Minecraft Stimulates Creativity and Education in Chicago's Community
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are taking a significant step forward in the world of esports, partnering with the Chi-Craft Minecraft initiative to promote equitable representation and engage more students, especially females and non-binary individuals.
The Chi-Craft project, inspired by New York City's Battle of the Boroughs Minecraft challenge, aims to foster creativity, social connections, and an interest in the world among students. It offers support to schools via professional learning, tutorials, Google Classroom, office hours, chats, Google meetings, and school visits.
Minecraft: Education Edition, compatible with Chromebooks, iPads, Windows, and Mac machines, is being used by CPS. This educational version of the popular game is free for all CPS students, staff, and schools.
Chi-Craft is a battle of the builds format with a Chicago flair, featuring four build-and-present challenges over a four-week timespan. To participate, schools need to have at least two to five students join the esports team.
Schools can choose to run the esports group using their own funding or apply for Chi-Craft funding. There's also an option for schools to apply for funding to run the esports group. Schools participating in Chi-Craft are required to have Minecraft installed and functioning on their devices.
Schools interested in getting involved should contact the organizers or program coordinators of the Chi-Craft Minecraft esports initiative. Registration of student teams or esports clubs is necessary to participate. Schools will also receive support or training materials from the program to organize competitions or practices within the school. Designated staff or coaches will facilitate the esports activities with student participants.
For specific steps, it's recommended to check official CPS websites, the Chi-Craft program's official pages, or contact CPS’s Office of Student Engagement or similar departments that manage extracurricular esports initiatives. Alternatively, reaching out to Chicago’s youth digital or gaming programs or forums that support esports in CPS might also yield helpful information.
Anaya, the driving force behind the initiative, encourages schools to pick a creative and appealing name for their esports team. Entries in Chi-Craft are judged using a 110-point STEM-powered rubric.
As the Chi-Craft esports initiative grows, it's clear that it's making a significant impact. What started as a programme in 20 schools has expanded to over 70 schools participating, with 700 students. This is a testament to the potential of Minecraft as a powerful tool for engaging students in esports and fostering a sense of community and competition.
- Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are partnering with the Chi-Craft Minecraft initiative to promote equitable representation and engage more students, especially females and non-binary individuals in technology, education-and-self-development, and online-learning through esports.
- The Chi-Craft project provides support to schools via professional learning, tutorials, Google Classroom, office hours, chats, Google meetings, and school visits, all aimed at fostering creativity, social connections, and an interest in the world among students.
- CPS is using Minecraft: Education Edition, a free educational version of the popular game compatible with Chromebooks, iPads, Windows, and Mac machines, for students, staff, and schools.
- Schools participating in Chi-Craft are required to have Minecraft installed and functioning on their devices to join the four-week long, Chicago-flavored, build-and-present challenges known as Chi-Craft.
- Schools can choose to run the esports group using their own funding or apply for Chi-Craft funding to support their students in technology and education.
- Designated staff or coaches will facilitate the esports activities with student participants as they learn and compete using the latest gadgets like Chromebooks and iPads, creating a thriving esports community within schools.
