Mindcraft Rulez

(movies accompany this post below, so scroll down to view)

Mindcraft Rulez! This was a statement from one of the boys in my class and I just had to share. He keeps referring to this highly engaging learning tool as Mindcraft, which I think is quite appropriate really.

This year we have embraced the craze of Minecraft and are seeing some rewards for doing so. We came to the conclusion, as teachers battling to keep students on task and not sneaking into enticing places like Minecraft, that if you can't beat them, then why not join them!

The boys were the ones who were using the game at home and were enthralled with it, but the girls have become just as enthusiastic about it.

This week we have been integrating the tool in literacy and the boys have been so engaged in inquiring, writing, creating and sharing what they have learnt. We have been learning about Myths, Legends and Fables this term so this week we have been investigating where these stories originated. 

We began by inquiring into the origins of the Myths, Legends and Fables and recorded our findings to be used in a voiceover for a movie.
Following this we  have re crafted in Minecraft, buildings that were built in the times that the stories were written, and then added a voiceover that explains where the Myths, Legends and Fables originated, information about the building and finally comparisons of life then and now.


Minecraft Tours Iisa - The Reichstag from Team 4 Pes on Vimeo.

Parthenon - Faaiua's Minecraft Reconstruction from Team 4 Pes on Vimeo.

Jordan Minecraft from Team 4 Pes on Vimeo.

Reward without Distraction

This week we introduced a new reward system which rewards those who have been engaging cognitively in their learning with the opportunity to have some free time. Most of our first weeks winners chose to spend time on Minecraft which was great but did cause some rather major distractions for those who did not get any free time. So out came the sheets and these huts were built. They worked a treat and the kids underneath thought it was brilliant. As you can see in the picture on the right, it is as if they don't exist at all.