For our April SGVCUE Coffee Break, we were pleased to have Jody Green treat us to a great time of learning and fun centered around Breakout EDU.
It had been over two years since I tried my first Breakout, at Spring CUE 2016, and I was excited to learn more. After a delicious breakfast and with a yummy cup of coffee in hand I was ready and Jody did not disappoint! She quickly got our teams going on a physical Breakout EDU game complete with some heavy duty locks – including a directional movement lock I’d never encountered before. The timer was set and . . . we were off!
What I loved the most during the physical game were the clues that Jody had hidden around the room in plain sight. I felt like Perry Mason connecting the pieces and MacGyver as I attempted to work the locks! We collaborated, discussed, stretched our minds and BROKE OUT!! Jody then passed out reflection cards that helped us to debrief and discuss elements of the game that worked, didn’t or could be changed/improved or adjusted for our grade levels.
But that wasn’t all that Jody had in store for our morning. She gave a short intro into Digital Breakouts, had us situate ourselves in pairs or triads, set the timer and sent us off on our second excursion. This time our travels were confined to the limitlessness of the internet. I was amazed by Jody’s use of Google Forms; each question of the form acted as a digital lock, alerting you immediately of your success or failure, each time you typed a guess in. The entire game was housed in a Google Site! My partner and I discussed each element together as we worked on finding clues, making connections, and thinking and rethinking possible solutions. After a lot of communication, laughs and more Harry Potter trivia than I had ever been exposed to, we successfully conquered our first digital Breakout!
After experiencing physical and digital versions of a Breakout and debriefing, Jody provided us with a choice between guided exploration or creation of Breakouts. With the wealth of resources she provided to us I am still exploring weeks later. Check out her amazingness here: bit.ly/sgvcueboe.
And of course at the heart of every SGVCUE Coffee Break is making connections with great educators. We would love to have you join us! Stay up-to-date on our events and hangouts at sgvcue.org.
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