“Minecraft in the classroom is AMAZING!” states Benjamin Cogswell, Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Alisal Union School District. He goes on to say, “There are so many teachable moments within this flexible learning environment. Constructing the setting of a book, mixing chemicals to understand science, and manipulating blocks to understand fractions are just a few examples of the possibilities.” However, he did encounter a problem during this math exercise development, how to keep their students accountable for using Minecraftedu. Teachers needed to see student work to show their thought processes without the teachers looking at each individual iPad. The solution: Doceri.
Ben said that in March he was lucky enough to experience Minecraft in the classroom for the first time. As a TOSA he collaborated with three 4th grade classrooms on implementing Minecraft in the classroom to help build understanding of basic number sense.
Their first lesson focused on understanding benchmark fractions like ½ and ¼ and their equivalents. Ben said, “We built fraction blocks in Minecraft, and with a simple screenshot using Doceri, we were able to annotate our fractions.” At the end, a class recording using their final screenshots was produced. Next, Ben said he posted the class video on YouTube so students would have an example to take home. “The class recording is by no means perfect, but it is real, reviewable, and rewindable. I think that’s pretty awesome!,” Ben stated. According to Ben the effort and experimentation was well worth it to see the students so engaged in math.