Play with TNT & Other Lessons from Minecraft

What do you get when 30 students from three different schools share a single Minecraft world? Lots of explosions, plenty of failing, some pvping and a whole bunch of authentic learning.

Join the GamingEdus, three TDSB teachers, as they talk about the successes and challenges behind their Multi-School Minecraft Server Project, a single virtual world open to selected low-performing TDSB students from three schools. Learn why Minecraft (and other video games) are ideal at teaching when schools seem to fail at it, get the basics on running your own Minecraft server and see how educators can use Minecraft (and other video games) in a student-led, inquiry-based approach that fosters authentic learning and critical thinking.

Liam O'Donnell, Diana Maliszewski and Denise Colby are three gamers who happen to be teachers. Together, they are the GamingEdus and can be found at: http://gamingeducators.pbworks.com. For the past five years, they have used video games to support student success in literacy, numeracy, social skills development and where ever else the students take the learning. In 2012, they teamed up with the EDGE Lab at Ryerson University, to create North America's first Multi-School Minecraft server, where 30 students from 3 schools play, then write and create media around their experiences at: http://minecraftclubhub.pbworks.com.

Participants will gain a better understanding of the potential of video games in education and leave with a set of best practices for bringing games into their classroom or school.