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Showing posts from 2020

FTGOTC Minecraft EE PE Controls

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I saw some teachers asking for this online, so I made one... still a work in progress. Hopefully it helps your distance learning kiddos.      ...and here's a link to the PDF.

The Bald Sage's Complete Guide to Minecraft Game Design

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If you're a student looking for Game design help, skip ahead to the section, " Game Design with Minecraft EE ". If you're a computer teacher who normally reads this blog as a part of professional growth, or just to make fun of me, feel free to read from the beginning. The challenge Yes, COVID-19 Strikes again Recently, in my post, 5 Elements and Still Relevant , I explained that as far as an actual sound curriculum in Game Design that Middle School students can comprehend and apply, Gamestar Mechanic is the only game in town. It's the only thing that simply and concisely takes students through designing balanced games (games with flow), using 5 Elements of Game Design while essentially using Gamification and Game Based Learning to do it. NO OTHER TOOL TEACHES GAME DESIGNas a distinct discipline. Tynker doesn't teach it. Code.org doesn't teach it.  Minecraft edu , as cool as it may be, doesn't teach it.  Microsoft MakeCode Arcade doesn'

Corona, Computer Class, and Consolation

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Three lessons learned amidst a pandemic. Lesson 1: Computer Science Does Matter So, I'm going to open by saying that I have never been more convinced of the need for an actual "Computer Class". I'm painfully aware of this thanks to the global pandemic that is COVID-19. My Students have been sent home with their iPads , and I have been called upon to teach them my Computer Science Class remotely. Over the last few years, as students have found themselves in possession of "devices" throughout their school day, thanks to 1:1 programs, usually with Chromebooks and iPads, many districts have sadly asked themselves the question, “ Why do we need a computer class? ”. Even more sadly, many have given up their Computer Science curriculum, at least in the K-8 realm. Hopefully, without sounding classist or making this a politically charged issue, I can make the assertion that iPads and Chrome Books , as well as the myriad smart phones that most people carry ev