Though Microsoft had originally intended the education edition of Minecraft to be released in September after a summer of educator testing, an extended trial period caused a delay and it’s just now that the formal release date is finally being announced.

Starting on November 1, Minecraft: Education Edition will be available for $5 per user per year or through Microsoft’s Enrollment for Education Solutions volume licensing arrangement, says Tech Crunch.

Educators interested in using the software in their classrooms are welcome to continue testing the product for free, however, until the November launch date.

Education World has been patiently waiting for the release of Minecraft’s education edition because of the many implications the tool can have on learning as we know it.

Designed specifically for convenient classroom use, Minecraft might very well both popularize and normalize game-based learning once and for all.

Further, thanks to its utilization of educator feedback in the development process, Microsoft’s education version of Minecraft is likely to spur a ton of peer collaboration—meaning it could potentially be a new way for educators to grow their professional learning network.

[Read: Why We’re Anxious for the Results of Educator-Testing of Minecraft: Education Edition]

Not to mention, after an entire summer of trial use by educators, there has to already be tons of useful and innovative lesson plans and activities aligned to the game. It’s hard not to think that once Minecraft: Education Edition goes public, it’s going to be anything short of an educational phenomenon. We’ll have to stay tuned.

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor

9/22/2016

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