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Snowman created with 3D printed objects for the TCEA Staff bulletin board.
STEM/STEAM

3D Printing and Bulletin Boards

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

In May of 2014, TCEA moved into a brand new office space. It’s a wide open space that’s been decorated with appealing artwork and artifacts from TCEA Conventions past throughout the staff and conference center. But we have ONE bulletin board in the staff Commons Area. It is your typical 4 x 6 bulletin board that you would find in a school setting. I must admit it doesn’t receive much attention, so I have kind of deemed myself the captain of the TCEA bulletin board. After all, as a former teacher of 24 years, decorating bulletin boards is in my blood.

This past December, as I was mulling over the new bulletin board, I decided to take a maker approach and get the TCEA staff to participate. I took a three-fold approach with the December-February bulletin board.

Everybody Makes

The first part is pretty much a standard activity. Each staff member made a snowflake out of a coffee filter they had folded, cut out their unique snowflake design, and dipped in water with food coloring. It was a quick and easy little craft that made for a nice holiday brain break from the workday. 

Create Art, Not More Waste

The second part is the focal point of the bulletin board: a snowman. He would be the one surrounded by the staff’s beautiful snowflakes. I tried to reuse or upcycle materials to create the snowman. The eyes were made out of soda pop bottles. I used discarded trays to create his snowball torso and head. 

3D Printing for Bulletin Boards

The third part of my vision included the 3D printed parts. I used these to create the snowman’s orange nose and red buttons. Coming up with no recycled material for these two pieces, I decided to put our 3D printer to good use.

If you are wondering when I was going to get to the educational part of this blog…here it comes. Why not have a bulletin board where the parts are 3D printed by your students? This would be a great class project which includes a plan of action, design, and measurement. Getting everyone involved and invested in creating the bulletin board helps inspire a positive culture, whether you’re in an office or a classroom. Everyone gets to see the fruits of their creative labor as they go about their days. Creating a bulletin board with reused or upcycled materials is another way to get those creative juices going. 

And don’t forget to check out this February blog post for another idea that combines making and 3D printing.

Featured image photo by author.

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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!

More Digital Breakouts

Featured image designed by TCEA.

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3D printing
STEM/STEAM

Bright Ideas for 3D Printing

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

With the cost of 3D printers coming down and the quality going up, it’s no wonder that more and more folks are joining the 3D printing craze. Even if you are a novice at designing in SketchUp, Tinkercad, or Fusion 360, you can find tons of files already created and ready to be downloaded and printed. If you haven’t joined the 3D printing fun yet, then jump over and read our post Easy Answers to FAQs about 3D Printing to get started.

3D Printing Starter Ideas

For some easy and fun 3D printing, I have pulled together a variety of light switches that you can download and print. Even if you don’t want to modify the files, you will find that you, and others, will get a smile each time you use your light switch. Above is the light switch that I modified for our type of plate at work. I set mine so that the switch is to one side in case I wanted to do something fancy on the other side. After you print one out, you will start having new ideas of how you can tweak it. If you plan to print out anything that LEGOs can snap to, be sure to print out a test file first and check to make sure that the pieces can snap on without crowding each other. Though you can create it from scratch, you might find it easier to start with a LEGO baseplate and then cut out the area for your switch(es).

Here is a super simple wall plate for a light switch to start with. Even though it has ON and OFF lightly carved in it, you can  easily fill it in to make a solid plate on which you can add text, objects, etc. Even though this one doesn’t involve LEGOs, you will want to print the first one in draft or quick mode so you can verify that the screws and switch hole line up with yours. No need to spend several hours designing first only to find out later that they apparently have one that doesn’t meet the specs of yours.

If you are into gears, then SRex has designed the Geared Light Switch Plate. This one is for the three-switch plate. Instead of flipping the switch, you crank the appropriate handle to turn the gear that moves the other gear plate to flip the switch. The nice thing about the two outer gears is that there is ample room if you wanted to add text or designs to the inner portion. This is a great switch for a child’s room or the STEM lab.

If you are a science teacher or English teacher, you might be interested in the Frankenstein Light Switch Plate by LoboCNC. Science teachers might like the electricity reference, while English teachers may enjoy just another reference to classic fiction literature. If you don’t have brown filament to use for it, then you might consider painting it before you assemble and install it. LoboCNC gives you several files so you can accommodate single, double, and triple switch plates, as well as one with a paddle-style rocker plate.

Harry Potter fans will enjoy the Harry Potter Light Switch Cover by momofthreeboys. No need for a dual extruder; just use black filament and then carefully paint the letters and lightening bolt with silver. This plate also has three hooks at the bottom (not shown) for you to hang your keys on…or your dragon leash or magic wand. Though I have not printed this plate, it appears that you might want to make the base slightly thicker so the supporting rafts are not apparent or just make sure the plate is solid and does not contain a hollow core.

And no collection would be complete without a Tardis Light Switch by zerocool5878 for all the Dr. Who fans in your classroom or office. Of course you know you have to print some extras for the others to have in their rooms. With just a little searching, you can find all sorts of matching Tardis projects to print.

So which one will you print out first? I bet that if you put it in your classroom, your students will want one and your cool factor will go up a few digits! If so, let us know how it goes…and be sure to share a photo of your final project by emailing it to me at bellis@tcea.org or tweeting it out using the #TCEA and #makers hashtags.

 

More 3D Articles

3D Printing Projects Can Bring Learning to Life

10 Reasons to Invest in 3D Printer Technology in Education

Three Steps to 3D Printing with Young Learners

3D Tools, Libraries, and Resources

3D Printing and Bulletin Boards

3D Printing Projets for Micro:Bit

Bringing Student 3D Creations and STEM to Life

Envision the Future: 3D Printing Apps

Happy 3D Valentine’s Day

Merry 3D Printing from TCEA!

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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

More Digital Breakouts

Featured Image: Screenshot by author

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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!

More Digital Breakouts

Featured image designed by TCEA.

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