Written by Debbie Harris, Tech Tools brings you excellent technology tips to inspire you and add creativity to your teaching.

Escape rooms are extremely popular - there’s something about solving a problem, unlocking doors, and figuring out a puzzle that keeps participants engrossed. You can take advantage of this engaging format by making a digital version of an escape room, too.  (Plus, it’s free and doesn’t require you to set up real locks!)

Using Google Form’s verification tools, set up a series of challenges for students to solve. Students can only move on to the next challenge after they type in a correct answer and “unlock” a “lock,” continuing until they finally solve the final puzzle and “escape.”

To Learn More

  • For additional resources about digital breakouts, click here.
  • You can view a brief tutorial about how to create your own digital breakouts here.
  • Read a great blog post about digital breakouts.
  • View a sample digital breakout here.

To create a breakout that uses Google Forms and its accompanying verification tools, you will need to have a Google account.

In Your Classroom

  • Think about what artifacts you can include in your digital breakout. For example, if you are creating an Israel-based breakout, you can create dummy flight tickets that show the destination as Ben Gurion airport. You can also create  phony certificates or  even a pretend breaking news story that also includes a key clue.
  • Anyone up for a Hanukkah-themed breakout room? You can have puzzles that invite students to help the Maccabees find the oil or defeat Antiochus.

Debbie Harris is the Director of Educational Technology at Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago and blogs at http://www.museforjews.com. Reach her at deb@debharris.com

 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and connect with us on social media!