— Day 1 - Ecosystems: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids to our course’s objectives. Before diving into the world of the animals, we must first learn about its habitats. In this session, students will learn about what parts make up an ecosystem and start their build of a Minecraft Zoo with ecosystem exhibits.

— Day 2 - Evolution: What is evolution and how does it impact life's diversity? This day will consist of learning about evolution and the history of evolution theory! We will go into detail about what evolution is, why it happens and the influences humans have had on it. Students will then build an environment that suits a specific animal's survival needs.

— Day 3 - Genetics: Students will get to discover how genetics are passed down and how these physical traits help with survival. Using the Minecraft breeding system, the class will get to experiment with breeding animals to pass down favorable traits.

— Day 4 - Sustainability & Human Impact: As humans, we have an effect on the ecosystem and in order to maintain it, we must practice sustainability. Students will get a chance to try building the most sustainable shop that they can for the zoo and sustainability exhibits to inform zoo-goers of human impact and what we can do to help our environment.

— Day 5 - Domestic Animals: What are traits that make an animal good for domestication? In this session, students will learn more about how domesticated animals came to be before working on a petting zoo enclosure for one of those animals.

— Day 6 - Wild Animals: What makes an animal wild? In this session, students will take a closer look at how wild animals are different from domesticated ones before working on an Animal Kingdom Tour for the zoo exhibiting different wild animals.

— Day 7 - Aquatic Animals: Students will learn the main differences between aquatic animals and terrestrial animals as well as the ecosystems they come from. Similar to the past few sessions, they will then work together on enclosures fitting for different aquatic animals.

— Day 8 - A Fictional Mob: Combining all that they've learned, each student will pick a fictional Minecraft mob and come up with the traits and ecosystem they will live in. They will then build the exhibits for these mobs to complete the zoo!

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.

宿題が提供されます
This class does not require any out-of-class work although we do have optional challenges we provide 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 encourage self-motivated students 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 who are very excited about their learning can explore the subject on their own. We find students are motivated when they get to celebrate and share what they’ve explored independently with the class.
評価が提供されます
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.
成績が提供されます