MINECRAFT SUMMER CAMPS 2024
Coding Camps for Kids & TEENAGERS (Ages 9-18) DELIVERED THROUGH MINECRAFT EDUCATION
Learn to Code in Minecraft!
Open to coders of all skill levels (beginner-advanced), these camps combine the rigorous educational standards of the Academy of Code with the fun and creativity of the Minecraft platform.
This summer, see the Academy of Code as you’ve never seen us before! For 2024, all summer camps will be built around the wildly popular Minecraft platform. Students will learn to code by building new features, enhancements and entire mods for Minecraft! All registrations include a 1 year licence for Minecraft Education Edition, and the first 100 registrations also include a bonus Academy of Code t-shirt (size availability is limited, so register soon to avoid disappointment!)
Small Groups
With just 5-8 students in most breakout rooms, you’ll have a chance to get to know your tutor and your classmates. You’ll also have plenty of help as you start your journey to mastering the world of coding!
Live Tutors
Our team of expert tutors includes our full time academic staff as well as some of the top computer science and computer engineering students from Ireland’s leading colleges, including Trinity College Dublin, UCD, DCU, UCC and NUI Maynooth!
Real Learning
These camps are built around Minecraft, but it’s not just fun and games. As with all Academy of Code courses, there is a riveting and rigorous curriculum underpinning everything our students do on this course!
Beginners will learn about coding fundamentals including conditional statements, loops, triggers and much more. More advanced students will get a chance to stretch their skills with a series of challenges and projects designed to stretch their imagination and deliver an unforgettable learning experience!
WHAT WILL MY CHILD LEARN?
Whether they are a total beginner or have some previous coding experience, all students will complete a mix of academic tasks and fun challenges. Many lessons will start outside of Minecraft, perhaps learning the basic structure of a conditional statement in Scratch or the inner workings of a logic gate during a short interactive tutorial. Then it will be into Minecraft to put those lessons into action! Classes will use a mix of single player and multiplayer mode, so that some time is spent on focused solo work, while other times students will need to cooperate in small groups to complete more complex challenges. At all times our dedicated tutors will be involved to make sure every student is having a great time and fulfilling their potential!
Online class format
Zoom Rooms
Students log into Zoom using an ID and password we send ahead of class. All students are required to have their webcams switched on, so it’s not just a room of blank, black boxes - we can all see and hear each other, and interact pretty much how we would during an in-person class!
Breakout Groups
The Minecraft summer programme will involve a mix of large group and small group activities. For the core learning time the students will be divided into groups of roughly 5-8 students. Each group is assigned a tutor who will stay with them throughout the course, giving everyone a chance to get to know one another and fostering a comfortable and engaging learning environment.
Screen Sharing & Tutor Interaction
All students share their screens throughout the class, so our tutors can “walk the room”, keep an eye on how everyone is doing and help out where required. Tutors will ensure that your child is placed in a class suitable to their age, ability, and experience - continuing their journey to becoming an expert coder! Minecraft sections will be completed in a mix of single player and multiplayer mode, allowing students some time to work on their skills in their own private sandbox, before coming together with other students to use what they’ve learned to complete a range of projects and challenges!
System requirements
As with all of our courses, we support Windows, Apple and Linux devices. Unfortunately we do NOT support iPads, Chromebooks or other tablet computers due to limitations around screen sharing through our Zoom platform. Full system requirements for Minecraft are available at this link. Where possible we do recommend devices which meet the higher specs here - either an Intel Core i7-6500U or AMD FX-4100 CPU, or better, 8GB+ RAM, and at least an Nvidia GeForce 940M or Radeon HD 7750 graphics card.
The install process for Minecraft Education can be a little tricky, but we will share detailed instructions ahead of the camp, and we will offer drop in online tech support clinics as well, to help ensure everyone gets where they need to go. We promise that it will be worth the effort!
CAN I JOIN FROM OUTSIDE OF IRELAND?
Yes! Our online coding classes are open to anyone with an internet connection, an interest in technology, and having fun! We have had students join our courses from Ireland, Europe, the US, and the Middle-East, to name but a few!
SNAPSHOT SUMMARY
Small class sizes, with 5-8 students per breakout room
Students grouped by age and experience
Expert tutors, dedicated to your child’s success
Live interaction with tutors through video chat and screen sharing
Brand new Minecraft Education content, tailored to each student’s age and previous experience
Choose your child’s age group (FAQs below):
FAQs
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As always at the Academy of Code, we work really hard to ensure that everyone operates in the “fun but challenging” zone at all times. Even though we aren’t running regular Pathway to Computer Science classes over the summer, the same principal will still apply! We’ll have a range of content appropriate for all levels, and tutors will make sure that everyone is working on something of the appropriate difficulty level at all times.
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We encourage students (especially beginners & novice coders) to sign up for a 2+ week summer camp, as this will give them a really solid learning foundation. Moreover, students usually love the first week and want to do another one (or three!) but then can't, because we're already sold out and can't offer a place for the extra weeks. We offer a flexible refund policy, so if at any stage you decide the summer camp just isn't working out, we're always happy to find a solution that works for you!
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All students will need access to a Windows, Mac or Linux computer/laptop. A working webcam is also required (a built-in laptop/computer webcam is fine!) Please note: iPads/Tablets/Chromebooks cannot be used for our camps. Full system requirements for Minecraft are available at this link. Where possible we do recommend devices which meet the higher specs here - either an Intel Core i7-6500U or AMD FX-4100 CPU, or better, 8GB+ RAM, and at least an Nvidia GeForce 940M or Radeon HD 7750 graphics card.
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Our HQ is in Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, Ireland - but as our classes are held in a virtual classroom, you can join our coding classes from just about anywhere!
Our tutors are distributed too. Some of us will teach from Dogpatch, while many others are teaching from home or other offices all over Ireland.
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The summer program this year is a bit different to previous years, in that we are not running classes based on our trademark Pathway to Computer Science curriculum. We’ll still faciliate learning for students at different grade levels, but the feedback from previous years was that students and parents liked the idea of “something a bit different” during the summer time, and that’s exactly what we’re delivering!
Even though students won’t be progressing along the Pathway program over the summer they will still be learning tons about coding, and all the concepts they learn in the summer will also apply to the Pathway to Computer Science courses which resume in September.