1. Vance Stevens on Minecraft
for language teaching and CLIL
Vance Stevens is founding co-moderator of
EVO Minecraft MOOC
EVOMC15, EVOMC16, and EVOMC17
2. This slide presentation
with working links, is at
http://slideshare.net/vances
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
3. EVO Minecraft MOOC – #EVOMC17
https://youtu.be/GDHdEeILiQA
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
4. Vance is invited to talk to EVO Techno_CLIL
https://moodle4teachers.org/enrol/index.php?id=90
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
5. Let’s parse this:
EVO Techno CLIL
CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning
1. Dual focus - fostering development of language
competences and the delivery of subject content at the
same time
2. Learning of a curricular subject in a foreign language
1. Great advantages in terms of students' learning outcomes and cognitive
processes.
3. This EVO session is aimed at … combining teaching
strategies and technical tools (e.g. Minecraft)
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
6. 1. Minecraft and CLIL: Language competence
Dual focus - fostering
development of language
competences and the delivery of
subject content at the same time
http://www.tesl-
ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume18/ej70/ej70int/
We’ll look at
3 stories from this article
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
7. Story 1: Marijana and Filip Smolčec
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
Episode 234: Sunday September 7,
2014
Learning2gether in Hangout
with Marijana Smolčec talking about
the EU LLP Comenius Project
http://learning2gether.net/2014/09/0
7/learning2gether-in-hangout-with-
marijana-smolcec-talking-about-the-
eu-llp-comenius-project/ -
http://sco.lt/9N7yBV
This slide from
http://www.slides
hare.net/vances/e
vo-minecraft-
mooc-at-the-
2015-slanguages-
online-
conference/9
8. Story 2: David Dodgson
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
Dodgson, D. (2014). Breaking the learning
blocks – Minecraft and language learning. The
Future of Education, Reform Symposium,
RSCON 2014. Available:
http://www.futureofeducation.com/forum/to
pics/breaking-the-learning-blocks-minecraft-
and-language-learning.
9. Story 3: Jeff Kuhn, Zombies, and Writing
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
Learning2gether Episode 222:
Saturday, June 14, 2015 -
CALL-IS and IATEFL LTSIG webinar on
Gaming and Gamification: A Win-Win
for Language Learning
http://learning2gether.net/2014/06/1
4/learning2gether-about-gaming-and-
gamification/
10. 2. Learning curricular subjects in a foreign language
But is it in the
curriculum?
• The curriculum is in it!
• Mary Kay Polly explains
how
• Her students played
Minecraft in available spare
time
• She wanted to integrate
that in her curriculum
• She had students prepare a
justification
• They worked the
curriculum into Minecraft
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
11. 3. Combining teaching strategies and technical tools
And the teaching strategy is
•Gamification
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
http://www.slideshare.net/vances/a-convergence-of-minecraft-and-clil-57860221
12. What is Minecraft?
A foreboding but benign view from Jeff’s castle on the EVO Minecraft MOOC creative server
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
13. Minecraft basics
Creative
• Users can fly
• Unlimited inventories
(build anything, try anything)
• Monsters are benign
(no risk of sudden death)
• Fanciful builds are possible
and common (examples
follow)
Survival
• Users can jump, no flying
• Players harvest resources to
• get sticks, make planks, crafting
tables, larger objects,
• Mine for resources to craft weapons,
pickaxes, supply light and power
• Must devise shelter for night to
avoid monsters (cause you to
respawn)
• You must maintain health by
eating and avoiding pitfalls
• Players enjoy challenge to survive;
other players prove helpful
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
Each user purchases a user ID for less than $30,
User and server software is free to download
The game has two modes, creative and survival.
A night / day cycle is 20 minutes
http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/10208/are-the-days-
and-nights-in-minecraft-of-equal-length
14. Why a MOOC?
• Massive
• Open as in free to
learn AND
resources
freely
available
• Online
• Course
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
Stephen Downes 2012; posted in Alan Levine:
http://cogdogblog.com/2012/09/21/just-ds106/
15. Dave Cormier on Complex / Chaotic
Vance Stevens at GLoCALL Ahmedabad 2014
http://learning2gether.net/2013/01/20/dave-cormier-discusses-cmooc-and-multimooc-co/
From
http://www.slideshare.
net/vances/plenary-
ahmedabad2014
16. EVO Minecraft MOOC’s hidden agenda
• EVO Minecraft MOOC is not so
much about Minecraft as
• It’s about gamification
• EVO Minecraft MOOC sessions
let educators experience
• being in a game that that looks
like Minecraft,
• but is in fact
a Game Space where they
experience gamification
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
https://plus.google.com/109470953746627527721/posts/84Yf6qqapEv
17. Big G and little g games
From Gee, J.P. (2008) “Learning and games.” The ecology of games:
Connecting youth, games, and learning. Edited by Katie Salen. The John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and
Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. (pp. 21-40). Available:
http://ase.tufts.edu/DevTech/courses/readings/Gee_Learning_and_Games_2008.pdf
■ The little g game is “the
software in the box and
all the elements of in-
game design”
■ The Big G Game is “the
social setting into which
the game is placed” (p..24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnEN2Sm4IIQ
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
18. How to play the Big G Game of EVOMC16
The Google+ Community
“game board”
(explained in next slide)
https://plus.google.com/
u/0/communities/11299
3649763396826671
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
19. How to play the Big G Game of EVOMC16
• Start at http://evosessions.pbworks.com and find EVO Minecraft MOOC
http://evosessions.pbworks.com/w/page/113561512/2017_EVO_Minecraft_M
OOC
• This points you to the Google+ Community
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/11299364976339682667
1
• Find the sidebar to the right of the community page.
Here you can figure out how to:
• Access the syllabus http://tinyurl.com/evomc16-syllabus
• Enroll in the course: http://goo.gl/forms/zALHMWsPGX
This is essential in order to be whitelisted on the EVO Minecraft server
• Find your missions to accomplish each week
http://missions4evomc.pbworks.com/
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
20. Missions 4 EVO Minecraft MOOC
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
http://missions4evomc.pbworks.com/
21. Gamification is not taught, it is learned
How can gamification be modeled so that it can be learned?
• Set up a game space
• Put the components in place
• A game board
• Links to other components
• A little g game to provide
intrinsic motivation
• A reward structure
e.g. badges
• And then, play
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
22. How EVO Minecraft MOOC operates
Once the pieces are in place, it just happens
• People start to play
• They don’t ask many questions
they just get on with it
• We use Doodle to schedule
meetings in-world
• People post to G+ Community
• Participants record missions
• Some people like a syllabus,
gamers are happy with Community as Curriculum and MOOCs
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
23. Community as Curriculum
• Cormier, D. (2008). Rhizomatic education: Community as
curriculum. Innovate, 4(5). Reprinted with permission of
the publisher; available:
http://davecormier.com/edblog/2008/06/03/rhizomatic-
education-community-as-curriculum
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
24. Why is EVO Minecraft MOOC a Game?
• The Big G Game of Minecraft MOOC has rules with
• Flexibility,
• Goals
• Challenges
• Awards in the form of
badges
• Participants have to figure out
these rules,
• The Game is designed
to let them to figure it out
• As in any game, it it's more fun if it doesn't play out the way
anyone especially anticipated.
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
25. Survival and Gamification
Survival helps us understand gamification
• When you enter survival mode
you learn important life skills
• You assist and are assisted by
others in world
• With cooperation and help you stay alive and learn
• So gamification turns out to be learning
through
• teamwork
• mutual support
• meeting challenges
• and achieving your goal, whatever it is
Vance Stevens EVO Techno-CLIL Feb 3, 2016
26. Survive and Learn: Examples
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017
27. This has been
Vance Stevens on Minecraft
for language teaching and CLIL
http://slideshare.net/vances
Hope you enjoyed it
Vance Stevens EVOMC17 at Techno CLIL Jan 15 2017