The Tech Edvocate

Top Menu

  • Advertisement
  • Apps
  • Home Page
  • Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
  • Home Page Four
  • Home Page Three
  • Home Page Two
  • Home Tech2
  • Icons [No Sidebar]
  • Left Sidbear Page
  • My Account
  • My Speaking Page
  • Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
  • Newsletter Unsubscription
  • Our Brands
  • Page Example
  • Protected Content
  • Register
  • Request a Product Review
  • Shop
  • Shortcodes Examples
  • Signup
  • Start Here
    • Governance
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • The Edvocate
  • Topics
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue

logo

The Tech Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • Prepare Your IT Department for an AI Skills Gap

  • Emerging Technologies for Tracking COVID-19 in Higher Ed

  • Screencasting Adds Engagement to K—12 Classrooms

  • 6 Resources for Teaching about Artificial Intelligence

  • How New Innovative Features in Classrooms Support EdTech

  • Distance Learning during the Pandemic: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

  • Universities Deploy Chatbots To Aid Students In The Admissions Process And Beyond

  • Generational Differences Affect Tech Initiatives In Higher Education

  • Mixing And Matching: How To Blend Online Learning And AI

  • Understanding Institutional Reasons to Move to Cloud

Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
Home›Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech›Let Your Students Outsmart You with Digital Escape Rooms

Let Your Students Outsmart You with Digital Escape Rooms

By Matthew Lynch
June 13, 2019
Spread the love

Digital escape room creation is the one thing you should be doing for your students.

Most kids of all ages love exploratory learning, and escape rooms are all that and more. Founded on the idea of outsmarting an opponent, breakout rooms offer students an opportunity to outwit their teacher in a fun and hands-on experience.

The best escape rooms require participants to make higher level connections in thinking, work as a member of a team sharing a similar goal, and perhaps hardest of all, ask for help when needed. Live escape rooms can be a challenge to pull off, especially because some of them may be terrifying for younger children.

Digital escape rooms are a better alternative to live escape rooms. There’s no chance of children feeling confined and developing anxiety about the escape. Instead, they can access the digital room without fear. Students can take a break at any time during the simulation.

The digital escape room in 4 easy steps

The steps in creating a room will have you designing digital escape rooms with the skill of Toshimitsu Takagi, the first digital escape room video designer (2004).

1.     Pick a topic.

Digital escape rooms lend themselves to abiotic factors in ecosystems just as easily as they do studying literature like Fahrenheit 451 or math concepts like the Pythagorean Theorem. Anything you’re teaching can become a digital escape room.  

2.     Develop the clues.

You know your student better than anyone. Use the rapport you’ve built with your students to create the kinds of clues you know they’ll enjoy. These clues may include math formulas, secret messages, and even riddles or “insider” information from earlier class assignments.

3.     Keep it brief.

Avoid the temptation to make a highly-complex escape room featuring dozens of locks. The rule of thumb is that each lock should take about ten minutes to open. Four or five locks are sufficient to engage your students but not overwhelm or frustrate them.

4.     Create your digital locks.

You don’t have to worry about securing a physical space or manipulating live lock boxes. Instead, you will need to identify digital locks tor your students to unlock. When you link several locks together, you add the rigor students need for critical thinking.

You don’t have to design your digital escape room alone, either. Take a cue from the expectations you have of your students, and collaborate with the other teachers in your grade level or department. Together you can help each other build breakout rooms designed around a common theme.

Teach your students the process

Building the breakout room is only the beginning of the digital journey.

Once you’ve designed and created the escape room, you still have two tasks ahead. The first lies in teaching your students how to use the digital puzzle awaiting them. They need to know the behavioral and academic expectations. Furthermore, show how you intend to evaluate their progress in escaping from the breakout room.

Your students will still be eager to prove they can outsmart you!


Spread the love
Previous Article

How to Host an Education Conference on ...

Next Article

One Caveat about AI and Fact-Checking

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechFeaturedFresh

    Nurturing Innovators in the Classroom and Beyond

    March 4, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    10 ed-tech resources for school administrators

    August 14, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechOnline Learning & eLearning

    Preparing Students for Online Discovery eLearning

    February 3, 2020
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    Why Edtech Hasn’t Solved Education’s Problems

    April 1, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher Education EdTech

    9 Things That Educators Should Know About Gamification

    April 6, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Futures

    Can Gamification Help Struggling Students?

    December 28, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Uncategorized

    Are we getting closer to 1:1 iPad programs?

  • Uncategorized

    What Are the Pros and Cons of EdTech in the Classroom?

  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    10 Tech Tips to Start the School Year

Search

Login & Registration

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Prepare Your IT Department for an AI Skills Gap

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 3, 2021
  • Emerging Technologies for Tracking COVID-19 in Higher Ed

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 2, 2021
  • Screencasting Adds Engagement to K—12 Classrooms

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 1, 2021
  • 6 Resources for Teaching about Artificial Intelligence

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 26, 2021
  • How New Innovative Features in Classrooms Support EdTech

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 26, 2021
  • 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 11, 2017
  • 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2017
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 14, 2016
  • What is the Future of Online Learning in Higher Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 2, 2018
  • 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    May 5, 2018
  • 6 Resources for Teaching about Artificial Intelligence - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 26, 2021

    China Is Teaching Children about AI in Kindergarten. Should the US Be Worried?

    […] possibilities which is ...
  • How New Innovative Features in Classrooms Support EdTech - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 26, 2021

    The Significance of Technology in Your School

    […] Dictionary defines “Innovative” ...
  • Distance Learning during the Pandemic: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 25, 2021

    Virtual Learning Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

    […] applications and platforms ...
  • Universities Deploy Chatbots To Aid Students In The Admissions Process And Beyond - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 24, 2021

    How Can We Use Chatbots in Education?

    […] chatbot is any ...
  • Let’s talk Tech – Sine up for Math
    on
    February 23, 2021

    7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    […] Lynch, M. (2017, ...

EdTech Policy & Reform

  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    How Much Bias Is Okay in Your School?

    Spread the loveThe algorithm has proven itself to be a handy tool when it comes to solving education problems. It’s also not without bias.  You may be wondering how some ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, Not Attempt to Replace It

    Spread the loveThe newest generation of edtech is downright amazing; it’s no wonder that various education stakeholders might be a little excited about its potential to transform education. However, edtech ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How to Teach Kids to Communicate in This Digital Age

    Spread the loveWhen even the youngest children are spending the equivalent of a full work day looking at screens, it is perhaps no surprise that parents are wondering how to ...
  • EdTech FuturesEdTech Policy & Reform

    3 Reasons Why India Will Be A Leader in the EdTech Industry in the 21st ...

    Spread the loveAccording to a joint report by KPMG and Google, the online education industry is expected to grow at a healthy rate of 8 times to become a $1.96B ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How Does Technology Immersion Shape the Brain?

    Spread the loveDo you wonder what all of the screen time we have is really doing to our brains? As edtech continues to rise in prominence throughout the world, this ...

EdTech Startups & Businesses

  • EdTech Startups & BusinessesOnline Learning & eLearning

    Using Nudge Theory in Your Corporate Online Learning Classes

    Spread the loveAfter reading this headline, you may be asking yourself, what is nudge theory? Nudge theory centers on positive reinforcement and inferred suggestions to motivate a person to complete ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Bringing Education into the Business World

    Spread the loveU.S. businesses spent nearly $20 billion on training in 2019. That number decreased by roughly half from the year before. Companies aren’t providing fewer professional development opportunities for ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    You Must Include These 3 Things in Your Edtech Business Plan

    Spread the loveDo you have a business plan? It’s the one question you’re going to be asked a lot as you begin your edtech business. The reasons to write a ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Edtech Marketing Ideas to Implement Right Now

    Spread the loveEven if you do have the most exceptional edtech product or service in the world, you’ve still got to market it. Your sales and your success depend on ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    How Your Edtech Startup Can Make the Leap from Failure to Funded

    Spread the loveThe best ideas in edtech are often only ideas. They never become a reality because they lack the funding they need to get off the ground. Taking an ...

Digital Equity

  • Digital EquityDigital Leadership

    How Can You Assess the Tech Needs of Your Students Outside of School?

    Spread the loveToday, I received an email from the middle school principal in Los Angeles. She explained to me that the school that she ran was in one of the ...
  • Digital Equity

    It Is Time for the Edtech Industry to Stop Denying Its Equity and Race Problem

    Spread the loveThe EdTech industry is dominated by white employees, white leaders, and white entrepreneurs. If you doubt this statement, just attend an Edtech conference. Admittedly, educators and others don’t ...
  • Digital Equity

    How OER Can Help Overcome the Higher Education Equity Barrier

    Spread the loveThe cornerstone of the American dream is the ability to succeed in life regardless of one’s family of origin. And, for most people, that requires a college education. ...

EdTech Futures

  • EdTech FuturesOnline Learning & eLearning

    IT Trends To Watch As Higher Education Moves Into a New Decade

    Spread the loveEdtech couldn’t have hoped for a better launch into the new decade than the push the industry received from COVID-19. Even the most tech-resistant institutions and individuals have ...
  • EdTech Futures

    4 Emerging EdTech Trends in 2021

    Spread the loveCovid-19 has not only changed education as we know it, but it has forced education technology (EdTech) to up its game. EdTech has been crucial since the start of this ...
  • Adult EducationEdTech & InnovationEdTech FuturesEducation LeadershipEducational LeadershipHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechThe Future of Education

    Education Technology and the Future of Higher Ed Leadership

    Spread the loveEducation Technology (EdTech) has had a more significant impact on education than anyone expected. Now its effects are reaching into the field of higher education. In this article, ...
  • EdTech Futures

    Top Edtech Trends for 2021

    Spread the loveAre you ready to look ahead? Schools will soon be reflecting on what’s been working this year and what’s not. They’ll also begin thinking about their budgets for ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Futures

    In the Wake of Teacher Shortages, Schools are Turning to Virtual Teachers

    Spread the loveTeaching was once a greatly respected position, and today, morally it still seems to be of high value to many Americans. Institutionally, however, teaching no longer seems to ...

About Us

Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact Us

The Tech Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
advocatefored@gmail.com

Follow us

Copyright © 2021 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.