ThoughtSTEM has also integrated a kid-friendly programming interface created by Google called Blockly, which is based on MIT's classic programming education system Scratch.
To make things a bit more beginner-friendly, LearnToMod relies on another mod called ScriptCraft that enables players to run mods that were created with the programming language JavaScript.
But most of these other classes require students to write code in a programming language called Java. And there are already a few other classes that teach students to create mods, such as MakersFactory's class in Santa Cruz and YouthDigital's online class. In fact, Levin says TeacherGaming is working on its own mod building education program called ComputerCraftEdu, which will eventually be offered both online and in-person. That's really what we want, isn't it? To have kids realize that with code, they can improve their life in a way that's relevant to them. "And that's really what we want, isn't it? To have kids realize that with code, they can improve their life in a way that's relevant to them." "Kids are passionate about the game and they quickly understand that they can extend and enhance their Minecraft experience by learning some basic programming," he says. TeacherGaming founder Joel Levin is fond of the idea. By teaching kids to build their own Minecraft mods, the ThoughSTEM team is hoping to keep students motivated to learn some of the trickier parts of coding. Once the kids have crafted their code in LearnToMod, the application connects to their Minecraft account to make the mods available to the kids in the game. You can also create special rules that enable you to do things like build your own games within Minecraft, such as capture the flag or Tetris. What's more, using mods, you can quickly create things that would otherwise take a long time to build in the game, such as mountains or massive dungeons, or create custom types of blocks. It's entirely up you whether you as a player whether spend your time building elaborate castles, fighting monsters, or exploring the the game world. But the coding skills kids learn through the web application actually help them game special advantages in the game. Instead of using the game as a virtual classroom, ThoughtSTEM built its own interface that exists outside of Minecraft. Google even worked with the MinecraftEDU to create an addon to teach the principles of quantum computing.īut LearnToMod is a little different from most other Minecraft-based educational programs. For example, a company called TeacherGaming sells a version of the game called MinecraftEDU that is custom built to help educators create virtual classrooms that can be used to teach everything from history to microbiology. ThoughtSTEM is far from the first company to use Minecraft for educational purposes.
Stepping Outside of the Virtual Classroom
So they launched a class for kids between the age of eight and 15 that teaches kids to code their own modifications to Minecraft - and even earn college credit at the University of California in San Diego while doing it. But Foster and his co-founders Sarah Esper and Lindsey Handley soon noticed that many of their students were already avid Minecraft players, and it would make more sense to create a class that would harness the passion their students already had for Minecraft. The idea was to hook students on CodeSpells so that they'd be motivated to learn the programming skills they needed to advance within the game. We thought this would be a good way to help them learn skills.'ThoughtSTEM started out offering in-person classes in San Diego, Granite Bay, and Oakhurst, CA based on a game called CodeSpells that Foster co-created as a PhD student at the University California. 'Kids are already spending ridiculous amounts of hours on Minecraft. "So we thought this would be a good way to help them learn skills." "Kids are already spending ridiculous amounts of hours on Minecraft," says Stephen Foster, the co-founder of ThoughtSTEM, the company that's built the LearnToMod module.