Minecraft: Education Edition crosses 2 million users

According to Microsoft, the milestone comes as Minecraft: Education Edition is available in 115 countries around the world with more than 250 educator-created lesson plans. By contrast, Minecraft: Education Edition initially launched in 50 countries around the globe.

"Educators are teaching a wide variety of subjects with Minecraft: Education Edition, and we've seen particularly exciting results when Minecraft is used to teach Computer Science," says Minecraft Education General Manager Deirdre Quarnstrom. "Though many don't realize it, coding is in fact one of the most creative activities a student can do, building something with no limitations but his or her own creativity."

As part of its educational efforts, the Minecraft team has partnered with Code.org to offer a free Hour of Code tutorial using Minecraft for the past two years. As part of that partnership, Microsoft says it has created a new Hour of Code tutorial called Minecraft: Hero's Journey, which packs 12 new challenges to teach coding concepts to students. Minecraft: Hero's Journey is available at Code.org now.

Minecraft: Education Edition differentiates itself from other versions of the game by implementing what Microsoft calls "Classroom Mode." With it, teachers can use a companion app to interact with students, manage world settings, and more. Minecraft: Education Edition is available for $5 per use, per year from Microsoft.