Recent articles
The complete guide to using machinima in the classroom
08/25/2015
Topics: Gaming, Project-based learning, Video
Ask any fifth grader to show you their favorite video, and you will likely see a Minecraft LP (which stands for “let’s play”) video. Chances are, when they aren’t playing games on their computers and phones, they are probably watching…
Grab your pickax and learn how to use Minecraft in the classroom
06/27/2015
Topics: Digital Citizenship, Gaming, ISTE Conference & Expo
If you’re an educator, this will not be news to you: Kids love Minecraft.
In fact, you’ve probably even thought to yourself, wouldn’t it be great if students could get as excited about science, math or social studies as they do about mining for emeralds and building…
Maker-Minecraft mashup brings social studies to life
03/23/2015
Topics: Gaming, Makerspaces
Making allows students to learn by doing and solve problems by tinkering, trial and error. Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game, which has made its way into classrooms because it engages students across a range of subjects. Imagine the learning that happens when these two popular education movements…
Engaging girls in games and coding
03/11/2015
Topics: Coding & robotics, Computational Thinking, Gaming, STEM & STEAM
Tanya Martin is a mother, an educator and a World of Warcraft aficionado. As a gamer, she is exposed to a lot of stereotypes about women and gaming as well as notions that girls aren't as good at computer skills and coding as boys.
" "We need to get rid of those stereotypes," " she…
Wildly popular, then off the grid, virtual worlds are back in ed tech
02/18/2015
Topics: Gaming
Ask almost any elementary-aged child about Minecraft, and his or her face will light up, describing more about the video game than you ever wanted to know. It's this enthusiasm for virtual-world play that could add a whole new dimension for educators…
8 classroom uses for holographic technology
01/22/2015
Topics: Gaming, STEM & STEAM
Eliciting engagement and creating excitement among learners is every educator's raison d'tre. One emerging technology, still in its infancy but moving quickly toward classroom application, are holograms.
As you may recall from science class — or your favorite sci-fi film —…
Wegner's ed tech accomplishments get nod from Obama and peers
01/14/2015
Topics: Advocacy, Assistive and adaptive technologies, Augmented reality, Coding & robotics, Computational Thinking, Digital Citizenship, Digital storytelling, Education leadership, Gamification, Gaming, Literacies, Makerspaces, Personalized Learning, professional learning, Project-based learning, Robotics, Standards, STEM & STEAM
There she was in the White House, along with 120 other school superintendents, and there was President Obama, at the podium. And then there was this:
" "And then you got Mary Wegner, superintendent of the Sitka, Alaska, School District. Where's Mary?" " Obama said. " "She came a long…
Minecraft: A primer for teachers
11/20/2014
Topics: Gaming
Want to strike up a conversation with your younger relatives this Thanksgiving? Ask them about Minecraft.
If they don't play themselves, they'll know friends who do. And maybe, just maybe, they're even using it in the classroom.
More and more teachers are finding ways to…
Simulation game helps students understand traumatic brain injury
11/07/2014
Topics: Gamification, Gaming, Standards
From a tackle in a football game to a fall on an icy sidewalk or a car accident, the dangers of traumatic brain injury are real and sometimes even fatal. To help educate students about traumatic brain injury and heighten their awareness and ability to make informed decisions,…
Minecraft 101: The Underwater Dome Project
09/27/2019
Topics: Gaming
At Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I teach high school computer science, I gave my students an assignment to play Minecraft together, hoping it would…