:00:00. > :00:38.It is the start of September, and I'm sitting in with Year 10
:00:39. > :00:40.computer science at the Brooke Weston Academy.
:00:41. > :00:42.This is Mr Chambers, award-winning tech teacher,
:00:43. > :00:48.and today we are learning about logic gates.
:00:49. > :00:56.Unusually, a lot of this lesson is going to take place in Minecraft.
:00:57. > :01:03.So can I ask you to log on to the computers and we will
:01:04. > :01:14.Microsoft bought this highly popular game for $2.5 billion back in 2014.
:01:15. > :01:17.Since then, behind closed doors, it has been developing a version
:01:18. > :01:24.specifically for use in the classroom.
:01:25. > :01:27.A couple of months ago, the Minecraft Education Edition
:01:28. > :01:29.started its public beta, offering schools the chance to try
:01:30. > :01:35.it out and incorporate it into lessons.
:01:36. > :01:37.And because they say that teaching others helps one to learn,
:01:38. > :01:45.You put three blocks next to each other.
:01:46. > :01:49.Now, logic gates are the building blocks of computer science,
:01:50. > :01:53.the things that govern what the ones and zeros do inside your machine.
:01:54. > :01:56.And it just so happens that the creative building
:01:57. > :01:58.environment of Minecraft lets you build and visualise logic
:01:59. > :02:12.In fact, all the students here have played Minecraft before,
:02:13. > :02:15.and that is the theory behind using it in class.
:02:16. > :02:27.What do you think about using Minecraft to do it,
:02:28. > :02:38.Because we kind of know, we've all played Minecraft,
:02:39. > :02:42.so we are interested to see how we can use it in a lesson.
:02:43. > :02:45.I can see why the students have hit the ground running and can
:02:46. > :02:48.immediately engage with the game, but what about the teachers who have
:02:49. > :02:50.to plan their lessons inside Minecraft?
:02:51. > :02:53.There is a big education community out there on the Minecraft education
:02:54. > :02:56.website, and most of the teachers are on there communicating with each
:02:57. > :02:59.other at the moment and getting ideas, which is great.
:03:00. > :03:03.But to pick it up and use it, it is like any tool,
:03:04. > :03:10.to be honest, so if you have to use power point, how long does that
:03:11. > :03:16.It requires a level of creativity from the teacher, doesn't it.
:03:17. > :03:18.It is not just writing things on the white board,
:03:19. > :03:22.it is building things in a way that the students can learn from.
:03:23. > :03:27.I mean, for example, I've seen people who have used it
:03:28. > :03:29.in English lessons before, where they've made
:03:30. > :03:34.about Romeo and Juliet and got students to think a bit more
:03:35. > :03:38.I've actually seen students in science lessons who have made
:03:39. > :03:40.the whole respiratory system as well,
:03:41. > :03:44.and you go in through the diaphragm and they have put labels all around
:03:45. > :03:51.It's not just about that, it's about using the media
:03:52. > :03:59.It was ages ago I was teaching to - teaching logic gates to some
:04:00. > :04:02.of my students, and one student piped up and said "Sir,
:04:03. > :04:05.that is just like Minecraft, why don't you show us that?"
:04:06. > :04:09.I said "Yeah, sure it is" and I went away and started playing
:04:10. > :04:12.with Minecraft, and actually, I saw that there is a connection
:04:13. > :04:16.If you listen to them, and you can find that thing that
:04:17. > :04:20.engages them, it makes your lessons golden, because the kids want to be
:04:21. > :04:24.But it is not only about getting the kids to engage in lessons.
:04:25. > :04:29.Giving children a safe environment in which to fail.
:04:30. > :04:32.So the game gives you instant feedback, but you are not punished
:04:33. > :04:38.Ian Livingstone has been a government education adviser,
:04:39. > :04:48.and he is in the process of setting up two new schools which put
:04:49. > :04:51.His gaming pedigree is almost legendary.
:04:52. > :04:53.He co-created the Fighting Fantasy interactive adventure game books,
:04:54. > :04:56.and he is a great advocate of the educational value
:04:57. > :05:03.Like, for example, Rollercoaster Tycoon.
:05:04. > :05:09.Games promote critical thinking, problem solving, conputational
:05:10. > :05:15.thinking, and I would argue computer science is the new Latin,
:05:16. > :05:18.because it underpins the digital world, in the way Latin underpinned
:05:19. > :05:22.Now I don't suggest for one second that children should be playing
:05:23. > :05:25.games all day in class, but you can take principles
:05:26. > :05:34.of games-based learning and apply them for context.
:05:35. > :05:37.We shouldn't dismiss this scene as just child's play.
:05:38. > :05:41.Children develop their language skills, emotions and creativity
:05:42. > :05:45.And naturally, as technology impacts our lives
:05:46. > :05:54.in so many ways, it has affected the toys kids play with too.
:05:55. > :06:00.Initially, there was a trend towards kids' versions of grown-up
:06:01. > :06:03.tech, like this tablet, which is full of kids' apps,
:06:04. > :06:04.and has a safe web browser.
:06:05. > :06:08.But now we are starting to see toy manufacturers move towards more
:06:09. > :06:11.traditional-looking toys, but adding a bit of tech to the mix,
:06:12. > :06:13.which is possibly to appease to parents who don't
:06:14. > :06:18.want their children having too much passive screen time.
:06:19. > :06:24.I have come across a few games that mesh physical play with tech.
:06:25. > :06:29.These wooden smart letters look and feel like their low-tech
:06:30. > :06:34.But download the app and a child can learn the sounds
:06:35. > :06:37.of the alphabet while still holding an actual toy.
:06:38. > :06:40.Some companies have taken this concept further,
:06:41. > :06:50.tapping into the trend in teaching kids to code early.
:06:51. > :06:53.The Osmo kit connects to an iPad, combining physical keys
:06:54. > :06:58.The pattern the kids create with the tiles translates
:06:59. > :07:00.into commands that move the bear across the screen.
:07:01. > :07:11.It is aimed at children of three years and above,
:07:12. > :07:14.and it combines some wooden toys and a play mat
:07:15. > :07:18.Now, the kids don't need to be able to read or write yet,
:07:19. > :07:21.as you select the commands by just choosing different colour pieces,
:07:22. > :07:30.and then, at the touch of a button, the robot moves.
:07:31. > :07:33.Six-year-old Ethan joined me for a bit of a play.
:07:34. > :07:35.I want to go to the Golden Gate Bridge.
:07:36. > :07:43.Soon we were trying to figure out how to get to our target.
:07:44. > :07:57.He didn't even realise he was learning the basics
:07:58. > :07:59.of coding, including creating functions, which would mean Cubetto
:08:00. > :08:01.moves several squares at a time
:08:02. > :08:07.with a single press of the execute button.
:08:08. > :08:20.Face to face, that is where we are going.
:08:21. > :08:40.And finally, for this week, I am joining some more academics,
:08:41. > :08:43.this time at the University of Sussex, for a rather odd
:08:44. > :08:53.Now, I am no expert, but I call this a bit strange.
:08:54. > :08:56.Believe it or not, there is a good reason,
:08:57. > :08:59.why these musical marshmallows are spraying polystyrene balls
:09:00. > :09:07.Look very closely at their hands and you will see that
:09:08. > :09:08.that particular polystyrene ball
:09:09. > :09:25.Weird stuff that glows in the dark, even better.
:09:26. > :09:29.Someone is going to have to do a lot of vacuuming though,
:09:30. > :09:39.This is what was hidden inside the hands of the monster suits.
:09:40. > :09:44.The beads are being held in midair using ultrasound.
:09:45. > :09:48.Each of those black circles is an ultrasound speaker.
:09:49. > :09:55.As we have seen before, they can actually move light
:09:56. > :09:59.And here, the ultrasound waves they produce can levitate
:10:00. > :10:15.Well, all of the prototypes in this room are part of the GHOST
:10:16. > :10:17.programme, that is Generic, Highly Organic Shape-changing
:10:18. > :10:21.It is investigating how we might replace our flat screens
:10:22. > :10:23.with displays that are a lot more touchy-feely.
:10:24. > :10:26.Take this stretchy screen, for example, that could one day let
:10:27. > :10:29.you feel the things you're looking at, like this earthquake image
:10:30. > :10:36.Then there is this interface, based just around clay.
:10:37. > :10:42.And these bendy cubes, that play music.
:10:43. > :10:50.These 3-D displays from a host of international universities
:10:51. > :10:56.Now, the story of 3-D displays isn't just about feeling certain things
:10:57. > :11:04.There is information that can be gleaned from how things transition
:11:05. > :11:09.Imagine a calligrapher's swoosh as they write a letter.
:11:10. > :11:12.And movement is a big part of this research.
:11:13. > :11:15.This project wants to redefine how we think about pixels.
:11:16. > :11:20.What if our displays could also become realistic,
:11:21. > :11:23.tactile, useable buttons and sliders, that you could push,
:11:24. > :11:41.The research here is really new, but it may one day redefine
:11:42. > :11:46.It has already given me some new ideas for my dress sense!
:11:47. > :11:55.To look at technology in education. Follow us on Twitter at: And you can
:11:56. > :12:00.see the full version of this programme on iPlayer right now.
:12:01. > :12:02.Thank you for watching and we will see you soon.