Minecraft "Education Edition" for mobile is now exclusively available here in the Philippines!

Study your lessons while playing mobile games? DepEd says now you can do both!

Screenshot from the Minecraft 'Education Edition' mobile game 

Designed for students of all learning styles and all grade levels

According to Microsoft, educators in other countries have already adopted Minecraft: Education Edition to engage their students and make their lessons more interactive. The game-based learning platform is created to promote values like creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Both public and private schools here have been incorporating the Education Edition of this game since the onset of the pandemic. Here in the Philippines, the global company aims to provide 23 million Filipino students nationwide with early access to this kind of learning experience. 

In a press release, the Public Sector Director of Microsoft Philippines Joanna Velez Rodriguez shared,

With the right tools and program interventions, game-based learning approaches can improve a child's memory capacity, computer, and simulation fluency, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and build other skills such as map reading or practical thinking.

Rodriguez noted that students and teachers can access and use the app across various devices including Windows, Mac, iPad, Chromebook, and Android mobile devices. In addition to this, the Minecraft: Education Edition is tailored to fit all learning styles and all grade levels. 

Students can explore more than 300 Minecraft worlds to explore and over 600 standards-aligned lessons across various subjects. This includes history, languages, social and emotional learning, equity and inclusion, and STEM-focused areas such as chemistry, coding, and much more. 

As for teachers, they can prepare lesson plans or specific learning outcomes using the tools available on the platform. DepEd Undersecretary Alain Del B. Pascua said that the Philippines is the first country where Minecraft: Education Edition for mobile is being rolled out for pilot testing.

According to DepEd, they have been working closely with Microsoft and its Global Training Partners for the broader use of Minecraft: Education Edition in the country's education system.

With Felta Multimedia, the institution has implemented a pilot test to enable virtual field trips for students using the gaming platform to promote learning in Philippine history. The Department of Education also launched a series of free online tutorials on Minecraft: Education Edition through its ETulay sessions on social media.

It also continues to capacitate and empower more teachers and learners with the support of DepEd's "Minecraft Champions" and "Minecraft Certified Educators".

The pilot release of the Minecraft: Education Edition can be downloaded through the Google Play Store by clicking here. Meanwhile, students and teachers can access the platform by signing in using their Microsoft 365 school accounts.

Via: Philippine Star