For a year and a half now I have worked with my high school students as they learned Apple's Swift coding language and their development software Xcode. Students begin by using Apple's Swift Learning Resources for both students and teachers and then branch off to develop specific interest apps. The final project that students work on is an app with a purpose. An app that will make the world a better place. To steal a quote from Steve Hayman of Apple who has been instrumental in supporting my students and I, "Life has enough flashlight apps." This is our mantra and each student is tasked with coming up with their own purpose to develop iOS and Apple Watch apps. Meet Nathan and Liam. These grade 10 students asked if I would give up my prep period daily so that they could work with Swift and Xcode and develop apps. I agreed and the boys started by making a browser app that loaded my website and an Apple Watch flashlight just to prove to "Steve from Apple" that it was a good idea. Then came the difficult task of making an app with global purpose. Nathan and Liam set out to make a soundboard app called "MyVOCA" which would be used by non-communicative students. Colourful, large buttoned and loaded with a selfie cam extra, this app worked flawlessly on the test iPads after hours of intense, but character building work. These two would take their new found confidence steps further pitching their ability to create apps and novel app ideas at innovation and entrepreneurial competitions! In grade 10 they were competing against 30-year-olds! You can watch these pitches here or skip ahead.
The confidence shown by Nathan and Liam sparked a series of app ideas in our school and though some used modelling services and not Xcode and Swift the idea was always to hand off the iOS app work to our computer science kids. Here our grads show off their idea for a "Safe Grad App" with the special feature of a fake phone call from Mom or Dad to get them out of tricky situations. Alex became another highlight of our Swift and Xcode program at Caledonia Regional very quickly. When I asked him what he wanted to do for an passion project he replied "I want to make a translation app for my Syrian classmates to help them better adjust to school life." And then Global News heard about it. Watch this! At the time of this blog post Alex is still learning his way through Swift and Xcode updates but his resolve to complete this app has not diminished. After all, the app has a purpose!
What I've learned Creating iOS and Apple Watch Apps with Xcode and Swift is not easy. Apple has supports that make it as easy as it can get but it is difficult. However, when students have a global purpose for their app there is nothing that can stop them. Creating iOS apps builds student skills such as character, citizenship, critical thinking, computational thinking, creativity and in a team atmosphere communication and collaboration. I build my entire program at Caledonia Regional around these 21st century skills I call "The 7Cs." If you are looking to start allowing students to create iOS apps in K-12 education it can be done. I recommend starting early with the newly released "Swift Playgrounds" app and reaching out to Apple for support which has proven priceless for our work. A New Brunswick provincial innovation organization called "Brilliant Labs" was also responsible for giving our students opportunity and support. Connect with me on Twitter for more information! Happy App Development! It takes a village to raise a student and it takes students to raise a village! This unique collaboration initiative will see your class raise a village to town status as students have an opportunity to contribute to each service the community requires. Target Citizenship, Critical Thinking and Creativity in a lesson that develops a town which can be used in future lessons and exported as an example of teamwork and determination. Engineering principles are put to the test along with ethical and environmentally responsible building practices. Description: (Creative Mode Suggested) Students start co-constructing criteria for a town with their teacher. I have developed a SWAY SITE HERE that offers 31 great examples that teachers can use to "sway" their class to the engaging and essential services. After criteria are established and brief talk about how at each station students should look to add positive improvements only to the site, the project begins. Students are randomly assigned a station number and service and begin building starting with a sign stating Station Number, Station Service and Their Name. When the teacher indicates that it is time to move after a set time (Hence, Musical Chairs) the students place a sign at their station saying concisely what they did and then move number wise to the next station. There they analyse what was done, decide what needs improvement, creatively build that improvement and report it via a sign when it is again time to move! Here are a few screen shots of a bridge and sewer treatment system being built. This project can be started and stopped over multiple class periods and can also be applied to larger builds such as replica schools, towns, literature activies and science initiatives such as an organ map of the human body. In the end students will have critically and creatively employed good citizenship as they work collaboratively to raise a village to town status. Each member of the class will have contributed to each essential service limiting engagement drop-off and maximizing student pride in the final product! Here is a descriptor Youtube Video explaining the project. If you use it and like it, let me know via Twitter @BBTNB or on the official Minecraft Education Site. Update: This project has now been submitted to the official Minecraft Education site for approval and official release! Downloadable project card:
Warning: These seeds may only work for Minecraft Pocket Edition until Education Edition sees updates. Following the the warm acceptance of "Minecraft Education Edition Seeds of Success Pack 1" here are the worlds that made the cut for Seeds of Success Pack 2. Each of the project suggestions are my original ideas that I thought of while I explored the worlds. You can choose to take any of my ideas or quickly find your own ideas for a lesson once you examine the seed. Seed of Success 13: 1754 Sometimes life can be just a little too real and students love a good fantasy experience. Steve in Wonderland? Honey I Shrunk the Minecrafters? An original wacky tale? Whatever the fantasy angle this world with a village next to a mushroom kingdom is perfect for bringing that magic to your next literacy lesson. Just watch out for those hyper Mario Brothers from Nintendo! Seeds of Success 14: -1060246543 On the heels of Disney's big hit "Moana" your students may find themselves wanting to look deeper into Hawaiian culture, ancestral village life or wayfinding. I suggest your classes visit the Hour of Code website and find both Moana and Minecraft coding tutorials as a anticipatory set for this lesson. This seed offers a healthy village shelter with ample oceans and islands to explore. Engineer future designs for safer oil rigs? Hold a boat design Build Battle? Students can map the new world, talk about sustainable island living or turn the island into a successful tourism hotspot responsibly! Surfs up? Seeds of Success 15: 1404819164 With three very close satellite communities in the largest snow biome I've ever seen this seed sets the stage for immediate success. Early Denver City Colorado? Diamond mines of Northern North America? Modern transportation networks for extreme North settlement? Climate Change Experience? Nation land claims in the North? All of these are now immediately possible with this inviting seed. On the far opposite edge of the massive snow biomes Ice Spires set the stage for fantasy experiences and narratives as well. Finally, with huge biomes this seeds is fit for an epic cross-map quests or race to find the diamond throne in the Hall of the Mountain King....or whatever you think up! Seeds of Success 16: -2109943162 Not one but TWO jungle temples hide near spawn in a massive rainforest jungle biome. You can see one ancient temple has been surrounded by a lake while the other is still on land. Both are rich for exploration and perhaps further development. Can your students responsibly develop these as tourist attractions minimizing harm to the rainforest? Will they choose not to in the end? Why? This seed offers beauty and room for deep conversations. Bring ancient history to life in high school. Experienece South America from the safety of Minecraft. Look at deforestation by causing it and then trying to reverse it. Have one group act as conservationists and the other as industrialists. What is the cure for cancer is in that jungle? Have a blast with your class in this huge jungle biome with instant engagment due to the double jungle temples! Seed of Success 17: -1436927780 Explore a lost treasure beneath the ocean as a class? Use Skype Field Trips to chat with the crew living beneath the sea in Aquarius? (See youtube video and sign up today for your class chat) Whatever your lesson this massive underwater temple will not disappoint. Give everyone some night vision potion and have them dive and explore this lost treasure. Maybe they want to stay and live like Aquarius? Maybe they want to build an airlocked access to a floating station above the temple? Have some fun with this very interesting experienece. Seed of Success 18: 1408106526 Beautiful water caves beneath hilltop villages and gardens set this seed up to be a favorite for creative development and exploration. Engineer a transportation system for hilltop and ground level villagers and resources? Create your own Minecraft Mount Rushmore? Whatever your lesson of the day this seed has two villages near each other with waterfalls, caves, and hilltop satellite living. Students will not get bored of this geography that is all closely arranged. Seed of Success 19: 1628586759 Imagine 8 VILLAGES, a mineshaft, a stronghold, epic mountain formations, normal villages on desert biomes on the coast, and more! Now stop imagining because this seed has it all! You students deserve a seed this epic and with 8 different villages spread out over vast and beautiful geography this will be a class favorite for sure. Use teleport blocks at each village to hop around as a teacher and transport students to their villages. Watch the film on Dubai engineering below and use the coastal villages to allow students to design their own Palm or World Islands? Digging deep next to the wells in several towns will lead to Mineshafts and Strongholds as an added engagement bonus for students. Seed of Success 20: 22069 Spawn immediately in a village with a hilltop church in a hill terrain. This seed is for the teacher who wants an immediate village experience waiting for students once they join the world. There are strange floating islands and hanging cliffs to engage students as they explore the immediate surroundings. A great seed for a fast lesson. Seed of Success 21: 1424472728 A tornado has just ripped through a tiny seaside village and they need your students' help! The blacksmith shop had half the building torn off. The gardens are destroyed. There is a hole where the school once stood. Some houses were smashed together and some cut in half. Can your students step in and fix this village that the will spawn directly into? Use this for empathy education, disaster relief teams or just structure inspections and repairs. Add Non-Player Characters to tell of giants who came and destroyed the village starting an epic quest throughout the world for answers by your students! Have fun! Seed of Success 22: -686298914 Set up Border Blocks around these islands including some water space for each tribe. Build challenges on a challenge island. Set up a wicked Tribal Council scene on another island. Send voted off Survivors to Exile Island to join the jury. This seed is perfect for anyone who wants to run a classroom Minecraft Survivor. Isolated islands within eyesight of each other make for the perfect tribe camps while other islands just out of sight are great for secret challenge setup. Use teleport blocks to visit each island and easily teleport students to and from challenges and tribal council. See my Minecraft Survivor resource here: https://sway.com/UYNUkDexdJSGUKLE I hope that you find the seed numbers and lesson ideas helpful in this Seeds of Success Pack 2 for busy teachers who wish to use Minecraft in the classroom. Let us know on Twitter how you use these with the hashtag #MinecraftEDU
Seeds can be entered when creating worlds in Minecraft. See the bottom of Pack 1 for a screen shot of exactly where to enter the number if unclear. Follow me on Twitter @BBTNB Finding fast success with Minecraft Education in the classroom can be challenging. Here are some helpful seeds for busy teachers. Simply type these codes into the SEED box when creating a world. Seeds of Success Pack #1 I get it. Teachers are wicked busy and unless you are a master Minecraft map-maker (Which I am not) it can be difficult to score a sweet scene in Minecraft that takes your lessons to the next level. Do you like the idea of having a village near where the students spawn? How about 5 villages or even 8 villages? Do you like the idea of a red dirt Mars-like terrain? A village floating on the sea? Snow villages? (You get it) My mission here is to highlight some wicked empowering Minecraft World Seeds that perhaps will work with Minecraft Education Edition and Minecraft Pocket Edition App in the classroom. Here are the first 12 worlds with a few kickstarter suggestions on how they could be used. I'll mostly leave the creativity up to you but if you do think of a cool way to use one of these in class let us know on Twitter using the hashtag #MinecraftEDU. Seed of Success 8 is my personal favorite! Scroll to the bottom to see where to enter these SEEDS Seed of Success 1: 1413755523 Cities and countries of the future may exist on the water that takes up more than 70% of our Earth's surface area. Let's prepare our students for that and let them lead that charge. Or, simply recreate the absolutely horrible movie known as "WaterWorld." (Opinion only but very accurate) Seed of Success 2: 1388582293 Let students try their hand at urban engineering and planning or take a look back at early river-side settlements. There's a good chance you know a city that developed near a river. A great situation to talk about flooding or to make it happen and feel its effects! Seed of Success 3: 1246234697 Two very different biomes. The harsher one with shelter and the other with wood and water. Can free trade exist? Should it? Will it? Let your kids find out by adding some border blocks and encouraging them to strike deals. What are these resources worth? Is it more than your students initially thought? Have fun! Seed of Success 4: 1388582293 Many smaller cities around the world exist with a Tri-Community environment. In fact larger cities spend decades trying to shake the idea of different communities once they form and some nver succeed. Explore how a Tri-Community might be governed. Look at Real Estate values and force some students to move for work to another community and experience how it feels. Hold competitions including urban development tasks. Three villages right next to each other! Enjoy! Seed of Success 5: 343145341 Three northern villages let students experience settlement in the North. Can they find Santa's hideout? Explore how early settlers in the North and East dealt with the snow biomes and look at the stark differences in biomes that are right next to each other! Seed of Success 6: 1408803813 A lovely snow experience which is very cool for Syrian Students or any student who hasn't yet experienced the joy of a snowfall. Get your Christmas kicks, talk about blizzard survival and discover all things Winter in this world with a few villages nestled on the biome border. Seed of Success 7: -3022154238038518696 A central town next to a river offers a great starting point to expand onto the massive field on the other side of the river. Each students has ample room to engineer their own bridge designs over the river or collectively terraform the field into something that helps the town. With massive mountains up river and a river that seems to go forever students won't get lost or bored exploring this geographic. Seed of Success 8: -9065479248748140566 Get your banners out and rock your class Game of Thrones style or less extreme in a 5 Kingdom relation exploration. Discuss Kingdom borders and what's fair. (Does fairness matter within the kingdoms?) Is free trade needed? Conduct a kingdom census of people, villagers, animals after borders are established. Tax the poor? Tax all the kingdoms as the Emperor? Force some Minecraftians to move to another Kingdom and experience how that feels. Who's the student who will choose to live out in the wilderness instead of society? The learning and fun is endless with this 5 village world! Enjoy! Seed of Success 9: 8178890028 The Red Planet! Grab your spacesuit skins and prepare to experience life on Mars. Build a giant biodome or seperate yet joined living locations and food / waste areas. Start to transform the land using the limited resources you've brought in space chests! Do you teach language arts or a second language? Allow students to bring their space exploration narratives to life before your eyes. This seed is out of this world. Use border blocks to keep students within the Mars mindset. Seed of Success 10: 1405054993 (8 Villages) The rumour has it that there are 8 Villages in this world. I found 5 in a short time. (See Below) Dividing up your class fairly would give groups of 3-4 students their very own villages! Here's a teacher tip. Take some time to find these villages and place teleport blocks near each to allow you to jump from village to village and teleport students to you and away when needed. These 8 villages have healthy geography between themselves and equal biome fairness. This would be a great SEED to see what groups of students can do in isolation responding to the same challenge. Seed of Success 11: 2052930197336800526 5 Villages! An all-star geography world with Mesa, Desert, Forest, Mountain and grassland elements. Some of these biomes are beautiful while deserts have buried temples and the central mountain has to be the best ever site for a mansion that looks down on the world. Again, place teleport blocks at each village you find and enjoy the variety of this biome. Perhaps split students up into hill-people, desert people, Mesa-people and plains-people for interesting experiences. Seed of Success 12: -75541937 The last of the "Seeds of Success Pack 1" found by Mark Grundel has students spawn near a series of small islands with scarce resources. This can be used to test the survival capabilities and resourcefulness of students. There isn't a lot going on here but we will definitely find out who can make lemonade out of lemons when life hands them this seed. Gift students with raw materials and see if they can figure out how to craft their way to a successful life in isolation. Don't worry about them until they paint a face on a volleyball and call it WILSON!!!!!! (From Tom Hanks' Cast Away) I hope these ideas and SEED resources help get you started as a busy teacher who wants to maximize Minecraft's potential in the classroom. I'll add more of these ASAP. Check out the official Minecraft Education website for more projects like this one. I've submitted this resource to the official Minecraft Education site! Follow me on Twitter @BBTNB Use and share any of these resources that you feel are valuable. Work on "Seeds of Success Pack #2" begins immediately! Where do I enter these SEED Numbers?
When setting up your world enter the code where the lightbulbs are in the image below. Then, create the game. In 2014 I started Canada's first K-12 Dronorgraphy Program. I was watching a local tragedy unfold when a drone pilot took it upon himself to show up and help RCMP using his drone. At that moment I realized that the career and social good potential for drones demanded that our students begin to learn and apply them in their studies. Brilliant Labs supported us with our first DJI Phantom drone and our modest attempt at drones in school evolved and became Canada's first official K-12 Dronography program. CTV News was there to cover the story months later and ironically the same pilot who helped the RCMP on the day the idea was born had become our industry partner. We were clear from the start. Safety and learning were to always trump fun. We were the first program which means if we messed it up others would also have a tougher time launching their programs. Immediately after this news story launched we had calls from Alberta, Ontario, California, Atlanta, Nova Scotia and several other states asking how our tiny rural New Brunswick school had succeeded launching such a program. The answer is I took a risk and was supported by my administration and school district. Every great idea deserves a risk being taken and great partners willing to support it. Our industry partner Marc was instrumental in the training of our students. Brilliant Labs was instrumental in getting us our first drone. Our administrators were instrumental in allowing me to teach relevant courses in which we could apply drone technology. The system supported us and that is how our program launched successfully. Over the years our students would not disappoint as they used the drones in some innovative ways. First, and to practice flight we focussed on creating a videography project called "Autumn in Albert" which is the name of our New Brunswick county. Here is the result of their flight training and videography application of drones. We then practiced industry applications such as structural inspection and promotional videography. As pilot crews became more familiar with the drones and I was more comfortable with their capabilities we stepped up our game. We surveyed local flood damage for victims when our mighty river overflowed its banks. We started practicing disaster first aid delivery via drones and search and rescue techniques. We followed Amazon's lead and tried our hand at package delivery by drone. Drones became a tool that students had at their disposal to solve real world problems. New years bring new batches of pilots and each follow the in-class and flight training that the previous pilots experienced. This year on the first day of flight training Department of Education officials showed up unannounced and the students flew perfectly. Check it out! The group of pilots that started in 2016-2017 were more attracted to the drone racing industry and applications of drones and their studies tended to go in that direction. This lean towards drone racing happened to amplify when they came in one day after the IRIS+ drone had taken a hard landing and needed extensive repairs. Repairs of course are also the pilots' responsibility as the school pays for parts and students repair the drones. Here is some footage from Drone Racing training in the Fall of 2016. I am confident that the risks I took to launch this program have benefitted our students and school community greatly. I am appreciative of the support I received as a classroom teacher when I wanted this wild idea to become reality. This type of program is possible everywhere in our great country and all schools need to do is adopt the slogan "How can this work?" Our future looks bright if we can sustain our drone fleet and continue to expand on the applications. As a tiny rural school funding is an issue but we believe that if we keep working hard the funding will sory itself out at the right time. One real benefit is our school is in one of the most beautiful locations in our province and every day the footage is reviewed we are shocked at how amazing our place on Earth is. |
Benjamin KellyI'm an experienced Global Minecraft Mentor, Published Educational Researcher, Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow, Apple Distinguished Educator, TeachSDGs Ambassador and grade 6-12 technology teacher. @BBTNB Archives
June 2021
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