Microsoft is likely hoping that by giving teachers and administrators “just a little taste” during the summer, they’ll have enough of Minecraft goodness running through their veins to come back for the paid version.
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Furthermore, when the early access program wraps – an exact date has not been provided yet – schools will be welcomed to access Minecraft: Education from authorized selling channels.
Minecraft: Education Edition is tailor-made to teach kids about navigation, collaboration, and social skills, as well as how to create re-usable class projects.
It all started when Microsoft has acquired a learning game maker called Teacher Gaming LLC, which created MinecraftEdu, a game that could be used by teachers, as well. The tutorial was launched as a part of “Annual Hour of Code” campaign.
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Minecraft said it has worked on new features, and partnered with educators, students, and administrators to get feedback on their priorities and how they can use Minecraft for teaching. The game will run on Windows 10 and Mac OS X El Capitan, although teachers and students will also need to register a free Office 365 Education account using official school email addresses. The beta testers will be able to share feedback on the product with Microsoft. This will be available in 11 languages and in 41 countries, and available to download and try for free. Microsoft will continue to expand the program throughout the summer. Volume licenses for large-scale institutions will also be available. Not long after, the potential for Minecraft in the classroom was realized when the program expanded to over 5,500 educators and received support from Minecraft’s former owner, Mojang.
