Minecraft: Education Edition -- Unique Education Features & Stage 4 (6)

Source: https://mojang.com/2016/01/announcing-minecraft-education-edition/

This is the sixth article in a special series on Minecraft: Education Edition.  We have been covered the process of downloading and installing Minecraft, adding and creating worlds, and playing through the first three parts of the world, Tutorial: Volume II.  Now we are ready to walk through Stage 4, which will explore a number of features found exclusively in Minecraft: Education Edition.  If you are interested in viewing previous articles in this series, head to the bottom of the page where you will find the links.

So far in this series, we've been exploring the basics of playing Minecraft without talking about what teaches can do to design and maintain worlds that promote learning.  Questions that we will address during Stage 4 include:

• How do I edit the world I am sharing with students?
• What are some ways students can document their learning and creations?
• How do I keep students from destroying things I want preserved?
• How do I create spaces where students can build?
• Can I keep students from leaving the area I want them to be in?
• How do I post instructions in-game?
• How can I see where my students are at during the game?
• Is there any potential for coding within Minecraft: Education Edition?

Let's get started!

Stage 4: Minecraft: Education Edition Features

A number of hidden commands and settings are found within the chat:

• T: enter the chat mode from the game
• /: within the chat textbox, backslash begins any of a number of specialized commands
• typing anything other than backslash begins a chat message that is broadcast to other players.

Go ahead an enter the chat by typing "t".  Once you're in, type a backslash into the chatbox.  Notice the host of commands that appear.  Take a moment and read through these options to get and idea of what you can control within the game.

Press the escape key to get back into the game.  You should be at the large chalkboard that marks the beginning of Stage 4.  As it states, a number of features require a setting called world builder to be on.  Open the chat and type "/wb".

• /wb: toggle worldbuilder on/off

Note: In computer language, on is called "true" and off is "false".  As we walk through Stage 4, be prepared to turn world builder on and off.

• /ability @p worldbuilder true
• /ability @p worldbuilder false

Enter chat again and begin typing one of the above commands.  These are the long versions of /wb.  Notice that as you type, a number of different options appear.  This is an options tree that serves as a guide for you.  Computers need specific instructions, and these trees can help you express instructions accurately.

Returning to the game, head over to the green building.  Time for a selfie!  Cameras are available in the chest for taking pictures of your work and yourself.  To take a selfie, point the camera at the ground (right-click), get into your selfie spot, and then right click on the camera to snap a selfie.  

How do you snap a photo instead of taking a selfie?  Simple!  Put the camera in your active inventory, select it using the matching slot number, and right click to snap a pic.  

• /give @s camera: Give yourself a camera!

Notice that you have the power to give students items in-game.  That can save students a lot of time.  The /give command is a powerful and easy tool.

Keep moving now to the library.  On one side you can find in-game portfolios and on the other you can find books.  Take one of each out of the chest.  The portfolio is a collection of photographs you have taken.  The book is a place to combine photos and writing into a story.  Right-click while holding any of these to interact with them, noting the editing options at the bottoms of the page.  Here is a quick video walkthrough for cameras, portfolios, and books:

Did you notice the sign button below the book?  When a student is finished, the sign button takes them to the cover of the book where they can title it.  This is only done when they are finished with their work.  Once signed/titled, they can export the book as a zip file.  The zip file can be sent to the teacher like any other file and contains pictures and text in separate files for viewing.  The portfolio also has an export feature.  The camera, portfolio, and book are three ways students can share their work with you!

Turn around and you'll notice a stone structure with pictures of the three items we just mentioned.  Read the board to learn about fixed inventory slots.  Keep in mind, you can put anything in these slots, so where you see 

• /setfixedinvslot 1 camera
• /setfixedinvslot 2 portfolio
• /setfixedinvslot 3 emptymap

Whereas regular Minecraft only has 9 slots for active inventory, you can add three more in the education edition (using keys 0, -, and +, respectively).  These inventory slots are created through the chatbox and any items can be placed in these slots, including building materials.  Try it out before moving on.

Immutable/Normal Worlds

By default, the world of Minecraft is meant to be destroyed and built.  But sometimes we want our world preserved.  To do that, we need to make our world immutable.

• /immutableworld true: makes your world indestructable
• /immutableworld false: returns your world to a normal, destructable state

An immutable world where your building and chalkboards can't be destroyed can still be a place where kids are building and destroying selectively.  The opposite is true for a normal world.  More on this to come.

Blocks

In addition to chat commands, there are specialized blocks in the Minecraft universe made especially for teachers.  The best way to access an unlimited supply of all blocks is to change the game mode to creative and then access these blocks from your inventory:

• /gamemode c -- typed into chat, this sets your world to creative mode
• E: access inventory

Once you are in creative mode, access your inventory and search for border, allow blocks, and deny blocks.  Add them to your active inventory slots.

If you are concerned that students will destroy what they shouldn't, this next set of blocks will put you at ease and amaze you.

• allow block: in an immutable world, students can build above allow blocks
• deny block: students cannot destroy anything above or below these blocks

When designing a world, allow and deny blocks can be placed strategically to isolate creative spaces and protected structures.  You can bury them or lay them as a foundation for a sign or building.  Once placed, test them by toggling worldbuilder (/wb) to off.

If you want to keep students contained to a specific area, try this next block.

• border block: with creative mode turn off, students cannot pass above or below these blocks

Border blocks can be placed as fences or buried underground.  In-game, students cannot pass them.  Students can even be dropped into their own bordered areas to work in isolation.  Check out the allow, deny, and border blocks in the tutorial.  I'll see you at the top of the stairs guarded by the border blocks.

At the top of the stairs we meet Ed U. Cator, an NPC (non-player character) with information on Classroom Mode, an additional download that allows the teacher another means of controlling student locations and monitoring the game in progress and chat.  Right-click on Ed to find links to the download (recommended) and guide.

Tip: If you want to add your very own NPCs (or any other creature) to your game, turn on creative mode and search within your inventory for NPC eggs. Add them to your inventory.  When you create a world, simply use an NPC egg to place a character, choose its appearance and messages/links.

To your right, you will find signage: slates, posters, and boards.  You can find these by searching your inventory in creative mode.  Place these throughout the game to provide instructions.  Right-click on a board to edit it and toggle the lock on/off to manage editing permissions.  You can also set the boards to allow student writing, so an unlocked board could be placed next to student work for the group to share their learning with others through writing.

On the opposite side of Ed U. Cator is the Code Builder tutorial.  Right-click the NPC for more information.  In short, downloading Code Builder (onto each device students are using) allows students to program an in-game robot called an agent, to do their bidding.  Students choose which programming website they want to use (Scratch, etc.) and then program the agent from there.  The program needs to be open and active for the agent to work.  There is another world called The Agent Trials available found in the Create New menu section that takes you through an extensive training on programming agents.

Exit through the doors and back to Stage 3.  This is the end of Tutorial: Volume II.  In our next article, we will introduce the steps for launching students into the same Minecraft world.

Links to our other series blog posts:

Introduction to Minecraft: Education Edition (1)

Downloading and Installing (2)

Creating Worlds (3)

The Basics + Tutorial Walkthrough - Stages 1 & 2 (4)

An Open World: Tutorial Walkthrough - Stage 3 (5)

Launching and Hosting a Multiplayer game + Exporting Saved Worlds (7)