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You probably never even imagined that you'd get away with playing video games at school, right? Well thanks to Minecraft that's all about to change! Microsoft Japan has announced the launch of the Minecraft: Education Edition beta program in Japan this May. Hiroo Junior High School in Tokyo's Shibuya ward is the first school in Japan to participate in the program, and students there will take part in trial lessons using the software.
Minecraft: Education Edition is a version of the incredibly popular open world game, Minecraft, designed for educational use. With the aim of gathering user feedback for product development purposes, the Minecraft: Education Edition beta program was launched in May with over 100 schools from 30 countries around the world taking part.
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, arrived in Japan on May 24 and visited Hiroo Junior High School in Tokyo's Shibuya ward. Nadella dropped in on a programming lesson taught using the beta of Minecraft: Education Edition and also spent some time talking with students.
The following features make Minecraft: Education Edition perfect for educational use in schools and other establishments:
● Secure student login IDs with individual avatars to personalize learning experiences, and help educators track student activity
● Camera and Student Portfolio, where students can take photos of their projects in Minecraft: Education Edition to demonstrate learning and progress
● Classroom management features including peaceful world settings to ensure students stay on task.
● A collection of specialized blocks to enhance teaching and learning, including new signs to share information and give direction, and border blocks to manage students within a world.
● Enhanced multiplayer, where up to 30 students can collaborate and work together on a set of learning activities without a separate server.
● Tutorial experience for first-time Minecraft educators.
From the beginning of June, a free download of the Minecraft: Education Edition early access program will be made available to educators all over the world, including in Japan.
About Microsoft Japan
Microsoft Japan is a subsidiary of Microsoft based in Japan. Microsoft is the leading company when it comes to platforms and productivity in the world of "mobile-first, cloud-first," and its inspiring company mission statement is "Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more." Based on this mission statement, Microsoft Japan aims to be a company that "offers cloud services and devices that are innovative, friendly, reliable, and fun to use."
Microsoft Japan website: http://www.microsoft.com/japan
Source: @Press