I Went To Minecraft Code World and All I Got Was This Certificate

Like most of the EDTC 300 class, I was completely enthralled by the Minecraft Hour of Code and how it manages to teach students complex computer science concepts using engaging visuals and creative input. Safe to say I was very excited to try out the programs myself and made sure to grab these screenshots.

To be completely candid, I wouldn’t say I learned all that much. This is only because I’ve taken a class or two on computer coding and know how to code within Python and C++. What’s really interesting is that the colour coding that the program uses is very similar to the Python colour scheme. This makes me think that students can transition with a degree of ease from a less technical perspective to more complex tasks.

Personally, I’ve always found coding so interesting. I think this is primarily because of my interest and major in math. Coding is a lot more than flying numbers and letters that you see in movies. It is based on different ways of thinking and logical reasoning. I have spent hours if not days on a single program many times because I wasn’t in the right place of thinking. What I also enjoy about coding is the complexity in simplicity. Someone may see 4 lines of code that don’t amount to much, but run the program and it will crash the entire computer.

As you might be able to tell, I think coding is really important because it opens up new ways of thinking that students may not typically exercise and an appreciation for the complexity behind everyday technology. Further, coding is a great skill to have and cultivate as our world progresses further and further into digital landscapes that require many computer scientists to maintain. I am glad to see that computer science is becoming more of a mainstream science in high schools and students are getting opportunities to explore a vast branch of science. Not only that, coding is incredibly adaptable to all age groups. A prime example of its adaptability is the Minecraft Hour of Code. Students get to play around in a landscape familiar to them but with new ideas. Then they get rewarded with this cool certificate too!

All in all, I hope to see more progression in the field of computer science with education systems to allow students to explore to the greatest degree.