Digital Game Based Learning Lesson
For this assignment, I chose to create a digital game in Minecraft Education Edition. This game is geared toward 6th grade English Language Arts students, but it would be suitable for any of the middle grades. In this game, students will complete three tasks to showcase their understanding of the novel "A Long Walk to Water." In each task, students are asked to cite textual evidence. This game will most likely be used in class after the majority of the novel has been read. The third task involves analyze the novel's theme, which can only really be accomplished once the student has read the bulk of the novel.
I chose to build this game using MEE because there are many useful tools for teachers that can be used to maximize productivity. The tools I found most helpful while building out this game are the allow blocks, deny blocks, and border blocks. Students will not have world builder status while playing, and these aforementioned blocks will ensure that they build/destroy blocks only in designated areas. The blocks will also limit the amount of access students have within the world itself. I utilized the location coordinates in MEE to help me plot the areas in which students are allowed to build (or not).
I chose to build this game using MEE because there are many useful tools for teachers that can be used to maximize productivity. The tools I found most helpful while building out this game are the allow blocks, deny blocks, and border blocks. Students will not have world builder status while playing, and these aforementioned blocks will ensure that they build/destroy blocks only in designated areas. The blocks will also limit the amount of access students have within the world itself. I utilized the location coordinates in MEE to help me plot the areas in which students are allowed to build (or not).
Screencast of "A Long Walk to Water Game" (built in Minecraft Education Edition)
The following screencast was created to showcase the game. The instructor will export the world as an mcworld file, then upload the file to Drive. The file will be made accessible to students in Google Classroom. Students will download and then import the world on their Minecraft-ready devices, where they will then be able to play.
References:
Terrell, S.S. (2014, September 19). Minecraft and Game Based Learning. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/minecraft-and-game-based-learning
(n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.digminecraft.com/index.php
Kafai, Y. B., & Burke, Q. (2015, October 02). Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784508/
(n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.digminecraft.com/index.php
Kafai, Y. B., & Burke, Q. (2015, October 02). Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784508/