Outschool calls itself the Netflix of learning, a live online platform connecting students from around the world to other students and teachers in an array of classes that cover everything from core subjects to niche and creative interests. By building an interactive online model, Outschool gives students access both to teachers passionate about subjects and to other students with the same interests, creating an online setting with a better than 80 percent attendance rate for classes that can range from one-offs to an entire semester in length.
Amir Nathoo, Outschool’s founder, says that while online education has long opened up avenues for students to explore new worlds of curriculum, his San Francisco-based startup offers diversity with the value of human interaction.
Launched in 2017, Outschool has presented more than 31,000 classes, costing an average of $10 to $15 per session. Teachers can pick and choose to create and build online curricula for classes that generally run between three and eight students who meet live via small-group video chats.
“Through our marketplace model and freedom to be creative, we let teachers discover new ways to inspire kids,” Nathoo says. “It is very different from what we see in K-12 education today, where so much focus is on the end results. We believe fostering a love of learning is a key building block.”
The unique course offerings range from teaching architecture through Minecraft to instruction in Spanish via Taylor Swift lyrics. Classes are capped at 18 students to retain an interactive feel.
About 85 percent of users select Outschool as a way for kids to pursue interests, although core subjects remain a part of the mix. Early on, Outschool catered to homeschool students, but as the marketplace has grown, Nathoo has seen more families choosing classes after school, on weekends and in the summer.
Currently, the marketplace has roughly 1,000 teachers offering more than 8,000 classes of several types: one-off classes to pique interest, short courses that may meet once per week for a few weeks, semester classes that have at least eight meetings and camps that meet daily for a week. Nathoo says parents often use the one-off classes, which are offered at various times throughout the year, as a test to see if Outschool is a fit. Sixty percent of customers are returning students.
Teachers seem to enjoy the freedom. “I have a strong interest in curriculum writing and design,” says Tegan Bombard, a fifth-grade teacher at a Title I public school in Florida who also teaches on Outschool. “I love that I could marry this interest with the passion that I have for teaching to create learning experiences for children around the globe. Outschool has provided me with such a unique opportunity to not only design classes from scratch but implement these classes to see the impact on a wide range of learners.”
Teachers — all from the United States or Canada, allowing Outschool to vet for experience and run background checks — keep 70 percent of the tuition fee, with Outschool retaining 30 percent for marketing, enrollment and administration. Some teachers, Nathoo says, earn up to $7,000 a month and have made it their full-time effort. Others use the platform as a way to teach subject areas they personally want to explore. Currently, about half the teachers are credentialed or are former classroom teachers.
Half of Outschool learners take a class with students from two or more countries, primarily from English-speaking countries such as the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. And while 20 percent of the users are based in California, students come from major urban centers and rural areas across the United States and beyond.
Bombard says Outschool gives her joy and satisfaction outside of school hours because she believes that freedom from regulations allows her to better reach learners. “Through the small class sizes on Outschool, learning can be more personalized,” she says. “I am better able to modify the learning experiences of those in my classes to ensure that they are given the tools needed to grow in their own individual learning.”
Bombard teaches reading, writing, math and history in a fairly straightforward style, as well as other classes she teaches, such as World History Through Film, that provide less traditional methods to encourage critical thinking.
Shawn Walk, who has a strong educational technology background both owning a company and teaching in an elementary school north of Pittsburgh, heads the Architecture Through Minecraft class and says teaching at Outschool has allowed him much more flexibility in his work-life balance.
Both Walk and Bombard say the model allows them to focus on education and curriculum while leaving the marketing to someone else. “So far, as long as I make sure I am offering high-quality classes, I have seen consistent enrollment,” Walk says. “The engagement from students has been great. What has surprised me is how the majority of students are independent enough to find success in the online environment. Since the kids are taking classes they are interested in, they are focused and actively engaged.”
After working for a cyberschool, where kids were disengaged because it wasn’t their choice to be there, Walk appreciates the high level of engagement and, often, support from parents in helping their children pursue their interests. “Overall, that makes for a great learning environment for teachers and students,” he says.
Although Outschool doesn’t offer credits, it has a partnership with a charter school in the San Francisco area that gives its students credit for completing Outschool classes. “The range of subjects we have is far broader than any other vendor would be able to provide because the classes aren’t restricted by what is available locally,” Nathoo says. “We are able to support niche topics.”
Outschool recently announced an $8.5 million investment in the company after its student enrollment increased by a factor of five over the past year, meaning continued growth and greater class choices, whether it’s a veterinary technician teaching about animal anatomy or a United Nations human rights lawyer teaching about social studies and debate. And there’s always that Taylor Swift class.
Minecraft may be on its way to another platform: Tesla cars.
Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted that the company is working on bringing the blocky game to its vehicles, and it’s a “high priority.”
Musk also revealed that Cuphead will launch in Teslas in August.
Minecraft has already become one of the most ubiquitous games out there, with ports on nearly every platform you can think of. However, you might be able to add another, unconventional platform to that list soon: Tesla vehicles.
Tesla founder Elon Musk recently tweeted that Minecraft is on his company’s list of to-dos for game ports. Going further, Musk says it’s a high priority, alongside Roblox.
Teslas all feature a large displays from which you control much of the car’s functions. Tesla has been gradually adding games to the built-in computers for months now, including Atari titles, Beach Buggy Racing 2, and even chess. Of course, the games are only meant to be played while the car is at rest, so don’t get your hopes up for playing Minecraft as you drive. That’s just plain dangerous.
For those of us without a Tesla, both Cuphead and Minecraft are available to pick up across Xbox One, Windows 10, and a number of other platforms in the meantime.
Servers are your gateway to expanding your horizons in Minecraft, and here we’ve rounded up the best Minecraft servers around. Like fantasy? Want to walk through a blocky recreation of your favourite TV show or film? Want to grief without the fear of a ban? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, servers have got you covered.
Joining a server is nice and simple. All you need to do is load up Minecraft as you normally would, hit multiplayer, then add a server. Name it whatever you want, then type or Ctrl+V the IP address into the box below. Save it, click play, and you’re good to go. Just keep in mind some servers need you to download data for them to run correctly. If this at any point fails, just quit out and keep trying. It should work eventually.
Mineplex
This server is astoundingly large and packs in a vast array of things to do. They’ve got FPS games, painting, and even their own version of Smash Bros. Basically if you can think of a game type, there’s a large chance of it being available within Mineplex. It’s also got an incredibly active staff and as a result, suffers from a lot less grief than some of the less wholesome servers around.
IP Address: us.mineplex.com or eu.mineplex.com
Autcraft
Autcraft is a server designed specifically for children and adults who have autism. It’s designed to be a safe haven for those who want a reprieve from the potentially overwhelming things you would find on other servers. This includes things like no frightening characters and making sure everything is kept child-friendly. You have to apply in order to join the server, but if you make it in then you’re good to go. It’s not doing anything special in terms of how it plays, but it’s a useful one to know about if you or a family member have autism and would like to know there’s somewhere safe to go.
IP Address: mc.autcraft.com
WesterosCraft
Game of Thrones is over now, and whether you liked or loathed the ending, you’re probably hungry for more. Well, hunger no longer, and feast yourself on this server. While it’s not finished, it’s still going to provide a nice rush for those who want to try their hand at being King for a day. We’ve yet to see whether or not you can pet the Direwolves though…
IP Address: mc.westeroscraft.com
Pirate Craft
Sailing a ship around in Minecraft is tricky, but in Pirate Craft, they do a surprisingly good job of making it work. As is often the way these servers, it takes a bit of time to get used to things, but it’s well worth the effort if you like the idea. The scale of the ships is impressive, as is the ship-to-ship combat. Just don’t be surprised when someone nicks your pirate ship, there’s no honour among thieves.
IP Address: mc.piratemc.com
Hypixel
Hypixel is another mini-game heavy server. There are all the normal games you would expect from a high-quality server, but there are also a few noteworthy ones as well. Games like VampireZ, where you have to try and survive as a human while the vampires hunt you. There’s even a game called Turbo Kart Racers, which is a surprisingly good racing game that will pit you against other players as you try and reach the finish line first. It’s a lot of fun, and they update it regularly, so it’s worth sticking around for.
IP Address: mc.hypixel.net
The Lord of the Craft
While this may sound like a Lord of the Rings server, it’s not quite. It’s fantasy, sure, but with a huge focus on roleplaying. The world, and its lore, is already set up, and a helpful warp command means travelling between the different kingdoms (high elves, dark elves, dwarves, etc) is simple. All you need is a killer skin and an elaborate backstory and you’re good to go.
IP Address: mc.lotc.co
Grand Theft Minecart
You can probably guess from the title which popular video game series this server is based on. You guessed it, the unstoppable juggernaut that is Hello Kitty Online. Or GTA. It’s one of the two.
Join this server and you’ll be treated to two different game modes (Grand Theft Minecart and Vice Minecart), as well as 35 different GTA-inspired weapons. There are also plenty of vehicle offerings including cars, planes, and of course, tanks. Because it’s not GTA if there isn’t an option to go on an explodey murder-spree.
IP Address: mc-gtm.net
The Mining Dead
What’s the one thing missing from Minecraft? Guns! Although that’d just make it Fortnite, wouldn’t it? Either way, if you’re a fan of The Walking Dead TV show or comic, this is a great opportunity to take in all the famous sights as you’re scrambling to find weapons, ammo, and generally anything to help fend off the undead. And because of the voxel stylings of Minecraft, there’s a faint whiff of Goldeneye 64 to the whole thing.
IP Address: hub.havocmc.net
Arkham Network
Fancy donning a cape while shouting “You have failed this city!”? Maybe you’re an anarchist looking to watch the world burn? Whichever side you choose to join, the Arkham Network has a comic-book world that’s just begging to be explored. And griefed, obviously. There are also a host of different day jobs for making coin, and a wealth of gamemodes to participate in. One of the key rules of this server is make friends, fast. You’ll need them.
IP Address: mc.arkhamnetwork.org
Pokefind
Arguably one of the best Pokémon/Minecraft mashups out there, Pokefind starts as you’d expect. You meet a professor before being tasked with choosing a Pokémon. The starter choice options mirrors that of Generation 1, so that’s Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Once you’ve picked Bulbasaur (because you absolutely should!), you can either chill at the Pokémon centre, learn about crafting, or head into the wild and fight some poor animals. It’s just like the actual games, then.
IP Address: Play.pokefind.co
MC Middle Earth
A team was always going to attempt to recreate the Lord of the Rings universe in Minecraft, and the result is something truly breathtaking. Everything in this world has been meticulously crafted to feel as real as possible. Taking a stroll through the Shire is a lovely way to lose a few hours, but if you’re not here for a sightseeing tour, there’s also a PvP server. Because of course there is.
Build IP Address: build.mcmiddleearth.com
PvP and Event IP Address: pvp.mcmiddleearth.com
The Tomb
If you’re new to the world of Minecraft servers, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing what a prison server is. Basically, the player spawns and is locked in an area. In The Tomb’s case, it’s an underground mine teeming with lavish decorations. The goal here is to level up and escape by collecting and selling resources. Think No Man’s Sky if No Man’s Sky was trapped underground without a spaceship. If you’re a fan of relaxing grinding, this one’s for you.
IP Address: the-tomb.com
Extreme Craft
We couldn’t put out a list of Minecraft servers without mentioning one of the most popular out there. Extreme Craft keeps popping up because of the sheer amount of modes there are to play, including the likes of a fully fleshed out survival mode, hunger games, factions, skygrid, skywars, skyblock, acid island, and eggwars. That’s on top of a creative mode and the option of roleplaying. It’s like a Minecraft greatest hits compilation.
IP Address: play.extremecraft.net
Minewind
For people who hate people there’s Minewind, an anarchy server where the only rule is don’t cheat. See someone building a nice tower they’ve spent hours on? Tear the whole thing down and laugh as they furiously scramble to get away. Another player near diamonds? Push them headfirst into lava. Here you can grief as much as you desire with zero repercussions. While this is one server you may want to avoid, it’s also a server you may want to visit, because you’re a horrible, horrible person.
IP Address: play.Minewind.com
Potter World MC
When you first enter Potter World, you’re greeted by the boy himself battling a dementor as Hogwarts sits ominously in the background. Much like Middle Earth, Potter World goes all out when it comes to authenticity. Buildings appear as they do in the mind’s eye, complete with inside furnishings. You can learn about potion making, duel other wizards and witches, or go off and play a friendly round of quidditch. This is Minecraft at its strongest: creating game worlds that best those of their AAA counterparts.
There’s a new version of the Java version of Minecraft. The 1.14.4 patch contains a lot of bugfixes for the Villagers and Pillagers update, which Mojang described as Minecraft’s biggest update ever. As always there’s some entertaining stuff hidden in those bugfix notes, my favorite being “Villagers will now remember their gossip after becoming a Zombie Villager”. And “Gossip about players who converted a zombie villager will now last longer” isn’t bad either.
Now that these fixes are live, the team at Mojang aim to knuckle down and get to work on version 1.15, which as well as adding new features “will also focus on quality and performance improvements”.
Here’s the list of changes in version 1.14.4, for the complete bugfixes head over to the Minecraft blog.
Fixed bugs
Performance improvements
Suspicious stew made from poppies now gives you night vision instead of speed
Added /debug report for getting more detailed information. Please include this while making bug reports about performance!
Fixed a memory leak
Removed camera pivot offset in first-person
Improved chunk loading when travelling at high speed
Fixed incorrect Pillager texture
/reload and /forceload is now available to gamemasters
function-permission-level is a new setting in server.properties that controls which commands functions have access to
Villagers now stock more items
Villagers will now remember their gossip after becoming a Zombie Villager
Improved performance of Villager pathfinding
Villagers can now work without also restocking at the same time
Gossip about players who converted a zombie villager will now last longer
The Player Activity button on the Realm screen has been removed
Villagers now wait with restocking until they have trades that need restocking
Village sieges no longer occur on mushroom islands
Mobs will no longer try to pathfind their way through bamboo
From Borderlands-like cartoons to realistically sunny vistas, here are the best texture upgrades to shape your playing experience
Looking for the best Minecraft texture packs for the Java Edition? Minecraft’s low-fi charms were predictably the first thing modders took to ‘fixing’. The ruddy textures, while distinctive, are an obvious target for an upgrade if you stare at them long enough.
I confess that when I found a texture pack I loved I’ve never gone back to the original look: I’m going to start off with that one and then explore the the rather vibrant world of Minecraft Texture packs. There’s nothing too crazy in here: those packs tend to be part of larger mods that fundamentally change the game, and that’s another article entirely.
But what we do have here is a fantastic selection of textures that bring all sorts of style to the game, from the ultra-realistic to the cartoonish to far out sci fi. There’s even an animated textures included, a feature supported since development snapshot 13w02a was released, although they’re not yet implemented in the main game. Not sure how to grab and install one of these snapshots? Don’t worry, we can help you with that too. Click through to be delighted by the variety and vibrancy of Minecraft’s many texture packs.
HOW TO INSTALL MINECRAFT TEXTURE PACKS
Before you begin, download and point the MCPatcher at your Minecraft install: it’ll enable the game to run with HD images on the blocks, which many of these packs include. If you want to try out any of those animated textures with a development snapshot, here’s how to test Minecraft snapshots. It’s not difficult and the rewards are well worth it.
All these textures are compatible with the 1.4.7 version of Minecraft, so if you want to minimise the amount of switching you’ll have to do, fire up that version. Also keep in mind that if you try some of the snapshots, they will likely contain elements that the texture pack creators haven’t yet made textures for, meaning they’ll either be blank or even invisible.
Another thing to note is that this list is directed at the Java edition of Minecraft, so if you’re using the newer Bedrock edition you’re likely to run into some issues as MCPatcher doesn’t get along with the new launcher -not now, anyway.
THE BEST MINECRAFT TEXTURE PACKS
Okay, now that’s out of the way. Let’s start with something big and bright. We’re going to change the world, or your world, at least.
Jolicraft A lot of texture packs have a theme that they try and nail, but Joli’s is about personal expression: he made a texture pack, a sort of twee fantasy world that best reflected his own happy demeanour: the swirling sun is definitely a sight more cheerful than the default, squat square. Jolicraft feels like a warm summer day. But even more impressive are the customisation options: you can build your own texture pack at the site, choosing how the game represents everything from doors and shadows, to water drops and clouds. It’s a remarkable thing.
JohnSmith This is one of the most popular texture packs out there, in part I’m sure because it too is quite customisable, but also because it has some fantastically creepy-looking skeletons and it does a fine job with surfaces, be those rock, cobblestone or even netherrack. Compared to Jollicraft, it’s a much more sombre pack, but a Minecraft world looks surprisingly good with muted colours.
Glimmar’s Steampunk And if sombre is your sort of thing, then I thoroughly recommend you give this pack a try. As well as its slightly faded walls, its glimmering starfield and its gorgeous moon, this steampunk pack also features some fantastic tools and skins. Just check out the how golem looks above.
Painterly Pack While we’re on the subject of customisation, you should also have at this pack, which is as much a tool as it is a way to revamp the look of your game. Not happy with the pack you just downloaded? Want to contribute your own ideas? Why not get started here, it’s not as difficult as you might think.
Isabella If you’d prefer something a little more subtle, a little more muted, then Isabella’s gentle shading might be what you’re looking for. Its tones are softer, its wood warmer and its stone faded, all of which gives it a more natural feel. As natural as a world made from giant blocks can ever be, that is.
Chroma Hills Some of us, I’m sure, would just prefer the prettiest textures that they can find and Chroma Hills is certainly one of the best-looking out there, even if it’s beautiful stylings are slightly at odds with the blockiness of Minecraft’s world. To get the very best from it you’ll want to make sure you use some shaders too, but even without those it’s still a fine lookin’ thang.
Creative One’s Medieval Texture Pack Another lovely HD patch, the Medieval Texture Pack features a lot of subtle and yet very smart touches, such as the glow from an Ender chest (see the video below) or the woven texture in wool blocks. It also gives much of the game a very worn look, which, it turns out, suits Minecraft very well indeed.
oCd Texture Pack I dabbled a bit with oCD’s texture pack before settling on Short Stuff’s: it takes the minimalist approach, rendering all the blocks in solid colours with bold lines. It’s striking, and removes the organic nature that I wanted. The colours seem a bit bolder and punchier. The theme is actually disco, hence the funky trailer.
Misa’s Realistic Texture Pack Realism is an odd term when you’re talking about a world made out of cubes, and yet it’s one of the most prevalent goals for the Minecraft modding community. If trying Isabella has made you want something grubbier, something with muddier ground and fluffier clouds then Misa’s pack brings all this to the game.
If the real world was built out of cubes, it would look a bit like Misa’s interpretation. It’s not flashy, it’s for those looking for a “grim up north” feeling. And the pigs are terrifying.
Summerfields This is my antidote to Misa’s grubby brown realism: if Misa’s texture packwas Game of Thrones, then Summerfields is LotR before Frodo goes off in his quest. The browns here feel like they glow, radiating the heat of the summer day that beats down from the fuzzy, circular sun: even the skeletons feel a bit cheerful I’m pretty sure the people who live in Misa’s end of the world would take holiday in Summerfields.
Sphax PureBDCraft The flipside of the inevitable realism packs was that someone would endeavour to convert Minecraft to a comic book style. The blocks demanded it. BDCraft’s is a gorgeous, and essentially reverential, upgrading of the base Minecraft graphics: switching between them is like putting on glasses and seeing everything clearly for the first time: ore is full of clear gems, the new grass as chunky as an anime character’s head. It’s sharp, colourful and a good upgrade to base Minecraft that retains its flavour.
Cartoon Default This pack almost turns the game into Borderlands, drawing bold black lines around mobs and objects, but still keeping everything very recognisable and extremely true to the original look of the game. With these textures, Minecraft becomes posterized, but also an awful lot clearer. While it might not be to everyone’s taste, or terribly easy on the eyes, you can’t deny that it has style.
DEFAnimation Animated texture packs are still a rarity, partly because relatively few people are going to use them right now. Since animated textures are only supported by a recent development snapshot, most players won’t have a version of Minecraft that can make use of them and will have no reason to seek them out. That said, more and more people are trying those snapshots and we’d like to think that perhaps PCGamesN’s encouragement has had some part in this.
This pack adds some wonderful animations to the game, wonderful because they’re so subtle and a great example of the tiny but impressive changes that animated textures can make. Unmined ores sparkled in the darkness, weapons shine and lava seethes.
Bladecraft I’m sorry, I just had to end with something a little different, something a little sillier. Who says Minecraft should only be about the pseudo-fantasy, pastoral theme?
BladeCraft throws it into the near future and creates something… well, actually, something really quite impressive. I feel bad for even suggesting that this is silly now. Now enjoy what is by far the coolest of all the videos in this post.
FaithfulMaybe you’re not looking for a wholesale change, and want something that adds some sheen on what’s already there. If that’s the case, then the Faithful texture pack is what you’ll want to install. The changes you’ll notice here merely smooth out textures, and refine what’s already present.
And there you go, the best Minecraft texture packs. Whether you’re looking for a pack to turn your Minecraft world into a cartoon, or one to make it look more like the real world, you should find what you’re looking for here.
