Unit 1: Installation and Navigation

Unit 1 began with the installation of Minecraft, the Minecraft EDU Mod, updates to Java, and a general overview of UNIX based navigation crucial to success in an advanced virtual environment.

Installation

Installation of the Minecraft EDU Mod is relatively straight forward. It begins with the purchase of the Mod from minecraftedu.com. The Mod is also available on the Physics Server. Once the .jar file is downloaded and opened, the mod will begin the installation process, starting with the selection of a language.
Pressing continue will bring up the next screen, asking to what extent you wish to instal the game. For game clients (users), only the "Place MinecraftEdu Launcher in Applications" box can be ticked. Administrators will want to install the "MinecraftEdu Server Launcher" as well. This allows you to host a server on your machine. Pressing continue again will begin the formal download. Afterwards, clicking the "Open 'Getting Started' Page" tab will walk you through setting up your Minecraft EDU Classroom. Clicking the "Close installer and open launcher" tab will bring you to the Minecraft EDU program home window. From here you can run Minecraft EDU, Minecraft aught, start a server, check for additional modifications offered by the developers, or search for updates to the game. If there are no complications, you can be ready to learn or teach with Minecraft EDU in a matter of minutes.

World Creation

Minecraft EDU offers a variety of ways to start playing. To begin administering a server, click the "Start MinecraftEdu Server Launcher" tab on the home window. This open another window with options to start a world from scratch, play a world located in the save file, or access a world available in the Minecraft EDU World Library. At the top of the page is a tutorial world complete with instructions to begin using the game immediately. In the instance of the Freshman Computer Science class, I have created a world called Iterum that best suits the needs of the class.