The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) is a program through Microsoft that I’ve had my eyes on for a few years now. And as always, if you want to get something done, you might as well sign up for a college class during a pandemic. What better time to get started, than now!
The focus I chose to begin my journey was choosing the STEM Learning Path I. This is a learning path of ten courses all in the field of STEM education and learning tools. Through this path, if you chose to accept it, you focus first on Computer Science and its foundations. Computational thinking, contrary to most beliefs, does not mean students need to sit by computers working on coding. It is a system of learning where students learn to break down large problems into small components, or to locate errors in a process. All can be done without computers.
After learning about Computer Science, the path focuses on Physical computing. This is where it would be helpful if students had access to computers. Physical computing is where students code on a computer connected to a piece of hardware that responds to that code. Some examples focused on in this course involve Microsoft Makecode in combination with the Micro:bit controller, LEGO Mindstorms EV3 software, and to some extent, Minecraft Education.
The last part, Minecraft Education, is the largest component of this STEM Learning Path. It walks you through the beginnings of walking through the program itself, and the purpose of many of the block components.
Lastly, the journey ends with a focus on Problem Based Learning. This is where you are tasked to think about how students can use Minecraft in the classroom. There are many resources through Minecraft Education where teachers can create worlds where students plan, build and solve real world problems.
The Microsoft STEM Learning Path I applies perfectly to the middle school learner. Middle school students are great at messing things up! The whole idea with PBL’s and having students work together to work on projects enables students to learn from mistakes as there are no “true” answers to solve these problems. A great PBL will have multiple outcomes, and the path that each student takes will be different.
Next week, I will work on creating a Minecraft lesson that challenges students to complete challenges using multiple paths to get there. I have not decided on which subject area to start with, as I will be diving into the many options on the Minecraft Educator portal.
Throughout this process, I was able to earn 12 badges:
These badges certify me in that I posses the knowledge in these areas of study. I hope to continue to add to these badges to make myself a more well-rounded Microsoft Educator.
Building Up STEAM 