German Chancellor Angela Merkle opened the Gamescom 2017 conference in Cologne and was later treated to a presentation at the Microsoft Xbox booth. A Reichstag diagram was shown off through the Minecraft: Education Edition demo.
The learning tool had Chancellor Merkel excited, taking the stage with other participants in the demo that have used Minecraft: Education Edition to break through new theories. One such as using the helium atom to fill a balloon and making animals fly in the video game. “This is observable chemistry,” Chancellor Merkel described during the presentation.
As Deirdre Quarnstrom, GM of Minecraft: Education Edition put it:
“Educators and school leaders are looking for new ways to drive engagement in STEM learning, and research shows us that Minecraft’s unique ability to spark students’ creativity is a powerful way to do this. The work of teachers like Mirek Hancl show that with tools like Minecraft in the hands of educators, we can inspire the next generation of creators, leaders and innovators. We know it’s engaging, we know it’s working and we know it’s reaching both boys and girls.”
Merkel’s final deduction was that the video game based learning tool was just another step in the direction for wider education. ““It is our duty to update all the conventional studying techniques for the new generation,” she concluded on her tour.
