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Minecraft Education has been an integral part of Mojang's approach to using the game as an educational tool and teaching core concepts in subjects like computer science, chemistry, and more. The engaging method seamlessly blends STEM education with the fun of gaming, and Hour of Code has been a critical part of the process.
Minecraft Hour of Code has already crossed over 300 million sessions since its inception. This interactive initiative by Code.org has been a key contributor to educating children and Hadi Partovi, CEO and co-founder of Code.org, describes its goal:
"This year's Hour of Code is about empowering every student to realize that technology isn't just something they consume; it's something they can create."
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On that note, I recently had the opportunity to speak with Shad Lacefield, Minecraft Ambassador and STEM Learning Coach at Fayette County Public Schools regarding the role and impact of the game as well as the fruitful partnership with Hour of Code.
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Shad Lacefield on Minecraft Education, the Impact of Hour of Code, and more
Q: Hour of Code began as the concept of a one-hour session to demystify code. How do you think it has evolved over the years?
Shad: Well, specifically, I feel like the creativity has come a long way since its inception. It's really cool considering it now has interactive NPCs and game-based learning where you are coding and solving simple problems. Over the years, the problems have gotten more complex, allowing players a more challenging and engaging experience.
This year's Hour of Code is one of the biggest examples of that transition. You get to create something specific to you and special to you — I love that transition and the ability for students to personalize the experience.
Q: Can you tell us how educators can take part in Hour of Code?
Shad: Code.org is the perfect place to get started. I began my journey by visiting the website and it's really easy — they have tons of tutorials to get you familiarized with concepts. In my first year, being a huge Star Wars fan, I dressed as Darth Vader and had the children go through Hour of Code, where they actually coded a Star Wars game, complete with BB-8, Rey, and more.
We created a large document of the ten best world submissions and the whole school was able to play all ten levels created by fourth graders. No matter your skill level, when you head over to Code.org, you have an easy learning curve with step-by-step processes.
About three years ago, I became a Minecraft Education Ambassador and started doing Minecraft Hour of Code, which took things to a whole new level. There's a one-world download where you get to choose between a host of tasks like blocks, jobs, and more — no matter your skill level. You have code, hints, and helpful NPCs that guide you through activities and interactions in-game, making it immersive.
It became a really popular way for students to be educated through game-based learning. It comes as no surprise that in the past year, we had thirteen different schools and over 3000 students do Minecraft Hour of Code: The Show Must Go On.
Q: How do you think the student interaction has grown over the years? Has it seen a substantial leap compared to when it began?
Shad: One of the coolest things we did last year was to beta-test Hour of Code, and one of the most important feedback they were looking for was student interaction. They wanted to know if it was user-friendly and were looking for aspects to make it more accessible to children.
Even Laylah Bulman, the Program Manager at Minecraft Education stepped in as our students were playing, to get a better understanding of things that could be improved and to get a general consensus on how things were working. So, I think Minecraft's willingness to listen to kids and let them play the game beforehand for feedback really helped Hour of Code grow.
Q: Minecraft Hour of Code offers students many exciting activities. What are the most popular activities that students seem to love?
Shad: Minecraft Hour of Code has tons of exciting activities that children love and enjoy. One of the first activities that I teach my kids is Chicken Rain — it's a fun way to introduce them to coding and keep them hooked. Even the title seems so much fun and it keeps them engaged.
Even in this year's Hour of Code, students were surprised by random mobs appearing out of nowhere. I think it was one of the best things for my kids to discover random things like cows flying or golems coming out of nowhere. So, these interactions are definitely something that they look forward to.
Q: 2024 marked ten years of collaborating with Minecraft. How much do you think Minecraft has had an impact on shaping young minds?
Shad: Massive. One of the things that I feel really cool about Minecraft Education is the fact that it allows those who may not be traditional learners to showcase what they are learning in the classroom in a fun and unique way.
For example, I was doing energy conversion in my fourth-grade science curriculum and we were doing these hands-on activities with solar panels and other things. But I would love for them to get a better understanding by building simple machines using redstone in the game. Once they were done building, they could explain through a walkthrough and get a better understanding of the concept.
Even some of my ESL students who were not showing a level of comprehension on pen and paper had a better understanding of concepts through in-game experiences. I was able to see a better understanding of concepts and realized it's a fun and engaging way to explain complex things in an interactive way.
For the rest of the year, I ended up building Minecraft challenges that were connected to my curriculum. In that way, students could have an option to do something else besides what we were presenting to them and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.
I had parents emailing me that they loved what we were doing with Minecraft. And this goes a long way in breaking the stereotypes about gaming. Kids would send screenshots of what they built and send it back home and parents were completely surprised by it.
Q: What are the steps that Hour of Code has taken for accessibility to cater to a global audience? In terms of language, content delivery, and more
Shad: One of the things that stands out the most is the immersive reader. It's in so many different languages and caters to a diverse audience across various age groups.
Even when I have a student with special needs, they can use the screen on an iPad or other devices to interact rather than facing difficulties with the traditional keyboard and mouse. This allows students to participate, regardless of their situation.
The curriculums are self-paced too — it allows you to learn at your own pace rather than trying to rush you to finish something within a fixed time. It caters to the different ability levels and provides a healthy learning experience.
Q: The concept of Hour of Code focuses on one-hour sessions. How much do you think children can learn in an hour?
Shad: I love that! So, the goal is to get students and teachers doing it for the first time so that the hour turns into days and turns into a whole curriculum or a mindset of how to use this in the classroom. Even with our STEM bus where we drive to different schools and educational sectors, we do 45-minute windows.
To be able to teach the fundamentals in one hour adds to the excitement and interest. And they start wondering about the possibilities if it's done beyond the one-hour timeframe.
Even in this year's The Show Must Go On, the turnout was great. The integration of reading, language, and art made it an interesting experience for both teachers and students, making them look forward to future Hour of Code sessions.
Q: What do you think is the role of gaming in shaping the minds of young children?
Shad: We are the first district in the state of Kentucky to roll out an elementary Esports lounge. We approached it from a gaming-for-good mindset. We wanted to showcase that gaming can be used to build a student's self-worth, give them a voice, and the ability to talk and share to create a community.
Now we have 30 schools doing Esports tournaments. It's a big contributor to motivating children to come to school and engage in activities that they can relate to. I have to give a shoutout to my district, Lexington, Kentucky FCPS because they are really big on what engages and nourishes kids.
We are constantly looking for things to help give our teachers access to the latest tools in technology and take a step forward in game-based learning, which is making a huge impact.
Q: Can you tell us about the Minecraft Education Ambassador program?
Shad: The Minecraft Education Ambassador program is fantastic. It's such a welcoming community of teachers who are already using the game for learning. We learn so much from each other — they did the Battle of Boroughs in New York and we implemented that concept in the Battle of Bluegrass in our Esports events.
Being an ambassador is to have the desire to spread the mission of Minecraft with your kids. If you have that mindset, come aboard. You can head over to minecraft.edu and join our community and find out how to be an ambassador.
In our district, we promote and do a big push for Hour of Code where we give prizes to teachers that implement Hour of Code into their curriculum. There are a host of resources available when it comes to this, rating from two-week robotics courses to unplugged activities, and more. It's a great way for teachers and students to take a new perspective on the learning experience.
Q: What do you think is the impact of these activities when it comes to students and their development?
Shad: These activities are a great way for students to get familiarized with life concepts. Creating things in activities like jam sessions and sharing those creations makes you realize that you're part of a bigger community, contributing to a sense of belonging and inclusivity.
The ability to create an activity and be a part of something on a global scale is truly impressive. When students get an idea of the impact of their work, it motivates them further. When we did our coding activity, we didn't just make a video game — we made an immersive experience that the entire school could enjoy.
These opportunities have so much impact on a student's trajectory and I think it's going to be a huge thing going forward where they can learn, enjoy, and form meaningful as well as impactful connections.
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