Fortnite and Minecraft are getting kids excited about learning again - Essay
# Information
- Source: Greg Toppo; ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Minecraft’ are getting kids excited about learning again
- Tags: #games #education
- Notes:
# Highlights
“==I like to say we’re giving kids the tools that they need to lead successful lives in the digital age—and preparing them for the coming of the metaverse==,” said Ed Fleming, founder of a long-running computer camp based in Philadelphia. The metaverse, a term coined by science-fiction novelist Neal Stephenson, refers to an all-encompassing 3-D digital space that resembles those of today’s massive multiplayer games.
It may seem ironic that some educators see the solution to online learning loss as more online learning, but both Fleming and his students say the experience is different. ==Game design and other technology-related topics, they say, translate well to online spaces like Zoom.==
“I was actually surprised at how much better it was than taking school online,” she said. Since most of the classwork is in game design and related fields, ==“you can team up with other people in games and work side-by-side with them, kind of like you’re close to them.”==
Dave Kramer, who has taught at the camp, and whose 13-year-old son Aiden attends it, said creating media, not just consuming it, was a huge motivation. The boy was eager to attend once he understood that ==“you can be the person making those videos or making those games … instead of you just watching someone playing someone’s game. That really did intrigue him.”==
consuming -> creating
In 2018, Epic Games released a ==“sandbox”== version of Fortnite that allows players to modify the game’s features and create their own “islands,” mini-games, and other assets.
Isaacs, a serial education entrepreneur who has also produced content for Minefaire, a massive Minecraft “fan experience,” saw an opportunity for educators. Last year, after more than two decades in the classroom, he retired and now leads a team at Epic that runs boot camps that train teachers on how to use Fortnite and its underlying engine for learning.
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