This is just my opinion, so don't lose sleep over it, but as amazing as it sounds that Minecraft is going to be used in schools for "educational" purposes now with a new edition, I just can't help but slam my head on the keyboard as I process this idea through my head. I swear people will do anything to get kids engaged in education, and this is one of the saddest excuses. I'm sure if any other game that had PG material in it and was as popular with kids as it is as minecraft, then that game would be shoved on school computers for "education" I think it is good for a group-bonding activity as kids cooperate and build together, but school is for learning academics, isn't it? What common core subjects are being taught here exactly? Coordinates of blocks is the only slightly technical educational thing I can think of. Oh well, I guess now I can say I am learning when I start playing games in my classes. "Minecraft? A game? No, it's an education tool!"

I'm just stating this because people actually defend it to be educational, a LOT of people, including people I know in real life.

I agree. Kids should play The Talos Principle or something like that.

I dunno about you but the whole Redstone system simply blows my mind even 5 years later. I would think some of it being educational but not in the same league as learning early primary or High school related teachings.

I haven't even played Minecraft and I know it can easily be used for educational purposes. You are completely missing the point of it. It's not about building or adventuring, the educational part is crafting. The crafting puzzles are encouraging logical thinking. Thinking hard about what components can be used in what way to craft a specific thing is not less effective at teaching logic than basic math.

And then there are machines that can be built, which are basically gigantic logic puzzles which stay challenging far beyond elementary level.

Wow, I learned more than what I learn in a schoolday's worth of classes. (I wish xD)

I don't know, their potion recipes seem very accurate.

ikr

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Social skills are a HUGE part of education, especially with younger grades.  Learning how to work as a team is majorly important.  

And depending on how you use it, it absolutely can be educational.  In the last school I worked with, they used Minecraft as part of a unit on explorers.  The task was to build a ship.  So, they had to plan out and model it, create all of the different parts of a ship (mast, aft, cabin and whatever), and cooperate to build it.  By the end, the kids had a very clear understanding of the different parts of a ship.

I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you're viewing education strictly as acquiring knowledge.  But, that's imo an outdated view.  The most important things for students to learn are lateral thinking and problem solving skills.  This is a skill that videogames can be really effective in teaching.  There are a TON of games that can be used for educational purposes.  Advance Wars, Wario Ware (could be great for English Language learning), Pokemon, Scribblenauts, Codename S.T.E.A.M., and even stuff like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie.  

There's an interesting (though not exactly scholarly) book on this topic.  I believe it's called Everything Bad Is Good For You.  If you're interested, it gives some intriguing points about why things like reality TV and games are actually good for the mind.