Minecraft Education System

In one of the most picturesque countries located on the islands of the Pacific Ocean—New Zealand—three languages are recognized as official: English, New Zealand Sign Language, and the ancient Māori language. The Māori tribe, speakers of this language, are the discoverers and indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand. Researchers have conducted numerous studies in the region and concluded that the earliest Māori settlers arrived around 1250–1300 AD. However, like many ancient cultures, the Māori language requires support and promotion; otherwise, it risks fading away, a fate that has befallen many languages worldwide.

This time, Minecraft has stepped in to help once again. Whetu Paitai, a game designer from New Zealand and co-founder of the design company Piki Studios, is a native speaker of Māori. He devised an engaging method for teaching his children the language by integrating Māori into Minecraft Bedrock. Previously, Whetu Paitai worked with the culture of this indigenous tribe, and he felt compelled to share his extensive knowledge and experience with others. This inspiration led him to create a unique Minecraft world called Ngā Motu.Ngā Motu serves as a playful approach to learning the Māori language, its culture, and history. Instead of tedious memorization and textbooks, this method sparks players’ interest in discovering something new. The New Zealanders did not stop there; they advanced further. Educators and students across the country embraced this innovative teaching method, actively utilizing it for both recreational and specialized purposes. The developers of Minecraft were so impressed with this concept that they decided to establish a dedicated platform for subject learning. It encompasses everything found in our schools, but the difference is that Minecraft Education is genuinely engaging. For instance, chemistry is explored within the gaming environment, allowing experiments identical to those in real-world science. By implementing this new educational approach, developers, researchers, and educators have enabled students to learn not just theoretical subjects but also practical applications relevant to real life. You can visit the virtual education website by clicking this link.

The charitable organization OMGTech!, which develops educational workshops focused on digital technologies, recently hosted an event called “Hour of Code” on the educational platform Minecraft, centered around the topic of Te Reo Māori (the Maori language). This month, in the segment titled “Meet a Minecrafter,” the creators aimed to concentrate on organizing their workflow. In simpler terms, their primary objective for this month was to integrate technology-driven education into language schools (though I might have just made it more complicated…). Initially, OMGTech! translated the teaching materials into the Maori language and subsequently developed a hands-on learning system for children, enabling them to explore the native tongue of their ancestors.