Thinking Inside the Blocks

As we were engaged with the SAMR model, as well as some of the amazing Coetail projects that arose from the integration of technology into the classroom; I stumbled across the video of Reid Wilson. Wilson used Minecraft with his students to get them involved in the idea of countries. Through the use of four different "countries" in Minecraft, students learned about natural resources and allocation, socioeconomic diversity, political systems, and even gender roles. Students were immersed in the lessons they were learning in school, rather than attempting to memorize the complexities. Not only were they actively engaged in the countries' various economic processes, but they also were imbued with a better sense of social justice and understandings of institutional systems within the countries. Education was redefined through the absolutely phenomenal use of technology to allow students to experience and interact with information that would previously have been absolutely unheard of! This Minecraft idea was very inspiring to me, an I would really love to implement this into a classroom of my own in order to allow students to truly experience a redefinition of the traditional teaching methods. This sort of connection to the material is exactly what students will remember in years time, and I want to be someone who helps facilitate that type of learning. And for those of you who missed our on watching this particular video but are interested, I'll attach the link below. Approaching world cultures and understanding through such a unique lens is an opportunity that can't be missed (plus, how fun is it that you get to play video games in class?)!

Here it is: https://youtu.be/akCaJ0e7il0