Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education [1], which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Click here [2] to read the full app review.
LearnToMod [2]
What’s It Like?
Teachers can leverage their students’ passionate interest in Minecraft to begin teaching programming with LearnToMod. By introducing students to LearnToMod’s badges and learning quests, teachers can give students the tools needed to learn key elements of coding using Blockly (and, when they’re ready, Javascript).
Price: Free, Paid
Grades: 5-12
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Turns Minecraft into a tool for learning coding, has good scaffolding of skills, is great for independent learning.
Cons: Not suited for students who aren’t Minecraft fans, may require a lot of classroom time to get started.
Bottom line: For students who already know and love Minecraft, this is a valuable way to hook students into coding.