Why teach with Redstone
The application and implementation of Minecraft Education with Redstone makes the learning experience relevant and meaningful.
How do we bring learning to life or apply real-world applications to a learning experience?
Students can apply engineering concepts to any part of the curriculum to open new ways of thinking, creative storytelling, and immersive experiences. Redstone allows a student to push the boundaries of conceptual thinking and apply game-based computer skills to communicate their understanding of a topic.
Redstone works under three main principles:
- Input
- Process
- Output
Although these principles lend themselves to the fundamentals of engineering, Redstone can be used in multiple ways. Students often use Redstone in ways we didn’t think possible and think in new and creative ways offering opportunities to transform learning.
Imagine your students are learning about hydroelectricity. You may ask them to build a model of a dam. Your students may even create a dam that overflows with water spilling through the gates. With the application of Redstone, we can take this learning experience one step further. We can apply a real word application and have the dam come to life. With Redstone students can build a dam that detects the weather and, as it rains, the dam releases water based on water pressure.
The application of Redstone can also be used as a simple tool to make a Minecraft build more functional. Students may use a lever as a light switch to turn on the lights or a pressure pad or button to open a door. The application of Redstone provides simple functional improvements or can be more complex to completely change the way a student explains their understanding of a topic.
Follow along as we learn more about Redstone.
Watch and do: Open the world—Build a Simple House Challenge
The first step is to open a world where we can learn about Redstone.
When you’re in the game, go to Play, and select View Library. Next locate How to Play and then select Additional Tutorials. Open the Build a Simple House Challenge world. You can use Redstone in any world that you choose later, but for now, let’s use this one.
Navigate to the Pillar labeled Minecraft 401 and select it.