MINECRAFT AND COMPUTINGInitial ideas – May 2013

Introduction• Aware of the ‘edutainment’ issue• But Minecraft can be used as an

additional tool in the toolbox• Computing is a creative subject and

Minecraft does embody creativity– See any crazy redstone build on Youtube

Minecraft and Computing• Basic

– Image representation activity– Problem solving

• Intermediate– Pseudocode in Minecraft– AND, OR, NOT etc

• Advanced– Serious redstone– Javascript and Python control– Computercraft mod

Image representation activity

• Inspired by http://csunplugged.org/image-representation • Uses the pixelated nature of Minecraft to full effect• Start with a demo layout of image and lines• Ask pupils to fill in the pixels based on pre-defined lines• Then ask them to decipher the line numbers from an image• Finally set them the challenge to go and make their own

challenges

Problem solving• Simple problem solving skills eg:

– Automate a door– Get a railcart to head up a slope under power– Even design problems – create a bridge according to

predefined rules

• Getting pupils to think – What is the problem to be solved?– What tools do they have or need?– What is the process required?– Basics of computational-thinking

Pseudocode in Minecraft• Use various situations in Minecraft to

teach pupils how to write pseudocode

• EG: Write a script to describe the process of mining a gold block using a stone pickaxe

• Some initial examples here

Logic Gates• Use Minecraft to build AND, OR, NOT

etc• Good way to visually demonstrate

how logic gates work• Colour blocks to demonstrate input

and output signals

Serious redstone• By serious I mean complex redstone circuit

based machines which require extensive– Design– Iteration– Testing

• This will probably be worthwhile getting into only if exam boards accept projects programmed using redstone

Using Python and Javascript with Minecraft

• Not something I have much experience with yet• Python and Minecraft

– Use special edition of Minecraft for the Raspberry Pi – click here

– Use Python from a command line to control in-game resources

• Javascript and Minecraft– Using Scriptcraft and Craftbukkit server– More info here