Breakout of Typical Breakout Thinking

Do you know about BreakoutEDU? Maybe you attended the session last February where you had the chance to experience it yourself. Maybe you've participated in one with your coworkers. Maybe you've done some with your students. They are a ton of fun and there is a lot of activity hitting the 4 C's -- creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.

One thing that sometimes scares teachers off from attempting a BreakoutEDU with their kids is the set up. There are papers to be printed out and locks to set. Doing this for the first time can be daunting, but it gets easier the more times you do it.

But what if you could do a BreakoutEDU lesson that didn't require that? Sounds too good to be true, but it's totally possible! Cue the digital Breakout!

Digital Breakouts are done completely online. Students start at an initial website and solve puzzles and work through problems then submit their answers online. Even though they are not physically unlocking locks, they are still very much involved in those 4 C's. One thing that is really nice regarding the digital Breakout activities is that it is really easy to break kids into teams to work on the activity. You can put kids in groups of three, and each group can work at their own pace on their own activity.

There are some Breakout games that are free and some that are paid. You can sign in with your work Google account to create a free account and access the free games.

If using BreakoutEDU sounds like something you'd like to try in your class -- either using the box with the locks or using a digital game -- but you're unsure how to start, that's what I am here for! Let me know and I can help you find a game, set it up, and run it! If you've used a Breakout game in your class, please share in the comments! You just might inspire someone else to tackle this fun learning activity!