Jan 20
Following my four-step Minecraft Education classroom integration plan, we just completed step 3, the build competitions! Here’s how to access the Build Battle Binary Builders world: Here’s how the game looks in class: While the two teams were competing, I had the rest of the class working on an individual game. I chose the Investigators …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2025/01/20/minecraft-education-build-competitions/
Dec 26
On our last day of 2024, the Friday before winter break, we ended each period with a Zen-like activity where students got to build a place that makes them happy in Minecraft Education. Students were already familiar with using Minecraft Education after participating in a few games during Computer Science Education Week. We started with …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2024/12/26/minecraft-education-free-build-activity-gbl/
Mar 26
The Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) puts on the best EdTech conference in the Pacific Northwest! The amazing sessions, workshops, and speakers are as high quality as the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE)! Educators from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and all over come to Washington state to attend NCCE’s annual conferences. I’ve been …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2023/03/26/best-edtech-conference-in-the-pacific-northwest/
Mar 08
The amazing Cassondra Smith, EdTech Coordinator from Battle Ground Public Schools here in WA state, has a podcast for teachers who want to learn more about EdTech and integrating technology. For her most recent podcast she invited my presenting partner Tammie Schrader and me to talk about gamification and game-based learning (GBL)! Click on the …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2023/03/08/intro-to-gamification-and-game-based-learning-gbl-podcast/
Dec 04
Thursday, December 1, I had the honor of being invited to present at one of our state’s Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee meetings! Thanks to my WEA workshop partner, Tammie Schrader, who introduced me to the Senate Committee chair, Senator Lisa Wellman, and recommended me to speak and share I got to speak …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/12/04/senate-committee-session-on-gamification/
Jun 13
Making Esports our Own: Stories of Academic Esports session at this year’s Serious Play Conference.
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/06/13/serious-play-conference/
Nov 20
My 5th and 6th grade students are participating in this year’s Minecraft Education Edition and UNESCO Sustainability Development Global Build Challenge: Peace with Nature. When using Minecraft Education Edition, or Minecraft:EE or just M:EE, in the classroom teachers have access to ready-made worlds for all subjects and different grade levels. It’s amazing how much is …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2021/11/20/building-for-hours/
Oct 29
At the end of August, after attending an amazing Minecraft Education Edition Esports Camp, I shared their new esports worlds and how to access them. Yesterday I finally got the chance to try one of the Make and Model worlds to have my students practice building together in their teams! It was so much fun! …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2021/10/29/minecraft-education-editions-building-competitions/
Oct 29
The Challenge! That is this year’s Minecraft Education Edition’s Global Challenge: Peace with Nature, a challenge partnering MinecraftEdu with UNESCO! Intro Deck In addition to the video, to get students excited and curious about this year’s challenge, here is a slide deck that comes with the challenge for teachers to introduce it to students: Perfect …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2021/10/29/sustainability-development-in-minecraft/
Aug 27
I’ve been teaching at Chimacum Middle School for the past 24 of the 30 years I’ve been teaching. The last two years, it’s actually been Chimacum Elementary School because due to declining enrollment the middle school was closed and 6th grade was moved to elementary while grades 7 and 8 were moved to the high …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2021/08/27/how-to-start-the-2021-22-school-year/
I'm a Curipod Ambassador! :)
I've presented at NCCE
2016, 2017, 2019, 2022,
2023, 2024, and 2025!
I presented at WSTA 2015!
