Just in time for the new school year, Minecraft: Education Edition is making its way to the iPad.
According to a new blog post from Microsoft, Minecraft: Education Edition will be available for iPads in schools across the country, adding “a set of features created for the Education Edition has been made available to all Minecraft players.”
“Minecraft: Education Edition on iPad unlocks new and intuitive ways of collaborating and sharing and has revolutionized the way our students and teachers explore curriculum and projects,” says Kyriakos Koursaris, Head of Education Technology for PaRK International School.
“The features allow for deep and meaningful learning, and the values it promotes, from inclusivity to 21-century skills, empower everyone to use technology with extraordinary results,” said Koursaris.
Excited to welcome #MinecraftEDU to #iPad. This fall, students can build historic monuments, explore coral reefs, experiment with chemistry, and tell creative stories — all on iPad. Learn more: https://t.co/Csa6aOs0le @PlayCraftLearn @MicrosoftEDU #BacktoSchool pic.twitter.com/3cpeE2XlIf
— Apple Education (@AppleEDU) August 20, 2018
Designed for use in the classroom, Minecraft: Education Edition offers teachers a number of resources that help them to incorporate the software into their curriculum. These include lesson plans and courses, plus access to an online community, mentorship, and technical support.
“With these updates, now educators and families are able to use Minecraft to engage students in STEM, inspire creative projects across subjects, and build important skills in collaboration, creativity, and digital citizenship,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Minecraft: Education Edition coming to the iPad makes a lot of sense, especially since Apple has been pushing its education agenda with a cheaper new iPad aimed at students and schools. Minecraft: Education Edition is obviously just a small part of Microsoft Education, though it’s been a core part of making its Education products more accessible to more students and schools, especially younger children.
Microsoft says Minecraft: Education Edition now has 35 million licensees in 115 countries. Microsoft acquired Minecraft maker Mojang in 2014. Two years later, Microsoft purchased the licensed school version of Minecraft, MinecraftEDU, which it updated and re-launched the same year as Minecraft: Education Edition.
