calico journal (online) issn 2056–9017

Learning Technology Review

Minecraft: Education Edition

Jeff Kuhn

PRODUCT AT A GLANCE
Product Type Open-world video game software

Language(s) Available in 92 languages

Level Beginning, intermediate, advanced (adolescent or adult)

Activities Gaming, exploration, collaborative problem solving, reading and

writing through chat functionality

Media Format Software download, online component via server play

Operating System(s) PC: Windows 10

Macintosh systems

Computers running the minimum hardware specs for Windows 10

or Mac OS will run Minecraft: Education Edition

Hardware Requirements CPU: Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 (K8) 2.6 GHz.

GPU (Integrated): Intel HD Graphics or AMD Radeon HD Graphics

with OpenGL 2.1.

GPU (Discrete): Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT or AMD Radeon HD 2400

with OpenGL 3.1

Documentation Available from education.minecraft.net

Price PC/Mac: US $5 per year per account through a valid Office 365
account

Affiliation
Ohio University.
email: jkuhn72@gmail.com

calico journal vol 35.2 2018  214–223 https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.34600

©2018, equinox publishing
 Learning Technology Review     215

General Description
Mojang’s Minecraft is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) entertainment video
game. Mojang designed the game to have no set goals or objectives, leav-
ing players to explore and create. As the developers state, the game is about
“placing blocks and going on adventures” (Mojang, 2017, para 1) either in a
single-player mode or in multiplayer games through a server and Internet con-
nection. Since its full-version release in 2011, Minecraft has sold 122 million
copies making it one of the most successful video games of all time (Sarkar,
2017). This popularity attracted the attention of Microsoft, which purchased
the game, and its publisher Mojang, for $2.5 billion in 2014 (Peckham, 2014).
Microsoft noted the growing interest in using Minecraft for education early
in its acquisition of the game, and the company reached out to educators to
learn more about how they used the game in the classroom. This interest from
educators and subsequent outreach prompted Microsoft to develop Minecraft:
Education Edition (MC:EE), the edition that is the subject of this review.
The flexibility and largely visual interface of MC:EE afford teachers the
opportunity to use it in any language classroom. Depending on classroom
infrastructure, the game can be played offline in single-player mode or in
online multiplayer mode on either the Mac or PC.

Evaluation
Documentation
Documentation for Minecraft is sparse by design. Mojang originally released
the game with no set instructions or tutorials, expecting that players would
learn the game through exploration and experimentation. Since the Micro-
soft purchase and the push into education with Minecraft: Education Edition,
Mojang has increased game tutorials and documentation, which are incorpo-
rated into the game’s tutorial map. This map and other classroom resources can
be downloaded from the MC:EE website. The in-game tutorial requires edu-
cators to play the game in order to learn how the game functions. This learn-
by-play style may present challenges to educators unfamiliar with games and
who may be more eager to be told about the game and have ready-made lesson
plans than be willing to sit down and learn Minecraft by playing Minecraft.

Technological Features
MC:EE requires a software download for installation on desktop computers
running either Windows 10 or the Mac OS. For this review, the PC Windows
10 version of MC:EE was used. Upon downloading the game, all necessary
files are installed automatically by the software. The software will also auto-
matically update to newer versions of the game as they are released.
216     Learning Technology Review

The user interface of MC:EE is simple. The game presents a first-person

perspective accompanied by health and food icons, an experience bar, and
nine item boxes mapped to the keyboard’s 1–9 buttons (see Figure 1). This
minimalist approach is present in all aspects of the game. Upon starting a new
game, players are placed in a random, algorithmically generated world with no
instructions on what to do or where to go. This approach to gameplay relies
heavily on players having literacy in games. Players are expected to have a will-
ingness to engage in gameplay with no instruction and that through discovery
will understand how the game is played.

Figure 1. Minecraft’s player interface. Health, food, and items can be monitored
through the user interface.

The graphics used in the game are blocky and rudimentary by modern video
game standards. Mojang intentionally designed this blocky interface to keep
the game’s focus on gameplay rather than graphical richness. This block design
also serves the gameplay, as any object in the game can serve as building mate-
rials without risk of parts or pieces not combining. Players can interact with
these blocks and the environment via the mouse and keyboard. The left mouse
button is used to break apart environment blocks that can then be added to the
player inventory. The right mouse button is used to place these blocks to build
structures. The player uses the WASD keys to navigate through the environ-
ment, and number keys 1–9 are used to access items in the player’s inventory.
An expanded inventory can be accessed with the E button (Figure 2).
Players can craft new resources in this expanded inventory screen by refin-
ing items or combining them with other resources. The game provides no
instructions on which items can be combined or even what combinations are
 Learning Technology Review     217

Figure 2. An expanded inventory is accessed via the ‘E’ key. The bottom row of buttons
is the item hotbar, visible on the player’s main screen.

possible. Instead, the game expects players to learn through trial and error. In
many ways the game is an “object to think with” (Papert, 1980, p. 23) where
there is little expectation for getting it right the first time. As players begin to
understand the possibilities within the game, they can begin building a wide
variety of items and structures to create unique worlds (Figure 3).

Figure 3. A community built by members of a Minecraft server (see Kuhn & Stevens,
2017).

The key technological aspect teachers should consider when using MC:EE
is the lack of compatibility with the original Java-based Minecraft. After
218     Learning Technology Review

Mojang’s purchase by Microsoft, new versions of Minecraft (Minecraft: Pocket

Edition, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition, MC:EE, and the Xbox and PS4 ver-
sions) run on C++ instead of Java. Educators familiar with Java-based Mine-
craft will find the transition to C++ resulted in modifications, and servers
using Java-Minecraft, lacking compatibility with MC:EE. In the long run, the
move to C++ will permit easier modification creation; however, in the short
term, teachers using MC:EE should expect to start a fresh and not expect to
use materials developed or used with the Java-based Minecraft. It should be
noted that the Java-based version of Minecraft is still available.
The most significant limitations to MC:EE stem from its deviation from
the original Java-based version of Minecraft. Java-based Minecraft allowed
teachers to set-up and run servers that students could access through server-
side permissions by the server operator. MC:EE only allows multiplayer play
between players with the same Office 365 domain. This prevents collaboration
between educators and students not operating with the same email address
domain that was used to establish their Office 365 account. Teachers looking
for more multiplayer flexibility would be advised to use the Java-based version
of Minecraft. The second limiting factor of MC:EE is that it runs only on PCs
with Windows 10 or Macs running the up-to-date Mac OS. Teachers needing
cross play across computers and mobile devices are advised to use Minecraft:
Windows 10 Edition, which is compatible with the mobile version Minecraft:
Pocket Edition.

Pedagogical or Authoring Features

COTS games have been evaluated for their pedagogical potential, but much
of the games and learning research focuses on games as content delivery
software, or as motivation for engagement (e.g., Cordova & Lepper, 1996;
Squire, 2006). In the realm of language learning, games should be framed
as a way to provide context to language and a space in which to use that
language. Young et al. (2012), in their meta-analysis of games and learn-
ing research, found strong evidence for the use of COTS games in language
learning when compared to other subjects due to their ability to provide
meaningful context. When there is a strong contextual cohesion between the
game and pedagogical content (e.g., Miller & Hegelheimer, 2006; Ranalli,
2008), incorporating the game into language learning is easier for teachers
new to video games.
Minecraft has been a more challenging classroom fit for educators due to
its lack of content. The game has required educators to use it less as a text for
content delivery, in the vein of Math Blaster or Where in the World is Carmen
Sandiego, and more of a tool for constructivist learning and content creation.
The game serves as a blank slate that educators can use to design learning
 Learning Technology Review     219

experiences for students. This open-world nature and flexibility could make
the original Minecraft an intimidating environment for teachers unfamiliar
with games.
MC:EE negotiates the flexibility of the original Minecraft and teacher
requests for more structure within the game to limited success by providing
more educator tools baked directly into the game. The server commands and
operations of the original Minecraft are overhauled for MC:EE and given a
new graphical user interface (Figure 4) via MC:EE Classroom Mode.

Figure 4. Teachers can alter game worlds, track players, and run chat channels from
the new MC:EE Classroom Mode.

MC:EE Classroom Mode provides teachers with a server interface where

they can alter aspects of the game such as weather, chat functionality, health,
and player-versus-player fighting. It also contains a top-down map of the in-
game world where teachers can track players. On the right side of the Class-
room Mode screen (Figure 4), teachers can monitor which students are
currently in-game and follow the text-based chat. Classroom Mode provides
educators with more granular control over the game to keep students on task
and provide structure that in the original Minecraft required a level of famil-
iarity with server commands and basic code.
220     Learning Technology Review

These in-game tools are supported by a teacher community that Micro-

soft has been working to nurture around the game. With the original Mine-
craft, lesson plans and pedagogical content were shared among teachers on an
ad-hoc basis. With MC:EE, Microsoft seeks to formalize this community by
hosting forums, lesson-plans, and teacher profiles on the MC:EE website. This
level of support has made using Minecraft in the classroom easier, although
sentiment among long time Minecraft educators is that MC:EE strips away
much of the constructivist opportunities compared to the less formalized
Java-based Minecraft.

Teacher/Materials Developer Fit (Approach)

Teachers may see the popularity of Minecraft amongst students and seek
to leverage this enthusiasm for classroom purposes. To do so, teachers will
need to spend significant time within Minecraft to understand how it func-
tions. Teachers without literacy in video games may find it challenging to use
the game if they apply expectations they have generated from the traditional
media literacies: books, music, television, or film. Unlike the traditional media
literacies, video games require active participation from the consumer. This
active participation is what generates the story as the story in video games
is dependent on player’s input. This differs from traditional media where
story is static and requires minimal input from the consumer. As such, teach-
ers are recommended to approach Minecraft less like they would a text, but
instead approach it as they would a tool. Framing the game as a tool for cre-
ating and storytelling can facilitate experiences for the students and allow for
opportunities to negotiate meaning and engage in purposeful communication
(Peterson, 2010). Minecraft shares more in common with a chalkboard than a
traditional classroom text such as a book or film. The game is a blank slate that
can be filled with the ideas of the teacher and the students.
By approaching Minecraft as a tool that can support teaching and learning,
instructors must then decide how much time and effort can be invested into
creating learning opportunities with the game. MC:EE offers limited ready-
made materials that teachers can utilize in creating their game-based class-
room. Instead, instructors will need to access the social community around
the game. Teachers using Minecraft should consider how to design class-
room activities around this social community to generate opportunities for
purposeful communication between players. This can be the most challeng-
ing aspect for teachers as it requires extensive design and planning prior to
using the game in class. As Purushotma, Thorne, and Wheatley (2009) advise,
“while play and social engagement have demonstrated a strong potential to
enhance language instruction, incorporating them in the curriculum requires
considerable creative talent and production time” (p. 5).
 Learning Technology Review     221

Before implementing Minecraft in the classroom, teachers may want to

consider how the game can be used to support traditional media literacies
that have established use in the classroom. Minecraft could be used to support
class readings (Kuhn, 2014), to facilitate discussion and cooperation among
students in the target language, or as an informal learning space with Eng-
lish as the matrix language. To maximize the language learning potential of
MC:EE, educators should investigate how Minecraft can be used for student
creation such as in YouTube videos, machinima (Marino, 2004), and contribu-
tions to community-driven websites such as Planet Minecraft, and the Mine-
craft wiki.

Learner Fit (Design)

MC:EE is designed for players who have a basic literacy in video games, and
some experience with video games is expected. It requires basic knowledge of
gameplay behaviors including controls, in-game abilities, and where to find
support and information within the social community around it. Nongaming
learners may feel alienated by the lack of clear goals and structure in the game
and be left seeking more concrete direction. This ambiguity can be a detriment
to players by leaving them confused and demotivated. It can also serve as a
benefit to learners as answers can only be found by engaging with other play-
ers through speaking and listening, or reading the extensive web-based mate-
rials about Minecraft.
Another benefit of MC:EE for learners is that it does not require advanced
levels of English in order to navigate through the game. The game’s heavy focus
on visuals and exploration eliminates the need to navigate through extensive
in-game text, such as in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like
World of Warcraft. Furthermore, all in-game items are labeled in the player’s
inventory screen, allowing learners to gain new game-related vocabulary. This
vocabulary acquisition could be bolstered through explicit vocabulary instruc-
tion by the teacher as recommended by Miller and Hegelheimer (2006).

Conclusion
When anchored in constructivist learning principles, Minecraft can be an effec-
tive tool for language acquisition and practice. The game’s open-ended nature
and collaborative approaches foster student communication and context-based
language use. The game does require significant planning and design on the
teacher’s part in order to be used effectively in class. However, should teachers be
willing to invest the time and creativity into designing lessons that take advan-
tage of Minecraft’s open-world features, it can be a dynamic tool for student-
centered learning.
222     Learning Technology Review

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 Learning Technology Review     223

Producer Details
Mojang/Microsoft Studios
Twitter: @mojang
education.minecraft.net

Reviewer Information
Jeff Kuhn recently earned his Ph.D. at Ohio University where he is research-
ing games and learning. His dissertation explored the distributed cognition and
collaborative problem solving of online gamers. He has served as both a steer-
ing committee member for the TESOL CALL-IS and as co-chair of the CALICO
Gaming SIG. An avid Minecraft player, Jeff has worked with teachers on using
games in the classroom in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Venezuela, and the
Czech Republic.
 Learner Autonomy
and Web 2.0
Edited by Marco Cappellini, Tim Lewis
and Annick Rivens Mompean
Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0 explores
tensions between ‘classical’ definitions of learner
autonomy and the learning dynamics observed in
online contexts. Autonomy is viewed as emerging
and developing in a complex relationship with
L2 proficiency and other competencies. A wide
diversity of environments is featured, ranging
from adaptive learning systems, through mobile
apps, to social networking sites and – almost
inevitably – MOOCs. Paradoxically, autonomy
appears to flourish in some tightly restrictive
contexts, while users of avowedly open platforms
are seen to experience difficulty in learning to
self-regulate.
David Little and Steve Thorne set the stage with
a discussion exploring the evolution of language
learner autonomy, from its origins in the era of
self-access resource centers to its more recent
instantiations in online (and offline) learning
communities. Other contributors explore how autonomy can be exercised within adaptive
learning systems, how adult learners in a teletandem exchange envisage metacognitive
competences, how mobile apps support the emergence of autonomy among primary
level language learners, and how collaborative language learners, using social media,
demonstrate learner autonomy with an empathetic dimension. Finally, two chapters chart
the challenges faced by autonomous learners in unsupported environments, whether on
MOOC platforms, or using informal means.
2017 242pp 234 x 156mm
pb ISBN 9781781795972 £19.99 / $24.95
eBook ISBN 9781781795989

Order online
www.equinoxpub.com/books/isbn/9781781795989

Download our Linguistics mobile app

and take advantage of discounts on
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free downloads, and special offers
 Assessment Across Online
Language Education
Edited by Stephanie Link and Jinrong Li
With the expansion of online language learning
opportunities, language teachers and learners
are presented with an increasingly diverse range
of tools to facilitate language learning in various
contexts. However, CALL researchers and
practitioners often have limited knowledge about
the effectiveness of online language learning
on pro ciency gains, primarily due to a lack of
empirical studies. Despite the challenges in
assessing language learning online, the editors of
this volume believe the range of online language
learning opportunities has brought new tools
and methods to both strengthen assessment
and inform pedagogical decisions in online
language teaching. Technologies offer various
ways to complement achievement and pro ciency
measures of language learning outcomes while
allowing the assessment to be incorporated
for the purpose of more effective learning (e.g.,
adaptive learning) and teaching (e.g., technology mediated dynamic assessment and
teacher intervention). more effectively, and such developments can motivate researchers
and practitioners to re-conceptualize the role of assessment in online language education.
Assessment Across Online Language Education examines these challenges that have
emerged in online language teaching and learning, explores the new opportunities
for language teachers and learners, and provides suggestions for future research on
assessment and learning in online language education.
Stephanie Link is an Assistant Professor of TESL/Applied Linguistics and Director of
International Composition at Oklahoma State University, USA.
Jinrong Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia
Southern University, USA.
2018 278pp 234 x 156mm Illus.
pb ISBN 9781781797013 £22.95 / $29.95
eBook ISBN 9781781797020

Order online
www.equinoxpub.com/books/isbn/9781781797020

Download our Linguistics mobile app

and take advantage of discounts on
books and journal subscriptions,
free downloads, and special offers