The need for Computer Science education is growing globally, as our digital world increases daily. However, there are some roadblocks that schools experience when attempting to add computer science classes to their offerings. One such roadblock is the lack of teachers with computer science experience. Another roadblock is the need for engaging curriculum that can reach all students, regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic status. It was these roadblocks that led Prodigy Learning to develop ‘Coding in Minecraft.’
‘Coding in Minecraft’ is a ready-to-teach curriculum and credential program for computer science, aligned to the CSTA standards (as well as many state and local standards), which engages a diverse student audience in the areas of computer science and coding. It is an easy to teach solution enabling teachers with little or no computer science or coding experience to deliver an up-to-date computer science curriculum. ‘Coding in Minecraft’ engages young and diverse learners through game-based learning in an immersive computer science and coding curriculum and rewards their learning with credentials.
‘Coding in Minecraft’ was developed in a way where the teachers become the facilitators of learning and students lead their own learning while inside the game of Minecraft Education. It can be delivered as a self-paced course or done in a more structured format. The teachers do not need to create any materials themselves as ‘Coding in Minecraft’ also includes all the instructor resources teachers will need to facilitate the learning. They include materials such as lesson plans, course outlines, practice tests, student worksheets, slide decks, and more.
To help increase the number of students who have access to ‘Coding in Minecraft,’ Prodigy Learning has partnered with OSPI to offer ‘Coding in Minecraft’ free to all public schools in Washington State along with free professional development which is eligible for 6 STEM PD hours. We have similar partnerships in Alaska and North Carolina.
Through these partnerships we already have many teachers all over the country using ‘Coding in Minecraft’ in their classrooms. Washington teacher, Alfonso Gonzalez used it for the first time this year. He wrote in his blog, Mr. Gonzalez’s Classroom, that “Coding in Minecraft is simply amazing! It’s takes Minecraft Education Edition, an already incredible resource for teaching any subject for any grade level with Minecraft, and adds a learning management system for a fully credentialed course for learning to program.”
Also, the engagement that comes with the game-based learning experience is second to none. North Carolina teacher, Amber House, said “I just don’t have enough seats for my students because students are that interested. It’s just that engaging.”
Prodigy Learning is excited to be helping to increase the number of students with access to computer science education. You can learn more about how you can use ‘Coding in Minecraft’ in your classroom by going to codingcredentials.com. When there, you can also download a free trial of the product. You can also learn more at the NCCE Conference in March as Prodigy Learning will be delivering sessions, workshops, and have a booth on the exhibit hall floor.
NCCE 2023 Sessions
‘Coding in Minecraft ‘- Immerse Your Students in Coding
Wednesday, March 22, 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
TCC, TCC – Room 316
Speakers: Jennifer Brown
50-minute Session
Get Hands on with ‘Coding in Minecraft’
Thursday, March 23, 2:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Marriott, Marriott – Tacoma
Speakers: Jennifer Brown
Two-hour Workshop (BYOD), BYOD Workshop
Presented by
Jennifer Brown Product Specialist Prodigy Learning
Jennifer Brown is the Product Specialist for Coding in Minecraft and has 18 years’ experience as both an educator and a trainer. She is a Global Minecraft Mentor, Microsoft Master Trainer, and Minecraft Certified trainer and has trained hundreds of teachers on game-based learning through Minecraft: Education Edition. As a former teacher, Jennifer is dedicated to the ideal that all students should have access to computer science. As the Product Specialist for Coding in Minecraft, Jennifer continues this dedication by training teachers how they can bring computer science to their students through the engaging curriculum of Coding in Minecraft.