GAMING FOR THE GOALS

Education in an unstable world
We live in turbulent times, and no-one is feeling this more than the future generation.

With ever-evolving technological advancements, 39% of current skills will be outdated by 2030. From AI and big data, to green skills – nearly half of the global workforce must now rapidly adapt to new requirements.

In this context, how can education evolve to help children find their way?

Innovation in education
We need innovation across the sector. One exciting area is gaming, where educators are exploring how hugely popular platforms can be used for engagement and understanding.

Enter Data Explorers, a Minecraft world created by NetApp with the support of the World’s Largest Lesson. In an inter-dimensional adventure, students learn about data and how it can be used in real-world environmental careers, to help achieve the United Nations’ Global Goals.

Data Explorers is aligned with curriculum standards including the UNESCO Greening Curriculum Guidance: Teaching and Learning for Climate Action. It shows how educators can build foundational data literacy and sustainability competencies to support students in their future lives and careers, through play.

The power of play
June 11 2024 marked the first ever International Day of Play. The goal is to spotlight the importance of play in children’s lives, learning, and development, and to call attention to the need to protect and support children’s right to play.

Video games have a role to play in this. Around 3 billion people worldwide play video games – there are over 200,000,000 monthly players on Minecraft alone – and growing evidence is showing the positive impact they can have. Harnessing video games platforms for educational gaming can reach huge audiences with valuable learning.

And, of course, gamified learning can be taken off-screen too. At the Learning Planet Festival educator Netty Letsaolo, Founder and Director of Mogaleadi Foundation, shared her experience creating an ‘unplugged’ coding game for non-digital learning in South Africa. This inspired the creation of Data Explorers: Unplugged, a learning experience that can be taught anywhere, with no tech needed.

Skills for our future
Back in 2022, the World’s Largest Lesson and NetApp surveyed 37,000 students in more than 150 countries. They found that students are hungry to learn practical skills for the real world. 55% of them wanted to develop more data skills and 42% wanted to learn more about how to protect the planet. The conclusion: children know what they need, but traditional education is not delivering it to them.

In a fast-changing world, educators are finding new ways to reach and engage learners with the skills they need. By harnessing the power of learning on Minecraft, NetApp and the World’s Largest Lesson aim to gamify data literacy and sustainability to reach thousands of learners with vital skills for their lives and careers. By creating an unplugged game for educators in non-digital contexts, they aim to ensure no-one is left behind.

Examples like these show that by harnessing the power of play and finding new ways to engage their learners, educators can be game-changers for the Global Goals.

Educators can find out more about Data Explorers on Minecraft Education here.
Minecraft Bedrock users can search for Data Explorers or find our more here.

Happy Gaming!

Author: Jack Davies, Senior Manager, World’s Largest Lesson