Microsoft has now decided to go in another direction as the gaming giant releases Minecraft: Education Edition, as a new version of Minecraft that's customized for schools. Now, Minecraft isn't only about exploring dark caverns, endless plains, and computer designed mountains, it wants them to explore places in the real world, like the infamous Pompeii, the pyramids of Giza, and Greek temples.
Minecraft has always been a host of educational projects. At some point, 43,000 square km of Denmark was copied in and used to teach architecture. This allowed us to take a look at the strange but bizarre world of quantum physics, and the Minecraft: Education Edition, which is a remake of the original game that teaches educators lesson planning and crowd control.
Considering the extent of Microsoft's resources compared to those of previous MinecraftEdu's owners, TeacherGaming, it's hard to really visualize who might exploit Minecraft's educational potential to its fullest. As of the moment, the changes aren't really dramatic. Minecraft: Education Edition is basically the exact same Minecraft you've been playing for years, but with some extra features that makes it easier to use.
That whole process involves Minecraft's mapping feature so that a number of students can actually find its way around, letting teachers lock in resources for students to utilize, and includes an in-game camera and a scrapbook to hold screenshots for cataloging where you've already explored. Microsoft is quick to mention that its keeping the changes minor because it doesn't really want to make Minecraft a full educational product, it's still technically a game and therefore something kids have fun using.
Details of the new features have not been released totally by Mojang just yet. However, sample lesson plans and maps can already be found on the Education Edition website. Minecraft: Education Edition will be released sometime this summer, and it's going to be just a fresh start from Microsoft's plan to use Minecraft for schools purposes.