How different is Minecraft Education Edition from Java and Bedrock?

Minecraft: Education Edition debuted in 2016 on Windows and MacOS platforms to serve as a means of bringing instructors and students together to create a virtual learning environment. In Education Edition, players can learn some aspects of scientific and technological fields thanks to the implementation of new blocks, items, and features. But how different is it from Java and Bedrock Edition?

All things considered, Minecraft: Education Edition is more similar to its predecessors than it is different, but certain aspects of the game do separate it from the other two primary editions. These additions are intended to help facilitate a learning environment while still being enjoyable every step of the way, but otherwise, Education Edition is foundationally similar to its counterparts.

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What makes Minecraft: Education Edition different from Java and Bedrock?

Key art for Minecraft: Education Edition (Image via Mojang)

On a technical level, Minecraft: Education Edition operates on the Bedrock Edition codebase, so the majority of the gameplay and features are indistinguishable from that version of the game. However, due to some additions not seen in Bedrock (at least not without enabling Education Edition features in Bedrock's settings), Education Edition tends to receive updates a bit slower than Java/Bedrock.

As noted above, Bedrock Edition can access some features in Education Edition by activating certain world settings, but they aren't available otherwise. Minecraft: Education Edition offers a collection of gameplay inclusions that allow students to learn about various scientific and technological aspects surrounding disciplines like chemistry and programming, among other inclusions.

Exclusive features found in Minecraft: Education Edition include:

• A collaborative classroom-styled network infrastructure, allowing students to join each other's worlds easily. No server setup is necessary, and instructors/students can enjoy collaborative work in a world since it can accommodate up to 30 players in a single world.
• NPC mobs can be spawned. These mobs can open dialogue with players and help guide them through lessons or other forms of progression. Instructors can also place hyperlinks to the internet within the dialogue bubbles of NPCs. By default, NPCs have no artificial intelligence and simply exist to serve as guides for students.
• Camera block and portfolio items can be obtained. The camera is a stationary block that can be activated to take screenshots, and the portfolio is an item that holds these screenshots. The portfolio can also be exported into a .zip file, which can then be used elsewhere on a player's device.
• Education Edition offers chalkboard blocks, which can be placed and have text entered on them like sign blocks.
• Minecraft: Education Edition possesses a unique tutorial world unlike those seen in legacy versions of the game that walks students through the nuances of movement, crafting, and placing/breaking blocks.
• The addition of allow and deny blocks allows instructors to set specific areas where their pupils can build and areas where they can't.
• Border blocks allow instructors to barricade certain areas to prevent students from entering.
• A Classroom Mode that offers educators the ability to view their world map and interact with their students via chat while also being able to enable/disable settings.
• Educators can enable additional hotbars to give students access to more items quickly.
• A fully fleshed-out chemistry system allows players to create new items by constructing the atomic structure of elements from the periodic table or by extracting these elements from the natural world. The elements can then be combined to create items like glowsticks, balloons, and much more.
• Includes a complementary Codebuilder program that helps students learn how to code in tandem with the Agent mob, a programmable entity that can perform basic tasks like building and harvesting resources based on the code that players execute within its interface.
• The /ability command lets educators set parameters for their students regarding their ability to place/break blocks, fly, or mute other participants. Essentially operates similarly to Minecraft Java and Bedrock's /gamerule command, but to the entire game world.
• Introduces a new /gamerule parameter known as "immutable world" which prevents students from placing blocks until they are standing on an allow block.
• Adds the world builder permissions, which will give students the ability to bypass border and deny blocks.
• Downloadable lesson plans made available to educators that can help them teach their students within the framework of Minecraft: Education Edition.

One of the most evident additions of Minecraft: Education Edition is also its accessibility. Legal copies of the game can only be purchased and downloaded by the likes of educators, school faculty/staff, public libraries/museums, home-school programs, and qualified educational facilities and school districts. Accessing it otherwise is usually done illicitly or through Education Edition settings in Bedrock.

Moreover, Minecraft: Education Edition is only available on PCs running Windows, MacOS, or ChromeOS, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices. The game cannot be played on consoles like its Bedrock Edition counterpart. A personal iteration of the game also exists in preview form in China for Windows and Android courtesy of the Youdao search engine.

All in all, Minecraft: Education Edition is effectively a fine-tuned version of Bedrock Edition with added functionality to facilitate learning. While some of its features are available as a Bedrock setting, accessing Education Edition will allow players to experience the full slate of changes.