basic coding concepts while correcting
"mysterious mishaps" throughout history. Players connect
with great innovators and inventors in science, architecture, music,
engineering and other disciplines, exploring major moments in human
achievement, while using coding to save the future!
Students can work
with code blocks or Python to complete their mission.
The learning
objectives cover:
-
Understanding
the importance and benefits of computer science;
-
Analyzing and
problem-solving using algorithmic thinking and problem
decomposition;
-
Practicing CS
concepts such as sequences, events, loops and debugging;
-
Creating coding
solutions to complete a task or solve a problem; and
-
Recognizing
various careers that CS offers.
Educator resources
include an introductory video, an educator guide, student-facing
presentation slides, coding solutions, extension activities for
integrated CS lesson plans and Kahoot quizzes.
The lesson is
available in three different modes: one for in-class with a teacher
facilitator, another for in-class as a self-guided experience, and a
third for virtual learning. Each mode requires different levels of
teacher support and modification for student success and
participation.
The latest hour of
code lesson is available on
the Minecraft Education Edition website.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.