Minecraft Modding With EpicMC Modly Series

Series Information

• 3-course series with two basic courses and a specific gaming course to create minigames
• Each course is comprised of 8 classes at 1 ½ hours each. The first two courses may be taken as a workshop for 5 days each.
• Learn fundamental concepts of programming without being distracted by syntax and typing
• Leverage child's interest in Minecraft to learn coding
• No prerequisites, but be familiar with using a mouse and keyboard

Related Courses

• Minecraft Game Design
• Minecraft Modding With Java

FAQ

1. What is Minecraft modding?

   Minecraft modding refers to being able to create mods (short for modification) to the Minecraft game. By running a specialized Minecraft server, it supports injecting code to do things such as program a "drone" to build a fancy tower, give yourself superpowers, and create minigames like parkour or TNT Run.

2. What is EpicMC Blockly?

   EpicMC Blockly is a visual coding platform developed in-house at WhizKidz to do Minecraft modding. It is the most unique and advanced modding platform that uses JavaScript as the underlying programming language. It supports multiplayer games, extensions, access to the Internet, and more. It leverages Google Blockly, a library developed by Google to facilitate a visual drag/drop paradigm and connecting the blocks together, similar to Scratch.

3. What can you learn in Minecraft Modding?

   Because the blocks translate to JavaScript code, you are ultimately learning JavaScript, one of the most popular languages used in the software industry. EpicMC Modly covers all the fundamental concepts such as variables, lists, dictionaries, conditional statements, loops and functions. It also includes concepts like event-driven programming, timers, and 3D space. At the general level, it teaches critical thinking, logic and problem-solving skills.

4. Does my child need to know how to type?

   They should know the basics of typing. Because it uses a block-based approach, typing is much less compared to a traditional programming language. Use this as an opportunity to improve touch typing and getting familiar with all the keys on the keyboard.

5. Is there a prerequisite for the first course?

   No. There is no coding experienced required. It is recommended that they know the basics of typing.

6. Who are the instructors for Minecraft Modding?

   All of our instructors go through our curriculum and are typically college students majoring in computer science or adults working in the software industry with experience teaching or tutoring youths.

7. How is the class taught?

   The class is instructor-led so we will guide you step-by-step. WhizKidz uses a learn-by-example approach. We show you simple examples and best practices. We encourage and foster hands-on experimentation. The class is project-based, meaning students will design and implement many creative and unique projects in all of our courses.

8. Is there homework?

   No, but Minecraft Modding is so unique and fun that we encourage you to experiment and learn on your own time in between classes. Sometimes we might suggest challenges or improvements to an existing project that you can try after class.

9. Is distance learning effective? Does it work?

   It definitely works as we have seen successful results since March of 2020. Because we developed the EpicMC Blockly coding platform, the instructor has admin access to view a project, making it easier to help a student.

10. What do I need at home to take this class?

    You need an Internet connection and a computer. You only need to install the Minecraft client software. We will provide a Minecraft license for the duration of the class if you don't have your own.

11. What if I sign up for the class and I want to quit?

    You can get full credit on the remaining classes that you haven't taken.

12. What comes after the Minecraft Modding Series?

    If you haven't taken Scratch yet, that could be the next series. We also have the MIT App Inventor Series that teaches you how to create mobile apps, specifically for the Android phones and tablets. It also uses Google Blockly so the user interface will look somewhat familiar.

    There are also a couple of Roblox Studio courses and one on Machine Learning Applications that teaches supervised machine learning in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner, and using a variation of Scratch to accomplish this.

    If you are ready for a textual programming language, Minecraft Modding maps well to web development since that ultimately also involves JavaScript.