DepEd taps video game Minecraft as learning tool

MANILA, Philippines — MANILA, Philippines — Yes, you should review your teachings. However, why not do it while playing video games? “Game-based teaching” is becoming increasingly popular among educators as a result of the pandemic-induced constraints that have compelled the Department of Education (DepEd) to adapt innovative techniques to assist pupils enjoy their learning experiences.

On Wednesday, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the mobile app Minecraft Education Edition, which incorporates school lessons into the popular sandbox video game format, which allows players to freely adjust and reshape their game settings. The app was developed in collaboration with Microsoft Philippines.

Minecraft’s mobile version has been introduced in the Philippines, according to Education Undersecretary Alain del Pascua, making the country one of just two nations (the other being Saudi Arabia) to do so. Students and instructors from public and private schools around the country can use a Microsoft account issued by the Department of Education to download the software onto their Android phones.

Creating ‘worlds’

The global Minecraft community has created a number of video games that vary in difficulty depending on the topic matter being taught. Students can learn about algebra architecture, for example, by playing a game that allows them to explore mathematical models and solve issues using spatial mathematics.

With the goal of educating players-students about geography and culture, video designers have constructed “worlds” that are representative of any geographical place and its cultural traits (for example, Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao), which they may explore and learn about.

They learn about other aspects of the world, such as the history and peoples of a particular location, through exploring these worlds.

Elements, compounds

Using Minecraft, students may go on virtual field excursions, which could be introduced as early as the following school year. Students would be able to examine the many elements that make up the chemistry table and experiment with different compounds if they were to participate in a tutorial class on chemistry using Minecraft.

In order to create an element, the players must move slides through a “element function Object() { [native code] },” where they select the protons, electrons, and neutrons that they will need to complete the element. It is necessary for students to modify the function Object() { [native code] } in order to obtain two protons and two electrons, which correspond to the makeup of a hydrogen molecule, if they wish to create one.

A “compound maker,” on the other hand, enables children to create compounds by combining the ingredients that they have selected in the first place.