Builder's Club in Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Editions
Join a community of young designers who meet once a week to collaborate and build with friends under the mentorship of a skilled counselor in Minecraft (Java or Bedrock Edition for PC, Mac, iPad, Tablet, Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch).
Connected Camps
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(4,017)
Popular
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 30 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
This class does not require any out-of-class work. We do offer optional challenges that students can work on as an extension of what is taught in class. We provide guidance and instructions for students who are inspired to delve deeper into the topic. The purpose of these challenges is to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning with additional material that aligns with their passions and goals. Students may then integrate their learnings into their project and showcase their accomplishments to their classmates. With this approach, students can explore the subject on their own. We give students the opportunity to share what they’ve explored independently with the class.Assessment
At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By building in Minecraft and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades. In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.Grading
includedClass Experience
PLATFORM: Minecraft Java or Bedrock Edition for PC, Mac, iPad, Tablet, Xbox, Playstation, or Switch. SKILL LEVEL: This program is meant for Basic level players. This program requires Basic reading comprehension, Basic proficiency with computers, and no prior experience with Minecraft. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: In our Builder’s Club, your child will pursue their own projects and interests with the support of new friends and a counselor who is a Minecraft expert. This club offers a kid-driven, social, hands-on, exploratory experience, connecting learning and play. Connected Camps is a non-profit founded in 2017 by professors at the University of California, and is backed by research about online spaces where kids can thrive and learn together. This is a club that harnesses the magic of Creative Mode in Java and Bedrock editions to offer experiences where your child will brainstorm, make decisions, and accomplish team goals. From build battles to group builds and business days, your child will work with others to overcome challenges and grow as a designer and teammate. During this class, your child will: — Compete in build battles where they will put their creativity to the test and design epic structures. — Engage in group builds and learn how to communicate effectively and delegate tasks. — Learn the basics of project management and partner up on business days to generate profit from in-game investments. — Discover the value of a supportive community and how to reflect and communicate effectively with each other while receiving valuable feedback. This is a club that meets once a week with constant fun new things to do! Your child will play in Creative Mode with other campers who love the thrill of building so you can connect with them and make new friends. Best of all, you’ll have the help of a counselor to guide your child through every project should they ever need inspiration or building tips and tricks. PARENTS: This is a club for kids to connect and experience the bond of a supportive community as they share their work in a constructive environment. Your child will get to experience the advantages of team-oriented exercises as they strengthen their technical, creative, social-emotional and conflict resolution skills. In this program, we prioritize a free-play, youth-driven space where your child will play a key role in deciding what we do as a class each day. In this class, we incorporate time for students to reflect and share ideas to bolster team cohesion and develop a positive self-reflective practice. As your child sets and meets their goals, they will develop their self-confidence through group feedback while enjoying a game they love. Please note that we will be asking for your camper's in-game username so that we can add them to our server's safelist.
Learning Goals
— Collaboration Through Teamwork: Our students are encouraged to work together and collaborate towards a common goal! Students will team up during group activities to build without any resource restraint in Creative Mode.
— Learn Conflict Resolution Skills: As every student is different, they may encounter differing opinions or wants and needs from another student. Our counselors are available to help facilitate students in finding a common ground during unexpected times of emotional stress.
— Build Character and Confidence: Our aim for this club is to build students’ confidence and enable students to communicate and express themselves in a group setting. Students will participate in challenges in which their work is evaluated for future improvement.
— Project Management and Coordinate Work: With each new session, students may start a new project or be able to participate in a project they’ve been working on. Kids in this club will learn how to pace themselves as they start and complete projects. During group projects, they will also learn how to prioritize objects and coordinate work between themselves and others.
Activities:
— Build battles where each student will take a broad topic and build structures to represent those topics.
— Group builds where each student will get to contribute their piece towards a themed project.
— Scavenger hunt builds where each student will hunt and gather resources and build structures based on the material they have.
— Contract builds where each student will take use a set budget to craft estate for “Minecraft clients” and profit from their creativity and objective completion.
— Game builds where each student will work together or independently to design a basic mini-game to share with the class.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Internet safety is a top priority for us and our goal is to create a safe, connected community of learners that is moderated by our instructors. Throughout our programs we strive to educate our learners on internet safety and best practices for connecting online.
In our programs, our learners are often making friendships and connections with others in class. While we encourage positive online friendships, we think it’s important to practice these principles of internet safety:
— Do NOT ask others to connect online outside of our programs without first confirming with your parents. Our programs are a safe, moderated space for learners to engage but we can’t moderate connections outside of our classes.
— Do NOT give away personal information which includes but is not limited to: your name, address, phone number, passwords, location, email address, and parental information.
— If an individual asks for personal information, you should inform a counselor or your parent for guidance.
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Common Sense Media Resources for Parents:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/keeping-games-fun-and-friendly
Keeping Games Fun and Friendly: learn how to keep your child's experiences positive and fun when communicating in online games with others.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/video/modal/4141366#
The Power of Words: help your child learn that words exchanged online are indeed powerful, and offer strategies to use when confronted with cyberbullying.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/private-and-personal-information
Private and Personal Information: learn the difference between what personal things your child can safely share online and private information that should not be shared.
Supply List
A Minecraft Java or Bedrock Edition account must be purchased by the learner. Participants will receive access to the Connected Camps Minecraft Server where the program will be run. A pair of headphones and microphone are also needed for communication with the class.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved or associated with Mojang.
Joined June, 2020
4.7
4017reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/
One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.
The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.Reviews
Live Group Class
$20
weekly1x per week
90 min
Completed by 1701 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
3-10 learners per class
