Session Title:
EVO Minecraft MOOC (EVOMC20)
Logo:
Abstract: (50 words)
This session invites interested teachers to join us in playing Minecraft. Through meaningful play, we will learn all we can about playing Minecraft alone and together. We will learn and understand through play how Minecraft can be used effectively in language learning. We'll learn by doing and from one another.
Target audience: State who your main audience is. Who is most likely to be interested in your session? Be as specific as possible (i.e.,not "teachers of English")
Join us if any of these ring true. You are ...
- A teacher with a gaming problem -
Are you a teacher who wants to learn how to gamify your students' learning environment but aren't quite sure how it works? With us you can experience how that works by immersing yourself in the participatory cultures surrounding the game of Minecraft, supported by EVO Minecraft MOOC community members.
- A gamer with a teaching problem -
Already a gamer with some ideas about how you would like to leverage your skill and your proclivities in your classroom? You've come to the right place.
- A teacher of gamers with a learning problem -
Do you think your students would like to play a game like Minecraft but you aren't sure how to make it fit your curriculum? Fortunately, your curriculum is somewhere in Minecraft already. Join us and we'll help you figure out how and where?
- Or join us if you just want to learn more about how to use meaningful games and the participatory cultures associated with such games with your students.
But keep in mind that you'll need to play Minecraft with us in order to enjoy the experiential benefits.
Session objectives: Please provide a list of specific objectives. Start with, "By the end of this session, participants will have...
By the end of the session, participants will have:
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explored and played with Minecraft
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curated resources relevant to them relating to Minecraft
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shared their discoveries and what they have accomplished with other participants
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created spaces in Minecraft where desired learning outcomes can be promoted
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learned to build and survive in Minecraft
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expanded their personal learning networks by befriending colleagues who can help each other continue their exploration of Minecraft as an environment for staging and enhancing learning
Session participants will learn about Minecraft in the same way they would expect students to figure it out and adapt it to their own learning goals; that is, we will learn by playing and sharing what we discover. We will learn, as Joel Levin puts it, how to 'limit' the game; that is how to create spaces there where we can promote desired learning outcomes. We will point each other to resources (there are thousands of them, so we'll have to curate for one another). We can create YouTube channels for our work and create videos showing what we accomplish in Minecraft and how we might use the worlds we create with our students. We will learn from students and kids who join us, in a server space created just for us.
Syllabus: The session syllabus. Include the major focus for each week and at least one activity or task. You will fill in the details during the training session.
Weekly Content
Our 5-week syllabus is patterned on Dave Cormier’s 5 steps to success in MOOCs: orient, declare, network, cluster, focus, https://youtu.be/r8avYQ5ZqM0
From screenshot: http://screencast.com/t/9ltyAlkAmz
Week 1: Jan, 11-18 2020
Remember to plan time for get-acquainted introductions and practice with session tools as appropriate during the first week. Be as specific as you can at this stage of your planning.
Time to get-acquainted and practice with session tools during the first week.
Orient - Participants come on board, figure out how this works, who we are, and why we are all here (we’ll all post to community spaces set up for this). Serious participants will have to invest $27 to stay in the game through to week 2 by purchasing a login to Minecraft from http://minecraft.net (all Minecraft software is freely downloadable; the login credentials are a one-time, life-time purchase). We’ll view tutorials to learn the basics, meet in world in creative mode to help each other learn and practice.
Week 2: Jan. 19-25 2020
Declare - Still with us? Start your blog or wiki and share your experiences with Minecraft, what you’ve learned so far, and how you intend to learn more. Tag your posts (relevant to this session) #evomc20
We’ll meet in-world where we can speak to each other using a separate online voice tool and start crafting in creative mode. We’ll learn how to create artifacts and experiment with YouTube videos from screen-captured Minecraft activities.
Week 3: Jan. 26- Feb. 1 2020
Network - Meet in Minecraft and learn how to work with one another. Participants continue to blog and share builds and resources, and YouTube video embeds with one another. Wherever you play, you’ll need friends online to help sustain you in survival mode. Will you be ready for it?
Week 4: Feb. 2-8 2020
Cluster - Identify others in the MOOC with like goals and start working in subgroups within the MOOC. You’ll have to collaborate in order to stay alive in survival mode! Participants continue to blog and share builds and YouTube video embeds with one another, and more importantly, help each other out in-world.
Week 5: Feb. 9-152020
Be sure to plan time in your syllabus for wrap-up and session evaluations. Don't start a new project or topic in the last week.
Focus - Participants share plans for carrying the work started here beyond the current EVO session and MOOC. Participants are welcome to participate in an end-of-session showcase event hosted by
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com
Media: How will you communicate with participants during the session? Be as specific as you are able at this stage. You may make changes during the training session. Remember: you may not require participants to pay for using these platforms. Participation in EVO is free. If you have no idea which platforms you will use, write We don’t know yet.
Other technology tools: What other technology tools will you introduce or practice with participants? (e.g., AboutMe for introductions, Audacity or Chirbit for recording audio..., etc.). You can add more or make changes during the training session. If you don't know, write "We don't know yet."
To join this group:
- Go to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1473050936163127/
- Follow instructions on our syllabus page: http://missions4evomc.pbworks.com/
The EVO Minecraft MOOC team have been working behind the scenes to create an EVOMC Moodle, Google Classroom, and Google Group spaces to eventually replace our G+C. The latter two are active now. To join, visit
We only allow to remain with us, and accept join requests from, potential professional colleagues and their students (and sometime their children) whose profiles appear to link to identifiable people who could be potential colleagues as opposed to gamers apparently using pseudonyms, and whose reasons for joining us would likely be incompatible with our goals and passions, which relate to gamification in education, not just playing Minecraft for hedonistic reasons. As we are a community of practice interested in assisting each other in using Minecraft creatively and constructively with students, we might reject profiles that appear irrelevant to our goals or indicate no evidence of shared aspirations.
If you are a bona fide educator wishing to join us, and for some reason we reject you, please send an email to the primary contact given at the end of this page, explaining why you feel you fit in with our community, and we'll sort it out.
Suggested sponsor(s): Sponsors are professional associations who would be willing to advertise your session in their elist or newsletters, and who would help create an audience for your session and an interest in EVO participation. (No money or other physical support is requested!) TESOL Interest Section(s) or affiliate(s), IATEFL Special Interest Group(s), or other group(s) who could sponsor your session, such as JALT, KOTESOL, or AVEALMEC. N.B.: The EVO Coordination Team will arrange for TESOL-IS sponsorship, but please tell us which Interest Section you feel would be most likely to sponsor your session. For non-TESOL organizations, we ask that you list all likely sponsors, but please confirm sponsorship with them yourself after your proposal is accepted.
TESOL CALL-IS
Moderators: Fill in the table for all session moderators and co-moderators. You can change or add to the list later. Co-moderators are expected to take part in the training session along with moderators.
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Name (last, first)
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Email address
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Location (country of residence)
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Biodata (not more than 50 words)
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Photo |
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Abdelmoneim, Maha
AKA Olivetree
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maha4learning@gmail.com
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Egypt |
As a Learning and Development consultant Maha’s been using games and role playing for training since 1992. As a volunteer she’s been teaching English in real life and Virtual Worlds since 2008. In 2012 she became an online gamer to experience and experiment with those environments for teaching and learning.
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| Bard, Rose |
rosebard@gmail.com |
Brazil |
Rose Bard is an EFL teacher and teacher educator, Google for educators Group Leader, Itdi Mentor/Blogger, and runs her own blog. She's also working in Higher Education, in researching and supporting professors implementing new methodologies, including based on games and game mechanics, on problems, through projects and blended learning. |
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| Carroll, Don |
abufletcher2@gmail.com |
Japan |
Don Carroll has been a professor at Shikoku Gakuin University in Japan for over 20 years. Prior to Japan he taught EFL and/or Applied Linguistics at universities in Mexico, Oman, and Kuwait. Don is a newcomer to Minecraft and online communities in general. Every community needs and open-minded skeptic.
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| Chien, Jane |
ychien@gmail.com |
Taiwan |
Jane Chien is an assistant professor of TEFL and has been on the faculty of Children’s English Education, National Taipei University of Education since 2005. Her research interest focus on Minecraft as a medium for English language learning and communication.
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| Dodgson, David |
dave.dodgson@gmail.com |
Kazakhstan |
David Dodgson has worked in ELT for 18 years. He currently works as an ICT Coordinator at the British Council. He blogs about Game-based Language Learning at ELT Sandbox. After the 2017 Minecraft MOOC, he wrote an article for TESL-EJ entitled Digging Deeper, reflecting on what Minecraft taught him about learning. |
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Harrison, Kim
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k4sons@gmail.com |
USA |
Instructional Technology Specialist (coach) in a K5 school. Virginia Society for Technology in Education member, VSTE Virtual Environments PLN leader. Playing Minecraft since 2012. Partner on East Coast Miners, a server for 6 to 16 year olds. 2015 VSTE Innovative Educator of the Year award winner. Grant winner for Minecraft Education Edition for her entire school for 2017-2018!
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Kuhn, Jeff
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jkuhn72@gmail.com
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USA |
Jeff Kuhn recently earned his PhD at Ohio University where he is researching games and learning. An avid Minecraft player, Jeff has worked with teachers on using games in the classroom in the U.S., Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela. |
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O'Connell, Beth
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booklady99999@gmail.com |
USA |
Beth O'Connell is a middle school librarian with extensive experience in several virtual worlds, including Minecraft. She has used Minecraft with an after-school club, as well as in two week-long courses with her students. |
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| Patrascu, Mircea |
mircea.patrascu@gmail.com |
Romania |
Mircea Patrascu is an IT professional teaching kids to code during his free time.
He loves to play Minecraft, but he also uses it as a learning environment for Scratch and JavaScript.
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| Philp, Heike |
heikephilp@gmail.com |
Belgium/ Germany |
Heike Philp is CEO of let's talk online sprl, an immersive education specialist for language teaching and learning. She is co-initiator of EU funded LANCELOT (virtual classroom) and AVALON (virtual world) and the CAMELOT project (machinima for language teachers) and GUINEVERE (games in virtual worlds). She is founder of the Virtual Round Table Conference and co-owns EduNation in Second Life.
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| Redstone, Dakota |
dakotah.redstone@gmail.com |
USA |
Dakotah's real-world avatar was an Instructional Developer at a state university for 15 years, supporting faculty use of technology in the brick & mortar and online classrooms. His interests run the gamut from A to Z and go back to punched paper tape storage, pencil and paper role playing games, and painting on cave walls by torchlight. |
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Schwartz, Aaron
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aschwar@gmail.com |
USA |
Aaron Schwartz teaches ESL courses as well as public speaking, writing and rhetoric, and computer assisted language learning (CALL) at Ohio University. He's a former chair of TESOL's CALL-IS, where he has been quite active with the Electronic Village. He was a moderator for the Minecraft MOOC in 2016-17 and runs the EVO Minecraft Server. |
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| Smolčec, Filip |
email confidential |
Croatia |
Filip Smolčec is a highschool school student, Minecraft expert and a Youtuber, interested in gaming and creating videos. The youngest EVO moderator in 2015 and a co-author of TESL-EJ article Minecraft and Language Learning. |
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| Smolčec, Marijana |
msmolcec@gmail.com |
Croatia |
Marijana has been an EFL teacher for 18 years at Gimnazija i strukovna škola Bernardina Frankopana. She is a proud Webhead who has been involved in EVO since 2011, eTwinning group moderator, project coordinator, avid user of web 2.0 tools,co-author of TESL-EJ article Minecraft and Language Learning, passionate about teaching Edtech, a mom, and a wife. |
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Stevens, Vance
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vancestev@gmail.com
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Malaysia
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Vance Stevens is an EFL teacher in Al Ain, founder of Webheads in Action, He is an EVO coordinator (since 2002), founder of the podcast series Learning2gether, and On the Internet editor for TESL-EJ where he and co-moderators have co-authored an article on Minecraft and Language Learning.
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Stevens, Bobbi
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bobbi_stevens@hotmail.com
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Malaysia
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Bobbi Stevens has taught young learners in Saudi Arabia, Oman, USA & UAE for over 30 years and has adapted to changes of styles and methods of teaching children over the years, especially as pertains to educational technology. She was a co-moderator of the original EVO Minecraft group in 2015 and looks forward to participating again this year.
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Primary Contact Vance Stevens:
vancestev@gmail.com
Statement of commitment: Each moderator should type the words "I agree" followed by his/her name to show understanding of and acceptance of the following statement:
I understand that session moderators are required to participate in the 5-week Moderators' Development Session from October 13 until November 10, 2019. The EVO session will be offered between January 11 and February 16, 2019. I understand that EVO sessions are free of advertising and no commercial sponsorship is allowed. Finally, I understand that EVO sessions are free and open to all, and that no academic credit may be given for participation.
I agree,, Vance Stevens
I agree, Jane Chien
I agree, Marijana Smolcec
I agree, Mircea Patrascu
I agree, Bobbi Stevens
I agree, Rose Bard
I agree, Heike Philp
I agree, Don Carroll
I agree, Jeff Kuhn
A word to the team. Your agreement and name in the list above indicates to the coordinators evaluating these proposals that the team members have themselves joined this wiki, opened it, and written to it. EVO coordinators use this as an indication of the commitment of the people listed here as moderators to the current year's effort. When evaluating proposals, coordinators might check the wiki history to see that the moderators listed above have all written at some point to the wiki. If there is a list of names here but no record of their editing in the wiki history, it means that just one person filled in these details with no engagement by other moderators listed. So to avoid this negative impression, please "sign" the agreement above.
Regarding the word 'required' in the statement of commitment, you could write something honest like "I agree to the non-commercial and no-credit terms, though other commitments may limit my participation in Moderator Development Oct-Nov".
In my opinion (Vance) and from a coordinator standpoint, asking people to sign that they agree they are required etc is something that isn't worth the time it takes to deal with it. In my role as coordinator, I'll try and get that word 'required' removed for next year. But as with any contract you can strike through the portions you don't like and then sign. And the fact that you were on the wiki and did that is the forth reason for writing here, proof that you actually joined and visited the wiki.
I have added the information below to show which moderators have in other ways engaged with us since the proposal was submitted. I will remove this information once the proposal is accepted (I'll leave it in for the vetting process). I expect that it will be accepted without the agreements above being properly filled in, but there is no guarantee of that. In any event if you can cooperate I would appreciate it. And if not, and we get accepted, then there is in the end no problem. But thanks in advance - Vance
Replies to organizational email giving affirmative indication of participation in EVOMC20 received from
- Marijana, July 17, 2019 - I am willing to help this year again and if you decide on having Minecraft session on Moodle count me in. I am familiar with Moodle ... Filip has been busy with school but hope both of us will help more.
- Maha, July 17, 2019 - First of all , I am in.
- Don (Abu Fletcher) - regarding Maha's message, "me too."
- David, July 18, 2019 - I will hopefully be back this time. I have just moved back to the UK ... I hope to have time in August to get back to playing.
- Dakota, Sept 6, 2019 - Does not wish to moderate officially but anticipates making his server available without interruption; will be listed as moderator emeritus
Moderators who have joined our FB group since it was set up by Mircea last April, 2019
There are 6 admins and moderators
Mircea Patrascu, Vance Stevens, Maha Olivetree, Rose Bard, Jane Chien, Aaron Schwartz
and in addition 9 members
Don Carol, Marijana Smolcec, Mattie Tsai, Beth Ghostraven, Carole Rainbow, David Dodgson, Kim Harrison, Maha Abdelmoneim, Bobbi Stevens
Notes: The two Maha's are in fact the same person;
Carole Rainbow wishes to remain active as a participant but not become a moderator
We feel that these addenda indicate a degree of commitment of the above-named to the current proposed effort. All are being asked to sign the above agreement, but across EVO, many proposal moderators fall short on this step. This additional information is therefore provided in order to inform anyone judging the validity of this proposal.
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