When implementing Digital Escape Rooms in your classroom, I want you and your students to have a good working knowledge of the activities. When all of you feel comfortable in how Digital Escape Rooms work, you can count on a positive outcome. In this post, I'm going to give you helpful hints in Preparing for Digital Escape Rooms.
What are Digital Escape Rooms?
Digital escape rooms or breakouts are very similar to scavenger hunts. Students work on teams as they use clues and solve puzzles to crack multiple locks in a set amount of time. Digital breakouts apply learning in a fun and engaging way. Students use computers or hand-held devices to complete the activity. The escape requires students to use a website (Google Site) and Google Form instead of actual locked boxes. Teachers basically have little prep and save on paper. Click HERE to learn more about Digital Escape Rooms.
What are the benefits of Digital Escape Rooms?
- Enhance team-building
- Involve collaboration and communication among students
- Incorporate 21st century learning skills and academic content in a fun way
- Enable students to think critically and problem-solve
- Promote deductive reasoning
- Include technology
- Deepen learning and encourage research because students are motivated to find the information
- Lessen dependence on the teachers for answers
How Can I Start Preparing for Digital Escape Rooms?
Teachers SHOULD read over all the directions and complete the Digital Escape Room ahead of time. It's important for teachers to be comfortable and familiar with the escape in order to answer questions and explain the escape to the students. There are districts that block outside Google Sites or other game sites that may be included in the escape. You need to know this before you assign the activity to the students.
- The link to the Google Site is provided in a pdf. The link needs to be housed in the students' Google Drives or in Google Classroom. Otherwise, students can copy the url.
- Students need to be divided into groups. An ideal group would be 3 students, but groups can range from 2-4 students.
- Students need to take notes. (I have provided a sheet in my pdf.) They will use their notes to answer the questions on the Google Form.
- Explain to the students how to use the Google Form. Locks may include color locks, word locks, number locks, or direction locks. The answers are usually typed in ALL CAPS and sometimes no spaces. If the answers aren't typed in correctly, students will not be able to move on.
How do I know if the Google Site is blocked?
This is an example of the email I receive when a site, drawing, or slide is blocked. When I try to give the teacher or student access, I receive a message letting me know that the district does not allow outside sites. I am not responsible for your district's firewall blocking sites. This is why it's important for you to go through the activity ahead of time.
What type of activities are in a digital escape room?
A digital escape room includes all sorts of games and puzzles for students to complete to receive clues. Some of the activities incorporate word searches, mazes, crack the codes, crossword puzzles, Google Maps, puzzles, music, reading passages, video clips, links to other sites, and YouTube. Even though, you want the escape to be challenging, you do not want your students to become frustrated. This is why you can give students HINTS so they can complete the escape.
What does it mean when I see "Make a Copy?"
For students to be able to work (edit) on their own copy of a Google Doc, Sheet, Draw, or Slide, a "force copy" is created. After they click on the "Make a Copy" button, a copy of the file can be saved in their Google Drive.
This was so much fun! The kids were totally engaged and quiet the entire time! They knew they had a free hint, but didn't want to waste it. I would love to purchase another resource like this!
Now that you're done preparing for digital escape rooms, it's time to receive your FREE Digital Escape Room, click HERE or on the image below. For more Digital Escape Rooms, click HERE.
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