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Frustrations of the students and teachers (this is feedback I have recieved a number of times)

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10 comments

  • Official comment
    Kyle M

    Hello David,

    Thanks for posting.

    1. We are working on an SSO solution that will be available in our next release
    2. This sounds like it could be an issue on your network. If you submit a request and provide an account I am happy to test and nail down the cause
    3. This is due to your network or hardware
    4. This is due to different subnets on your network would be my best guess
    5. If you have any specific questions here submit a request and I am happy to help
    6. You can add mods in the Bedrock and then open the word in Education

    I hope my answers helped at least a little bit. We are committed to putting out a product that best suits the needs of educators everywhere. Please submit a request if you would like to chat further.

    Thank you

  • aforgrave

    Hi David! Hi Kyle!

    As a longtime user of #MinecraftEDU, modded Java servers, etc, I’d be keen to participate in an open dialogue within the community regarding the needs of educators and the implementation challenges that have arisen with M:EE.

    Kyle, I would be keen to hear you say more regarding your #6 reply above. I am currently doing a lot of prep work with former 1.7.10 MinecraftEDU files and within WorldEdit-supported Java prior to porting worlds over to Bedrock. There are a lot of features that aren’t in M:EE that really make a difference in what educators can/can’t do.

    How can front-line educators better engage with the product-development process?

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  • Hi Aforgave and Kyle,

     This is a complicated question, so I will answer with a bit of observation I have noticed over the past decade using programs like Minecraft. I am currently developing a gamification and games based platform myself, to help teachers integrate 21st century fluency's (Lee Crockett's research) and making classrooms fun and relevant for 21st century students (I have leveraged MinecraftEdu and a few other programs to do this for many, many years and have loads of interest from other teachers annnnd the students love it).

    From my observations doing this, and when wearing the hat of Network Administrator and Digital Technologies specialist teacher, getting teachers to do much more than teach can be a struggle if  they are not passionate and invested in a program and if the program doesn't 'just work'. Often the busy day of a teacher involves technology, yet when something does not work IMMEDIATELY (when 30 little faces are waiting) they get frustrated and give up fairly quickly for the sake of their students. Some teachers will try again, some will throw it the way of the techies, but a majority will be turned off unless it has a captain advocating the power of 21st century fluency and moving away from factory model teaching. 

    I mention this because front line teachers are probably your greatest resource and the students themselves. Only teachers with a growth mindset use MinecraftEdu as a provocation tool and fewer still, create content. Building 'missions' that align with curriculum can cost time (thus your library is helpful). That is why I have gone back to 1.7.10 as it is way easier to support mods that I can use for different curriculum content and design missions that literally ran for years (all fostering 21st century fluency's and problem solving resilience).

    If mod's were supported and teacher tools in a more easier way I think the frontline teachers would be able to develop far richer content that students and teachers become invested in. 

     

     

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  • Mr. Edwards

    I'm with David and Aforgrave. The lack of teacher tools and mods really limit what can be reasonably done with M:EE. I have seen the technology frustrations first hand. Although Kyle did mention mods can be added in Bedrock and then brought over, I am still waiting for an explanation on that as well. 

    I had used MinecraftEdu for a few years and just switched over less than a month ago. So far, the cons outweigh the pros. The only positives my students and I could come up with are that there is virtually no lag and it is pretty up to date with the version of Minecraft that kids are use to playing at home.

    I would like to see the same build tools MinecraftEdu had (such as fill), all commands enabled (like why can't I make teams?), and the capability to use mods (because Custom NPCs is probably the greatest enhancement to ever happen to Minecraft).

    We tried out many of the maps in the library, but they just don't fit our needs or aren't very engaging. I have resorted to creating my own which is very time consuming. Alas, we will continue to use M:EE because that is all we have at this point, but I am excited to see changes made to make it even better. 

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  • Penny Support
    Bug Zapper Super Star Beacon of Knowledge Support

    Aforgrave - here are a couple of ways you can get involved with the product-development process.  Minecraft: Education Edition just announced a Back to School release with a lot of features designed to help Instructors manage a classroom.  You can read about the release and sign up for the Beta here:  https://education.minecraft.net/blog/classroom-experience-updates-coming-to-minecraft-education-edition-for-back-to-school-2019/

    And if you haven't become a mentor yet, this is a great way to get your feedback to the M:EE team as well as interact with other very knowledgeable M:EE users:  https://education.minecraft.net/community/connect-with-others/

    2
  • aforgrave

    Hi Carrie!  :-)

    While I've followed/tested M:EE since its release, my school only moved to Windows 10 this year, and so I've only been faced with the real-world of Education Edition this spring. The 1.7 to 1.9 mid-year update threw a considerable monkey wrench into my students' experiences, and finding solutions to recovering the features I've been previously used to with @TeacherGaming's Java MinecraftEDU will be important moving forward.

    Thanks for your suggestions! I had signed up for the Back to School beta when it was announced, and have been hoping to get access to the Global Mentor program for a couple of months now.  I'm certainly keen to continue to use/support/develop opportunities for using Minecraft in education.

     

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  • Update: Well I have fixed a few of my own issues in the meantime and have managed to start modding. I have managed to get the Jurrasic Wold mod working (a few issues but I'm working on them). I also got lockable doors and chests, and Moanimals working. No luck with my 3 favourites though (npc, galactic raft and Dr who). Which is annoying as one of the world's I created in minecraftedu had students working on years long quests to build, fuel and depart a dying overworld and travel the galaxy for new homes (with planet specific missions, physics and provocations). It was soooo rich with content and hype that students mention it 5 years later after leaving primary school.

    I desperately want Me.e to be more compatible and yes the npc mod is an absolute must for creating cool content and missions.

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  • Mr. Edwards

    David, how are you getting the mods to work in M:EE? I've been searching and trying different things but so far I came up with nothing. 

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  • Yeah its a bit different than the Java way of doing it, hopefully the link helps. Let me know if you need more support I have literally solved thousands of bugs when modding Minecraft since the beginning of EDU.

    Bedrock only supports resource and behavior pack add-ons. Add-ons are more limited than traditional mods as they only let players change or remix existing components.

    Apparently Minecraft Bedrock edition are currently working an a more advanced mod API; more info TBA.

    I downloaded Mods compatible with Bedrock then launched them (install the .exe). If your device does not recognise the file and ask what to open the exe. with, then point it toward Minecraft Education Edition.

    Cheers :)

     

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