So you did that did you. Thanks, no really thanks.

Minecraft class set to go everything ready and our server crashed. At this point one of our students came to me and said "would it be alright if I spawned my own world" and I said "no I would prefer you didn't but thanks for asking." Little l did I know that this request was an after thought after he had already given it a go.

So we quickly rolled back a saved copy of the world, Nathan quickly bashed in some script, Chrisi and Pete tap danced in front of the class five minutes and all was fine and everything went of smoothly.

After taking a deep breath Nathan and I both laughed.  We found we looked at this situation in a very different way than most.

Nathan thought it was great that a small security/problem had been exposed before we went live and we both thought good on this student for having an explore, seeing what the software could do and test it out.

So the young man went home not banned form the lab, without a letter to his parents, but blissfully unaware of the consequences of his experiment and happy to be doing Minecraft at school.

Term 3, new students, and we are off!

 Today, saw a new cohort of students enter into the Minecraft(MC) class and this time there is a significant number of girls! We have a much narrower experience base than the last group but the enthusiasm far outweighs the lack of skill.

Today was a simple session where we all got to know each other and have a free “play” on Minecraft. We did this to allow us to start to plan the small group configurations based on the students abilities in Minecraft as well as their personality types. And there was plenty to observe.

We had a discussion toward the end of the class saying that though we had a play today we are in fact going to be doing some serious work, a part of which was that they will be training to become MC experts and will be teaching grade 3 students later in the term. The response to this was mixed with some looking puzzled and others were clearly excited about this and had big smiles on their faces.

One observation to share was the lack of clarity that comes with the term “Minecraft”. I know when the staff talk about MC, in their minds they are referring to the desktop/laptop computer version however when students are discussing it they are generally referring to the iOS or Xbox version. As a result when we ask the question “who has used Minecraft?” all the students say that have but when they are actually on the computers they don’t know how to engage with the software as there is no surface to “touch”. In future we will be talking about “MC on the computer” to remove any confusion.

It is virtually not a panacea for disengagement.

Currently across our school we have around 170 students involved in a Virtual World/Minecraft project and this is due to expand to nearly 350 next year. We often find ourselves discussing the success of team building and engagement these classes have but there are a small number of students where this is not successful and we believe for a number of reasons. From our cohort of 170 students we have 5 who struggle with program as delivered through the Virtual World. These students struggle with social relationships in any environment including a virtual one. While we often find students on the autism spectrum excel in the virtual world. Students we struggle to engage with the virtual World Program are dealing with wide ranging emotional and social issues. Our program relies heavily on team work. They cannot, or do not want to be part of a team. So they act out to avoid work and disrupt their class mates as this gives them a sense of control. Their personal and private world is in turmoil and school is a safe haven from the struggles they face day to day. However their academic performance is a hindrance to their ability to produce work at the expected level and they do not want to appear “dumb’ to their peers. As they are not working at their expected level academically they display volatile behaviors and aggression, and they use these negative behaviors as a deflection to remove the focus on what they are not able to do, understand or participate in. They feel they cannot successfully contribute to a team nor have full control the team or they lack confidence in their ability to complete set tasks and this manifests itself class in disruption and poor social behavior. At times it was impossible to keep these students in the room! We asked ourselves, what can we offer these students that will engage them in a meaningful learning environment and meet their social and emotional needs? We needed to design activities that they would have success in and that would also meet the learning outcomes and content of the class. We found that by removing the pressure of working with a team, and focusing on an individual project they were able to work at their own pace and from a point of personal interest. The only measurement and comparison was a personal one, improving on their own work and meeting personal milestones and goals. They were not feeling like they were being compared to their peers or in fact letting their peers down. Individualized work programs are created for these students who often fall back on creating work using software in which they fell safe such as Word or PowerPoint but the sense of possible failure or again being social reject pushes them away from what is yet another social challenge. Projects focused on research and writing up their findings and presenting these projects using software that they are familiar with. Once we began to implement the individualized programs for these students we noticed most of these students come to class settled and stayed in class, they usually work solidly for the whole session. At the beginning of the session we take time to review where they got to in the last session and what goal they have for themselves in this session. In this time we can identify and assess their mood, they may need some settling time, go to have a drink or even just a quiet space. But soon they settle and get on with the task. Project have included Research a fashion label they like. Include a Historical report including timeline, include images. Chrisi Tambakakis and Gene Geoffrey

Building a Minecraft Server for Education

Setting up a Minecraft server can be a daunting task, especially if you’re absent experience with some of the services and applications that Minecraft Server uses. Do not think the task too hard though, the knowledge required in getting a basic server up and running is quite easy to grasp, and this guide will aid you in setting up a basic server running, and getting some clients connected to it.

Step 1. Gauging your hardware requirements.

In order to run a Minecraft server, you will require a Mac, Linux, or Windows computer *. The power of this machine will go hand in hand with the amount of users you wish to accommodate, but for an average classroom of 20-30 students I would recommend the following as minimum technical specs:

-       2.0Ghz+ Quad Core CPU

-       2GB Memory

     10GB Free Disk Space (Not including Operating System)

A machine with these specs should be very capable of running it’s own operating system, in addition to a basic Minecraft server.

* It is my recommendation when setting up a basic Minecraft server that a Windows machine is used, as it has the most straightforward setup process available to it.

Step 2. Download the appropriate Minecraft Server application.

Navigate to the following link (http://minecraft.net/download), and look for the “Multiplayer Server” header. You will see two download links in the paragraph preceding this header, “Minecraft_Server.exe” suitable for Windows machines, and “Minecraft_Server.jar” which is suitable for Mac OSX, Linux, and advanced Windows users. 

This guide will focus on the setup of a basic Minecraft Server running on Windows, as such, please download the “Minecraft_Server.exe” file.

Step 3. Configure the machine for Minecraft Server.

The Minecraft Server application runs using the Java Runtime Environment (Java), and will not be able to run if you don’t have it running on your machine.

To download the latest version of Java, please navigate to the following link.

Click on the red ‘Free Java Download’ button.

This will automatically detect the correct version of Java for your Operating System, and present you with a new red button titled ‘Agree and Start Free Download’. Click on this to begin downloading Java.

Once the Java Installer has downloaded, you may begin the installation by double clicking on the file. It’s fine to leave all settings as they come, but please make sure to un-tick the optional Ask! Toolbar installation!

Once Java is installed, Make a new folder (any location will do, though desktop may be the easiest for this basic setup) called Minecraft Server, and drag your downloaded “Minecraft_Server.exe” application into the folder.

Step 4. Run and configure Minecraft Server.

Now that we’ve dragged our “Minecraft_Server.exe” application into its own folder, it’s time to run it, and go through the process of configuring and personalizing the server properties.

Begin by double clicking the application. You may get a popup message telling you the publisher cannot be verified, and asking if you want to run the software, un-tick the “Always ask before opening this file” selection, and hit Run.

A window will pop up split into three sections, Stats, Players, and Log and Chat. Congratulations, you now have a 100% baseline Minecraft server running!
Client can now connect to your server by entering the IP address of the machine into their client. The unmodified baseline server may struggle to keep up with to many users doing to many things, as it tends to not assign enough memory to the Minecraft Server process, but we will cover changing this in a future post.

The window that appears is used for monitoring the server as it runs, and upon opening the server application for the first time, it will have generated all of the necessary files for configuring and personalizing the server, as well as generating you a world. I’ll list each file below, and give a brief description as to its purpose.

Plugins (Folder):

The plugins folder is where plugins for the Minecraft server are placed. Any plugins stored in this folder will be automatically run on the next server startup, and have all their initial files generated when this happens. Plugins will be covered in a later chapter.

World, World_Nether, World_The_End (Folders):

Minecraft regions are actually generated in three separate parts; the “Default World”, The “Nether” and “The End”. Players typically spend majority of their time in the “Default World”, however it is important to know that all three of these Worlds are generated independently of each other.

These folders contain all data about their respective worlds including what the regions look like as they are generated, what a player has done in the particular world, and what they have in that world. Deleting any of these folders will cause the server to generate new data for that particular world when it next runs.

Banned_Ips (Text Document):

This file is a log of specific IP addresses that have been banned from connecting to your server. Every time a client tries to connect to your server, the server will process this file, look for a match, and if none is found it will pass it on to the other security checks. If it is found, however, the client will instantly be refused connection to the server.
The log contains information on what IP was banned, when it was banned, who it was banned by, what the reason is for the ban, and when the ban will be lifted.

Banned_Players (Text Document):

Similar to the Banned_Ips file, this file is a log of all players that have been banned from the server.

The log contains information on what player was banned, when the person was banned, who banned them, what the reason is for the ban, and when the ban will be lifted.

Ops (Text Document):

The Ops file is used to give people admin permissions on your server. Any person listed in this file is given total control to operate the server, and additions to this file shouldn’t be made lightly.
People may be added to this file by entering their username exactly as spelt, one username per line.

Server.log (Text Document):

This document is a log of all things that have passed through the servers console since the time it was first created. This will contain information on plugins loaded, time they were loaded in, any errors or information generated by them, all players that have connected and the IP address they connected from, what players have said, actions they have done or succumb to, and any commands used.

This file is very useful for being able to monitor behavior and actions on a server, and see who has been responsible for what.

Server.properties (Text Document):

This document is a list of all properties that the server is currently configured with. These can be changed at will to customize your server, or the conditions it operates under.  Most are binary-based true or false option, but there are some that are user defined.

White-list (Text Document):

This file is used to allow connections onto your server, typically when blocking all connections. It is a security measure, that works the opposite to a black list, and is commonly used in configurations where all incoming connections to the server will be blocked, and administrators then use the white-list to only allow specific users in.

I hope this guide helps you to get started in the realm of Minecraft, and using it with your class. Stay tuned for more information and guides!

Minecraft Class Management Tips

Minecraft Class Management Tips

As we worked through the process of Kids teaching Kids using the Minecraft software we found that setting specific time limits on tasks was the most effective way of ensuring the kids were on task and hitting all the milestones we set for each session.

We realised that kids just don’t get TIME! Young children often have an issue with personal time management and open ended tasks such as the construction and design elements we designed for our program lend themselves to ever evolving and continual add-ons, changes and rethinks. Without a clearly defined goal and set time limit and schedule they would just keep on building. By giving specific time limits for completion of the stages the children adhere to them and get the job done.

How do we manage this?

We use a large digital timer on a screen that counts down the time allocated to the task. The teams begin to use this timer as focus for keeping on task and completing it in the set time. At first it does cause panic and rush, often teams do not finish and the timer is their enemy!! But as time goes by the children begin to innately understand exactly how long 5 or 10 or 15 minutes is in terms of how they can best use their time. They discuss and set their goals before the time begins and while keeping an eye on the timer they get on task and stay on task. The preliminary discussion time sets team goals and gives every team member a defined task to complete.  The timer eventually establishes in the students an inbuilt body clock and before long they know how much they can get done and what are realistic goals to set for each time block.

Learning In A Virtual World

Learning in a 3D Virtual World When I began working with students in a 3D Virtual World it was very obvious that it was a fantastic tool for creation and design. The interface and operation looked like a computer game and for that reason a 3D Virtual World was extremely easy to engage students who found more traditional classroom setting tedious. Initially the projects I developed were arts based. Creating large scale sculptures designed for public spaces was impossible in a school; this was instantly achievable in a 3D Virtual World. Fashion shows, costume design, architecture all fell into the same art design category. I was impressed with what students produced in classes ranging from Grade 6 to Year 10 but I still felt there a greater depth to what I could use the 3D Virtual World for in the classroom. My idea original for the use of a 3D Virtual World in the classroom was for the creation of interesting films. So many student films suffered from the same problems, uniform designed government building, lack of interesting sets, and a selection of well meaning but often mis-guided staff over acting their way through a student film (with the five spare minutes they staff had between yard duty and their next class.) With the 3D Virtual World the art of Machinima opened up as a truly creative and powerful tool. Students could design everything from the ground up, characters, costumes, sets, lighting and do complex camera moves which were impossible for the average school. We developed a number of interesting projects with students using the 3D Virtual World as the set, screen capture software as the camera, Crazytalk software to lip sync the Avatar’s mouths to the dialogue and a wide variety of editing packages. Students relished the idea of being able to create a short film or a documentary about a creation they had made ‘in world’ which could post on Youtube to show their friends and families. One of the most exciting outcomes was a five minute film we created in an Italian class. A group of students from Debney Park Secondary College studying Year 10 Italian were going to Italy for a two week trip and they wanted to create something to impress their Italian hosts. They also had an amazing teacher who would try anything new. The students created a five minute film set in an Italian Piazza about and old man telling his grandson his experiences on April Fool’s Day many years ago. All the dialogue in the film was spoken by the students in Italian. The students were very proud of their presentation in Italy. It was while I was at Debney Park Secondary College I began to think about more abstract and expansive ideas to develop with a 3D Virtual World. Loosely the ideas were about society, government and the Hunger Games but this was a jumbled collection of thoughts. At this time I was given the opportunity to lead The Doveton Live Project with SoundGarage at Doveton College in Victoria. With the support of the Executive Principal Bretton New and Principal Vicki Miles I created some work involving 3D Virtual Worlds for the Grade 6 and Year 7 students. This new environment offered a variety of new challenges. One of the main issues surrounded students working together in groups. This cohort of students struggled with this concept which made the idea of creating films impossible. As my colleague Peter Wardrobe and I began to explore what we could do with this group of students we had the pleasure and good fortune to meet a staff member Chrisi Tambakakis. Suddenly we shifted gear, from the initial glimmers of ideas around societies and governments Chrisi helped us create a reality; even if it was virtual. We would use the 3D Virtual World in Humanities to expand the student’s social and emotion skills, team building and empathy. From anarchy came law and order. In the beginning we gave the each student an Avatar and huge land mass of 20 regions. We showed the students some basic building skills and said do what you like and with freedom came joy but for only about two weeks. Soon the problems started, students building on each other’s land, trolling and other annoying behaviour. We then set the students the task of taking control of their 3D world. They designed a government with student elected parliamentarians and they created their own set of laws, building codes and community mores which are constantly modified and addressed in weekly government meetings. Students know that there was is correct process to deal with situations, they fill in a form which cannot be anonymous and the issue will be resolved via the government without the need for staff intervention. As we slowly expanded the student’s social and emotional skills their ability to work co-operatively grew and this lead to the ability for group tasks to take place. Fashion show were designed and filmed, computer games developed, famous international landmark buildings were recreated to scale in the virtual world but always with the Government ticking away in the background. We also found the 3D Virtual World was a great tool in our new environment for disengaged students. During this period of time I constantly had students asking whether we could do MineCraft at the school. I had a quick at the software and made a mental note “why would children be interested in some chucky graphics program that looked like something from the eighties.” After much more of student arm twisting I took a further look, flew to Sydney with Peter Wardrobe and did some research at the Powerhouse Museum and MLC. We were both easily convinced. Once again we wanted to use MineCraft as a tool for social development not as a construction or art design tool. Chrisi Tambakakis designed a ten week course, “students as teachers program” which we currently role over every term. Grade 5 students learn to design and teach outcomes to Grade 3 students. The backend of this project is technically supported by Nathan Birffa from Network Neighbourhood. Currently Nathan and I are working to publish a safe online MineCraft and 3D Virtual World with protocols and moderation to manage security issues. As a team we are currently in discussion with a number of schools in our time zone, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and PNG as we create an international learning experience for students. Currently my colleagues Chris Tambakakis and Peter Wardrobe and I are researching and working on the following Abstract for a paper we will look to publish. “A Virtual World is a microcosm of how a community functions with implied and explicit rules. We look to explore how a cohort of student from grade five to year eight to Doveton College work and co-operate in Minecraft and a Opensim branch Virtual World. Do their behaviours mimic their AFK (Away From Keyboard) experiences with their in world experiences and can they articulate and transfer their in world behaviours and social effects to the real world.” Some of our students work in both MineCraft and Virtual World can be seen on our Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/dovetonlive

The Teaching Day