Microsoft has announced to make Minecraft: Education Edition available on iOS for the first time.
This announcement means schools that have bought iPads will now have access to the popular open world, a block-building game in lessons to help children work together and learn about a range of subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, and languages.
About 35 million teachers and students in 115 countries are licensed to use Minecraft: Education Edition and its sample lesson plans, such as “City Planning for Population Growth”, “Exploring Factors and Multiples” and “Effects of Deforestation”.
“Teachers are using Minecraft to teach every subject imaginable and encouraging student collaboration, creativity and digital citizenship,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “Today, we have good news for the game fans, whether you are already using Minecraft in your classroom or you are hoping to next school year”.
“We’re happy to share that Minecraft: Education Edition is coming to iOS. With Apple, we are making it possible for schools using iPads to teach everything from mathematics and chemistry to history and writing with Minecraft: Education Edition. Students can tap into the power of the iPad to create elements and chemical compounds with the Chemistry Update and document their learning with the Minecraft: Education Edition camera and portfolio”.
Microsoft also revealed that Minecraft: Education Edition will have a free update using Update Aquatic to help students learn about the world’s oceans and its inhabitants. Students will also be able to code in other to build coral reefs, explore shipwrecks and underwater monuments, understand sustainable fishing and rescue dolphins.
However, Intune for Education will also be updated to allow the IT administrators in schools to manage all student iPads running Minecraft: Education Edition and Microsoft 365 education software from a single console.
Microsoft has also teamed up with BBC learning to launch a collection of lesson plans, written by teachers, focused on our oceans. By taking on the roles of biological oceanographers and marine geologists, biologists, and physicists, students should be able to write code, build sensor, analyze data create in 3D and mixed reality to answer questions such as “How does coral grow?” and “How do sharks swim?”.
To complement the BBC Earth and OCEANX film Oceans: Our Blue Planet, which is narrated by British actress Kate Winslet, the lesson plan has been released.
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