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Discover tips and tools for creating digital breakouts. Engage students with interactive, problem-solving activities to enhance learning.

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Valentine’s Day Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Are you looking for Valentine’s Day themed digital breakout? Well, you’re in luck! This particular breakout has five digital locks: 7 Letter, 3 Word, 5 Direction, 3 Number, and 4 Color. Educators, remember just email me at preimers@tcea.org and I will send you the answers.

So before you let your students enjoy all the goodness this holiday brings, give them 45 minutes to solve the breakout!

Screenshot by author.

More Valentine’s Day Activities

Digital Valentine’s Day Activities

Sharing Virtual Valentine’s Cards

Happy 3D Valentine’s Day!

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Digital BreakoutSocial Studies

MLK Jr. Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Every third Monday in January is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a commemoration of the life of the civil rights leader on the occasion of his birthday. Signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, today it is a federal holiday celebrating the enduring power of the civil rights movement and one of its most prominent voices.

If you are looking for a supplemental activity to add to your exploration of this national celebration, try the MLK Digital Breakout.

Engage Your Students with a Digital Breakout

Digital breakouts are an interactive way for students to explore a variety of topics. The process involves using knowledge and reasoning to solve a series of clues that “unlock” digital locks, just as you might with a physical breakout box.

Screenshot of the digital breakout by author.

With this MLK-themed breakout, students can learn about Dr. King’s family and early life, his influences, and the achievements he gained over the course of his celebrated career. Give it a try yourself. You can find our MLK Breakout here.

If you have questions, please reach out to me.

More MLK Day Resources

Digital Resources for MLK Day

Teaching and Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

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Digital BreakoutGood Teaching

Falling for Digital Breakouts

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

The days are cooling down, the leaves are turning beautiful colors, and football season has kicked off. Fall is here, even though the thermometer has hit 98º as I write this. But officially, the calendar does state that fall has arrived. Instead of heading for the goal line or intercepting the football, how about grabbing an apple cider and tackling a digital breakout?

The Game Plan (What is a digital breakout?)

A digital breakout does not require a physical box and locks. Instead, this type of breakout needs a web page on a Google Site. The page contains images, text, and hidden hyperlinks that students can use to solve digital puzzles. A Google Form is used to create the digital locks. In order for a Google Form question to act as a lock, the question needs to have the response validation selected. You can find this option by clicking the Skinny Snowman (three horizontal dots) in the lower right-hand corner of each question. The most common locks are Direction, Color, Number, Word, Letter, and Date. 

Texas State Symbols

Opening Digital Locks

Here is one process for finding the answer for a digital lock. Let’s say you have a Six-Letter Lock on a digital breakout themed around the state of Texas.  Students use the website to find the answer. They might first think that the Six-Letter lock is Austin because there is an image of the capitol building with information about the city. Could the word be Austin? A student would type Austin in the Google Form under that particular lock. If it is not the correct word, students keep looking for more clues that would lead to a different six-letter word. Perusing down farther on the website,  there is a group of state symbols as pictured above. Which word has exactly six letters? Could one of those state symbols be the Six-Letter Lock?

 Do be aware that there are “red herrings” in most digital breakouts that will distract players and could lead them on a wild goose chase.

Tips for Making Digital Breakouts Easier for Everyone

A digital breakout can be a little confusing at first because directions are not provided or spelled out specifically. It helps for students to work in pairs (two brains process information differently, which really helps in finding answers). Try working out a digital breakout as a class first to model possible strategies. Find my easy breakouts here.

Breakouts for Fall

Fall Is Here Breakout

The Boo Breakout

The Gobble Gobble Breakout

The Merry Merry Breakout

Bonus: Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Remember that if you need a hint or two, please email me at preimers@tcea.org. And be sure to check out our other digital breakouts here. Happy Breaking Out!

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Digital BreakoutEducational TrendsGood Teaching

Back to School Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Kick off the school year with a TCEA digital breakout. The theme is school supplies.

If you are new to digital breakouts, check out the basics. (If not, skip on down to the Back to School breakout section.)

What is Breakout EDU?

Teams of students follow clues posted and/or hidden in the classroom to open up a locked box. The box can have one or several locks. The time frame for Breakout EDU is usually 30 to 45 minutes.

What is a Digital Breakout EDU?

A digital breakout uses a Google Form and Google Sites. You will find images, text, and hyperlinks on the Google Sites. Students use the information on this page to solve digital puzzles. Next, they submit the answers in the Google Form. The Google Form uses response validation to create the digital locks. Unless you provide the exact content, the question does not unlock. Students will not be able to submit the form unless all the digital locks contain the correct answers.

Digital Breakouts in the Classroom

The beauty of digital breakouts is students can work by themselves, in pairs, or in small groups. Time limits are set in the story line. Teachers can set their own time frames. You can find digital breakouts  for every level and subject imaginable. Remember that the intrinsic reward is solving the breakout, so no prizes are necessary. The Back to School Digital Breakout is on the easy end of the spectrum. It is a great “starter”  to this type of game format.

Equipment Necessary

The only item you need for a digital breakout is an internet-connected computer. A laptop, desktop, or Chromebook is the preferred device. You can also use an iPad to play.  The tricky part on an iPad is toggling between two tabs in the browser. One tab is for the Google Site with the breakout information and the other is for the Google Form to type the answers.

Accessing the Google Form from an iPad

  1. Tap on the Google Form which contains the locks.
  2. In the upper right corner, tap on the action button. Note: The action button is the little square button with the upward pointing arrow.
  3. A Google Form will open in another tab.

Flip-flop between the two tabs. Google Sites holds the breakout information. The Google Form has the answers.

The Back to School Digital Breakout

Is this a hidden lock?
Is this a hidden lock?

If you are ready to get started, click here.

The Lock Information

The Back to School Breakout has a total of four locks:

  • 7-Direction Lock
  • 4-Color Lock
  • 4-Letter Lock
  • 3-Number Lock

Helpful Hints

  • Find the three hidden links on the web page.
  • The fourth lock is a school supply quiz in a Google Form. The student will need to look at the image and type in the correct word. Spelling counts! When you reach the submission page, you will reach the lock riddle.
  • No external links appear. Younger learners will not find annoying ads or possible inappropriate content.

Don’t forget that you can always email me for hints if you get stuck on the puzzles. Happy Breaking Out!

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The Merry Merry Breakout scenario screenshot
Digital BreakoutEducational TrendsGood Teaching

The Merry Merry Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Somewhere in the month of December,  I stumbled upon a blog post by John Spencer entitled, “Ten Creative Alternatives to Showing Movies Before the Break.” You can read his article here and pick up some great ideas for the last weeks of school before the new year.

Creative Alternatives

Creative Alternatives

John is a former middle school teacher and current college professor in Oregon. He is on a quest to transform schools into “bastions of creativity and wonder.” If you visit his blog, you can sign up to receive the Ten Creative Ways to End the Semester Resource Pack.

I was very interested in checking out his blog to see his ten activities. John has great suggestions that can be incorporated into all grade levels and subject areas. However, I must say he should have included a digital breakout, bumping the list to ELEVEN!

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Breaking Into Breakouts

A breakout is a bit like an escape room but on a smaller (and safer) scale. Students are challenged to use clues to open locks, and ultimately finish the game. The Merry Merry Breakout is entirely digital. A digital breakout does not require a physical box and locks, like traditional breakouts. Instead, this type of breakout needs a web page on a Google Site. The page can include images, text, and hidden hyperlinks that students can use to solve digital puzzles.

A Google Form is used to create the digital locks. In order for a Google Form question to act as a lock, the question needs to have the response validation selected. You can find this option by clicking the “Skinny Snowman” (three horizontal dots) in the lower right-hand corner of each question. The most common locks are Direction, Color, Number, Word, Letter, and Date.

The Merry Merry Breakout

 The Merry Merry Breakout is a Christmas-themed breakout with five digital locks. The breakout contains information on Christmas traditions and holiday trivia. You can find all the answers on the breakout site. A couple of the answers will only be revealed if you locate the hidden links on the page. These links will lead to puzzles that will need to be solved.

I kept the external links to only one outside source to eliminate annoying ads or possible inappropriate content. The only external link on the site is a YouTube video of the Frosty the Snowman song. This video is not a digital lock answer, so don’t be concerned if your school district blocks YouTube videos.

Don’t forget! You can always email me for hints or answers if you get stuck on any of the puzzles. 

Along with gift opening, caroling, gingerbread house decorating, and other family traditions, consider adding a digital breakout to your family gatherings or holiday festivities. You can find a plethora of physical and digital breakouts at the official Breakout EDU website.

Happy two times: Happy holidays and happy breaking out!

Access: The Merry Merry Breakout

***This breakout is typically done with Grades 4-8.

More Winter Resources from TechNotes

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Digital BreakoutEducational Trends

The 50 States Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

The great thing about educators is they are constantly adapting things found out in the real world and puttinthg an educational spin on the endeavor to help students. After visiting an escape room (a room where a group of people are locked in and have to solve clues and riddles to escape), James Sanders and Mark Hammons developed Breakout EDU. They could not lock students in a room, but they came up with a unique twist on the concept. The two built a wooden box and added a hasp with a couple of locks. Then they built a storyline with clues that could be found in the physical classroom and on the internet. Given 45 minutes, students search for and decipher clues in order to “breakout.”

The next iteration of this phenomenon has now happened: enter teachers Justin Birckbichler and Mari Venturino. They loved seeing their classes engaged and motivated with the Breakout EDU concept. The two wanted to replicate the game with only digital tools, so they developed a Google Site with clues and distractors. They used a Google Form with data validation to replicate the locked box.

In April 2016, James Sanders reached out to Justin and Mari and asked if they would like to officially become Breakout EDU Digital, and take on breakoutedu.com/digital. They said yes, and now there is serious detective work TOTALLY online.

And the timeline continues:  This past January, I took notice of a post in the GFE Certified Trainer Google Group from Tonya Coffey. She posted, “Just in time for Groundhog Day 2017 – The Runaway Shadow, Digital Breakout.” She has her own website of eight digital breakouts themed around holidays.

Being bitten by the Breakout EDU bug a good two years ago, my colleague Jennifer Bergland and I designed two audience participation breakouts for conference and convention settings. Both are complete with props, costumes, and digital and physical clues to introduce Breakout EDU. This session is now one of my top favorites to lead as the game unfolds differently each time. It’s education at its best.  It is fun, learning without realizing it, and builds 21st century skills. 

After checking out Tonya’s website, I got JAZZED up again. “I thought to myself. I want to do this!” But, let’s take a step back first and answer some fundamental questions about a digital breakout.

Who should play?

Small groups of students

What is a digital breakout?

A webpage with images, text, and hyperlinks. Students use the information to solve digital puzzles. These puzzles are set as Google Form questions with data validation. Unless you provide the exact content, the question does not unlock. And you will not be able to submit the form unless the correct content is entered.  

How does it work?digital breakout

Let’s say you have a six-letter word lock puzzle about Texas as the ultimate goal. Students use the website to find the answer. They might first think that the solution is Austin because there is an image of the capitol building with information about the city. Could the word be Austin? A student would type Austin in the Google Form under that particular lock. If it is not the correct word, students keep looking for more clues that would lead to a different six-letter word. Do be aware that there are “red herrings” that will distract players and could lead them on a wild goose chase.

How much time?

Usually 30 to 45 minutes.

Why have students participate in a digital breakout?

  • Logic
  • Problem-solving
  • Critical thinking
  • Creativity
  • Team building
  • Communications
  • Collaboration

Where can you start with digital breakouts?

So many words ago, I mentioned that I’m all in when it comes to breakouts. I didn’t just bite off a little piece of the digital pie. I am in WHOLE HOG! My goal was to create a digital breakout game for all 50 states and I have done it!

I used the same format for each state, but varied the locks and used unique facts. Each state includes:

  • Storyline
  • Suggested timeline of 30 minutes (adjustable as the teacher sees fit)
  • Four digital locks
  • Standard locks  (1 or more)  word, number, directional, and color
  • Speciality locks (1 or more) letter and number combinations, abbreviation, time zones, alliteration, etc.
  • Work these along with your students or tackle them first 

I am so excited to rollout the The 50 States Digital Breakouts.

I have edited each state three times, tested the links, and verified that all information is on the site. (You will need access to Google maps when it comes to the directional locks.) But, as you know, from outside one’s Google domain, things may be slightly different than one figures. Please send me your suggestions, comments, and questions. Feedback is graciously accepted. Enjoy!

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