ASHLAND — Video games are no longer just about joysticks, buttons and a way to kill time.
“There’s a misconception in parents that playing video games is a waste of time,” said Ben Spieldenner, Ashland City School District’s director of tech integration and innovation.
Spieldenner said Minecraft Coding Camp, a free program that attracted 63 students in grades 3-6, gave parents a glimpse into what he called a “secret world” — the world of Minecraft. The two-day camp was designed to give students challenges within Minecraft only solvable by using fundamental coding techniques.
To review, coding is a process that uses programming language to get a computer to behave the way you want it to behave.
Minecraft, around since 2009, has become the world’s best-selling video game of all time. As of April, the game boasts 140 million monthly active users, according to Microsoft — which bought the game’s intellectual property for $2.5 billion in 2014.
In other words, the game is popular.
On Monday and Tuesday, students played Minecraft: Education Edition, getting them acquainted with the fundamentals of coding. Students’ familiarity with writing code varied.
Kara Bunt, 11, said the coding camp was just review.
“I’ve done Python coding,” she said, referencing a programming language often used in schools for educational purposes.
She said she loves playing the game — playing it in school with her mom, Michelle Bunt, was a bonus.
“It’s just a game that I can play where I don’t have to worry about being around a bunch of people,” Bunt said.
Michelle Bunt, studying her daughter’s movements, said she had never even played Minecraft, let alone being exposed to coding. She said she’s enjoyed seeing her daughter solve problems through coding.
That’s what the program is all about, Spieldenner said.
“There’s a lot of problem solving and the game has a lot of design and layout aspects to it,” he said. “So we take those aspects and show parents that this game can spark something different in their kids. And coding — it’s important these days.”
The school district itself has an “intensive curriculum” based around coding, he said.
Before becoming the district’s director of tech integration and innovation, Spieldenner taught high school English courses. He received notoriety by using game-based learning. Now, he basically teaches teachers how to use technology more in their classrooms.
But Ashland isn’t alone.
Susan Garrison, a Wooster City Schools fifth grade teacher, said she uses Project Lead the Way. The program utilizes STEM curricula to educate young people. Garrison uses games in her class.
“I’m not an expert, but it’s good because we’re using something they like anyway,” she said.
Garrison joined her 11-year-old son, Oliver, on Tuesday during the Minecraft Coding Camp.
Oliver Garrison said he plays Minecraft every day with his friends. The game’s education edition gave him a deeper love for the game, he said.
The “camp” worked in three, one-hour sessions. Each covered coding fundamentals and got more in-depth with each session.
“Some of these kids know what coding is but have never actually tried it,” Spieldenner said, adding the camp gave students a solid introductory course to the trade.
Luke Blackley, an intern working under Spieldenner for the summer, called the coding camp a “robust educational tool.”
“Seeing the kids and parents figure something out by playing a video game, that’s rewarding,” he said.
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