Getting Started
- I got my access key! How do I create my LearnToMod account?
The first time you access the LearnToMod Software, you will be redirected to the login page.
Use the “Create Account” box (below the “Login” box) to create your account. You’ll want to create a new account using your e-mail address. Then you’ll confirm the email. After you confirm your email, you’ll be taken to a page where you can redeem your access key. If you see a redirect error, type https://mod.learntomod.com into the url field (not http://)
At this time, you’ll also need to choose a nickname to be used around the LearnToMod community! Students under 13 years old should maintain anonymity by avoiding using their name or geographic location in their LearnToMod nickname.
- I just logged into LearnToMod for the first time! How do I start learning how to (insert awesome modding feature here)?
LearnToMod is a pretty expansive software with a lot of cool features! You’re not going to learn it all in just one sitting, so we’ve added tutorial videos around the site to teach you about different features. Whenever you need help click on the help icon in the top right hand corner:
If you click this icon on the homepage, you’ll get a Welcome Video Tutorial with a major overview of the site and instructions for getting started. On other major pages of the site, you’ll get a Tutorial video for how to use that Feature.
The vast majority of users want to start learning how to mod when they first login! To start learning, just choose “Do Badges” from the Learn tab. We recommend everyone start with the Skills & Drills badges to get a solid education in modding before moving on to more advanced badges like Star Wars and the Avengers.
- How do I connect my Minecraft account to my LearnToMod account?
On the LearnToMod software homepage, just click this button and follow the directions to connect your Minecraft account and access your Minecraft private server:
- I'm having some trouble logging into my account!
If you’re unable to log in to your account for any reason, email Customer Support right away. While you wait for a response, try some basic diagnosis:
- Did you forget your password? Try the reset password feature on the login page.
- Try clearing your browser’s cookies.
- Do you see a redirect or oauth or doorkeeper error? Type https://mod.learntomod.com into the url field on the page where the error appears.
- Is your browser up-to-date? You can check here. Try updating your browser, if your browser is not up-to-date.
- Does your login work when you use a different browser? What about a different computer?
- Were you a student in a LearnToMod class that recently ended? If so, you might need to purchase a 1-year subscription to continue to access your account. Contact your teacher to see if your class has ended!
- I made a mistake in my LearnToMod nickname/e-mail address. How do I fix it?
You can update your LearnToMod nickname or username at any time on the LearnToMod software homepage, under the Account tab.
Purchasing
- How do I purchase multiple subscriptions?
If you need to purchase just a few subscriptions, we recommend just going through our single subscription sign-up process a few times, as necessary. For bulk order of several subscriptions, e-mail us at contact@learntomod.com. For educators requesting bulk order of access keys, we have special bulk pricing.
- Can I purchase LearnToMod as a gift?
Purchasing LearnToMod as a gift is easy! When you purchase a 1-year LearnToMod subscription for someone, we recommend that you use your own e-mail address. We will send you the LearnToMod access key in an e-mail, which you can then forward to the gift recipient (or print & wrap). The gift recipient will be able to input their own e-mail address when they set up their LearnToMod account using the access key.
- At the time of purchase, does it matter what e-mail address I use?
During checkout, you will be asked to provide an email address. It must be a live email address, because your access key and instructions about how to activate the LearnToMod account will be sent there. However, when you sign up for LearnToMod, you will be able to sign up using a different email address from the one that you used to purchase the software, which makes LearnToMod easy to purchase as a gift! You will also be able to change the email address or nickname once you sign up, so don’t worry!
- Can my children share a LearnToMod account?
LearnToMod accounts are designed to be used by individual users. It’s hard to track a user’s progress (i.e. the tutorial badges unlocked, mods they’ve created, etc.), if the account is shared. Also, because a user’s Minecraft username is tied to their LearnToMod account for connecting to their Minecraft private server, users who share a LearnToMod account will need to constantly update their Minecraft username each time they log into LearnToMod. For these reasons, although it’s possible for users to share accounts, we don’t necessarily recommend it.
- What if I don't redeem my access key right away? When does the 1-year subscription time period start?
Your subscription period doesn’t start until you first enter your access key into your LearnToMod account. When you first create your LearnToMod account, you’ll be asked to enter your access key.
- What's your refund policy?
Our complete refund policy can be found in our Terms of Use. In short:
Refunds can be made within the first month of the subscription period. However, if you are experiencing technical difficulties, please work with LearnToMod Customer Service before requesting a refund. Customer Service can be contacted at any time at contact@learntomod.com.- What happens when my 1-year subscription expires?
You will be automatically billed for another 1-year subscription. If your payment fails, you may lose access to the software, but we’ll be sure to save all your Minecraft mods & data for you. You can purchase another access key at any time on this site and use it to renew your LearnToMod account. You can cancel your subscription at any time by e-mailing contact@learntomod.com
- What's the difference between the LearnToMod account that I get with the Modding Minecraft for Kids book and the 1-year LearnToMod subscription I can purchase here?
The LearnToMod account that comes with the Modding Minecraft for Kids book only provides 3-months worth of access to our Minecraft private servers. If the private servers are an important feature to you, we recommend being prepared to purchase a 1-year subscription here with your purchase of the Modding Minecraft for Kids book.
- Can my students share a Modding Minecraft for Kids book?
Because each book comes with only one access key, we recommend that students do not share the Modding Minecraft for Kids book. For more information about sharing accounts, see the question, “Can my children share a LearnToMod account?” above.
Technical Support
- What are LearnToMod's technical requirements?
Hardware: Any desktop or laptop computer with an internet connection should be able to run the LearnToMod software. Many Features will not be compatible with your tablet, I-pad, smart phone, Playstation, WiiU, or Raspberry Pi. Contact Customer Support if you are interested in using LearnToMod on a Chromebook – as in some cases, this may be possible!
OS: LearnToMod is compatible with both major operating systems, Windows and Mac, but may not be compatible with all forms of Linux.
Browser: We recommend users use Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari as the browser when accessing LearnToMod.
Minecraft: LearnToMod is compatible with the desktop & laptop version of Minecraft available for purchase from Mojang. Note for Windows 10 Users: the free version of Minecraft Pocket Edition which comes pre-installed on your Windows 10 machine is not moddable. You will need to purchase a complete Minecraft license from Mojang. LearnToMod is also useable without a Minecraft account, since users can test mods in-browser with the Vox-L game engine.
- What kinds of coding (i.e. modding) does LearnToMod teach?
LearnToMod teaches modding Minecraft with both Blockly and Javascript. Blockly is a drag-and-drop programming language, as powerful as any other programming language, but accessible to students as young as 7. Javascript, of course, is one of the most commonly used typed programming languages in the world.
- What do I do if Vox-L isn't loading?
Update your browser to the latest version – browsers don’t always update automatically!
If that doesn’t work, try switching to a different browser. We currently recommend Chrome and Firefox above all other browsers for the best Vox-L experience.
If you’re still experiencing problems, contact us!
- What do I do if I'm having trouble accessing my LearnToMod Minecraft private server?
Be sure to watch the tutorial on your server page. Currently our private servers are not yet compatible with the recently released Minecraft Version. Please ensure you’re using Version 1.9 or 1.9.2, until we update our server infrastructure. Also, when making or running mods on LearnToMod, avoid singleplayer mods.
If that doesn’t work, please contact us with a screenshot of what you see when you try to access your private server.
Educators
- How does a free Teacher account work?
Teachers are given access to teach a certain number of classes containing a certain number of students. For example, you might be given access to two 30-student classes. This means, that at any given time, you can have two classes full of 30 students.
Teacher accounts come with free private server access for your students! Teachers can toggle Minecraft private server access on and off for their classroom. By default, we give teachers 2-hrs of private server access per day for their students, but contact Customer Support if you’d like more time (we allow this for teachers who teach longer programs, like summer camps!)
- How do I use my free Teacher account?
After you sign up, create your account and have been upgraded, we’ll send you a .pdf guide.
Here’s an older version of the guide, so you’ll know what to expect: “Guide to LearnToMod Teacher Accounts”. If you still have questions or want more uptodate info, feel free to contact us!
- How do I teach with LearnToMod?
We recommend teachers join our free Coursera course to learn how to teach computer science with LearnToMod! We have years of experience teaching in the San Diego area to share. In this course, you will join thousands of educators from around the world who teach and want to teach with LearnToMod. We have created and shared curriculum for younger students AND high school students, and we continue to add curriculum and resources for you as an educator!
- Should I purchase 1-year subscriptions for my students?
A lot of teachers who teach for-profit programs (like after-school programs or camps) ask about this: if you want your students to be able to continue to mod Minecraft after your class ends, you can include a LearnToMod account in the cost of their tuition. Contact us for special discount pricing on bulk purchases of access keys.
- Will my students' progress be saved after the class ends?
Yes! When the class ends, students will have the option to either enter a new class access key (if they take another class with you) or upgrade their student account to a regular paid account; either way their progress will be saved.
- Is MinecraftEDU compatible with LearnToMod?
Because MinecraftEDU uses an out-dated version of Minecraft, LearnToMod is not compatible with the EDU version. It is likely that LearnToMod will also not be compatible with Microsoft’s new Teacher Edition of Minecraft, which is based on Pocket Edition.
However, teachers who have already purchased MinecraftEDU licenses can download vanilla Minecraft from MinecraftEDU for free. As long as you download the vanilla Minecraft launcher, it will work with LearnToMod! See your MinecraftEdu purchase confirmation email for more information.
- What if my school won't allow me to (or is unable to) install Minecraft on school computers?
This is one of the many reasons that LearnToMod’s Vox-L game engine is so awesome. Vox-L allows your students to test their Minecraft mods in the browser, in a game environment, even when Minecraft is unavailable.
- Do I need to set up real e-mail addresses for all of my students?
Although we do recommend students use real e-mail addresses, for account recovery purposes and for future use of their LearnToMod account, you can easily set up a set of “dummy” e-mail addresses for your entire class!
- What do I do about our school's firewall & Minecraft?
Firewalls are a recurring problem for teachers trying to use Vanilla Minecraft in the classroom. If you’re unable to connect to any and all Minecraft servers (in addition to Learntomod’s servers), then work with your school’s IT administrator to configure your Firewall. Check that you’ve added minecraft.net and https://mod.learntomod.com to your firewall’s content filtration system as an allowed server; the Minecraft client needs to be able to authenticate, and does so at Minecraft.net.