An Emergent Design for Mine Craft

Abstract

This paper inquires into how learners could become designers of their own learning, using a digital sandbox game, Minecraft. We suggest that learners use knowledge for academic engagement and shape the culture of their learning through participation, collaboration and communication in using Minecraft. We argue that interest-driven collaborations using Minecraft help establish the kindergarten approach to learning. We present how mid-high school students in an art immersion school used Minecraft to create emergent designs based on community-centered collaborative learning through cascade mentorship, socially situated interactions and iterative refinement that highlight their creativity.