Microsoft recently announced the release of "Minecraft: Education Edition," a special version of the smash-hit game that's designed for the classroom.
To make this happen, Microsoft bought New York-based startup Teacher Gaming, which made a custom, popular "school-ready remix of the original smash hit game Minecraft" called "MinecraftEdu."
Microsoft already paid Mojang, publisher of the main Minecraft game, after paying US$ 2.5 billion for it in 2014.
At first, it might seem like a little bit of a weird mismatch to have a video game in the classroom. But educators all over the globe have been using Minecraft in their lesson plans for years.
The beauty of "Minecraft" is that it's only limited by your imagination. For a lot of kids — my nephews included — that means adventuring, building elaborate houses out of glass and dynamite, spelunking, zombie-fighting, and the occasional volcano-triggered forest fire.
But for forward-looking teachers, it's also a way to get kids thinking a little differently.
"Ultimately, we brought MinecraftEdu to over 10,000 schools in more than 45 countries. It is currently used at every level from kindergarten through graduate school, and it has been applied to nearly all subject areas," Teacher Gaming says in a blog post announcing the Microsoft acquisition.
To make this happen, Microsoft bought New York-based startup Teacher Gaming, which made a custom, popular "school-ready remix of the original smash hit game Minecraft" called "MinecraftEdu."
Microsoft already paid Mojang, publisher of the main Minecraft game, after paying US$ 2.5 billion for it in 2014.
At first, it might seem like a little bit of a weird mismatch to have a video game in the classroom. But educators all over the globe have been using Minecraft in their lesson plans for years.
The beauty of "Minecraft" is that it's only limited by your imagination. For a lot of kids — my nephews included — that means adventuring, building elaborate houses out of glass and dynamite, spelunking, zombie-fighting, and the occasional volcano-triggered forest fire.
But for forward-looking teachers, it's also a way to get kids thinking a little differently.
"Ultimately, we brought MinecraftEdu to over 10,000 schools in more than 45 countries. It is currently used at every level from kindergarten through graduate school, and it has been applied to nearly all subject areas," Teacher Gaming says in a blog post announcing the Microsoft acquisition.
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