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Escape Room

Site: Vitajte v prostredí e-learningu na Filozofickej fakulte PU
Course: ELT: DASS Online Digital Tools
Book: Escape Room
Printed by: Hosťovský používateľ
Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024, 11:24 PM

Description

A brief description of Escape Room:

Escape Room is a team game where participants work together to solve puzzles and discover clues within a limited time to achieve a specific goal, often escaping from a room. In an educational context, Escape Room is time-constrained and problem-based. Teachers use them to create a discussion, cooperation and leadership. Escape Room is based on solving a problem, unlocking locks, and finding hidden clues to escape.  


There are different ways how to create an Escape Room through various websites such as Google Forms, ThingLink, Genially (links to the websites are provided below). 

Table of contents

1. Advantages of Educational Escape Room

Escape Room is a team activity which teachers should use in their practical teaching. It can be used in elementary school, middle school or high school. It is a great motivator for students in all ages, promoting both - enjoyment and learning. It allows students to develop cognitive thinking, collaboration, and various skills.


HOWEVER, WHY IS THIS ACTIVITY IMPORTANT? 

                                          LET'S TALK ABOUT ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATIONAL ESCAPE ROOM!

      1. Create a positive environment - taste for learning

Escape rooms offer a unique and creative setting for enjoyable experiences. Learning in a fun environment is enjoyed by both students and teachers. In a classroom, students improve their cognitive skills through the game, which is fun and gives them motivation to learn more. Students share their knowledge with teachers and peers, which also supports better relations in the classroom. Using the escape room in school emphasizes the playful aspect of learning. It proves to be an effective method to create a positive environment for students and the class.


      2. Collaboration and team work

In team games, children are motivated to communicate and promote group cohesion. They push their limits to achieve a victory. It can also help with improving relationships between students and making special friendship connections. During the activity, they forget their differences and have only one goal: to win. It can also help students discover each other’s personalities and talents. Some students are better at leading; some of them are more passive, but they must also help each other, which should improve their communication and collaboration skills.

     3. Develop different skills

In an Escape Room, students not only apply cognitive skills but also improve new ones such as communication, leadership, and social skills. Analyzing clues and solving puzzles demand analytical thinking. Many puzzles provide a practical side of education—problem-solving. Develop analytical, logical, and problem-solving skills. A good Escape Room should have plenty of opportunities for students to analyze clues and use logic and problem-solving skills to complete the challenges. 

     4. Learning is an active sport

The Escape Room is a perfect activity that can be used in different schools and subjects. Students are excited to learn something new. It can also help with active participation in the classroom and group. They learn while having fun. Through the active learning, students also develop critical thinking skills- they must solve the mysteries, which require concentration and logical problem-solving skills. 

      5. Communication

In escape rooms, effective communication is crucial for success. Students often share observations, ideas, and solutions with each other. Communication in escape rooms involves verbal exchanges, active listening, and sometimes non-verbal cues. They must convey their thoughts clearly to ensure everyone is on the same page. This collaborative communication fosters teamwork and encourages individuals to contribute their unique perspectives. Additionally, escape rooms often impose time constraints, adding a sense of urgency. This element encourages participants to communicate efficiently, prioritize information, and delegate tasks effectively, contributing to an overall improvement in communication skills.


Resources:

Why educational escape rooms will benefit students in the long run. Brainy Actz Escape Rooms. (2017, July 31). https://www.brainyactzescaperooms.com/educational-escape-rooms-will-benefit-students-long-run/

Margot. (2022, September 8). 5 good reasons to organize an escape room at school!. Escape Kit. https://escape-kit.com/en/education/5-reasons-organize-school-escape-room/





2. Disadvantages of Educational Escape Room


Can Escape Room have negativies? 

OF COUSE!

Everything has negatives and positivies. The using of Escape Room also has negative aspects.



NEGATIVES OF USING ESCAPE ROOM:

      1. Time Demands

The Escape Room needs more time than traditional teaching methods. There is not enough time to include the Escape Room in the lesson plan. Escape Room needs more time to be used in the class, but there is only 45 minutes that teacher usually uses for explaining of theoretical knowledge. 

      2. Risk of Bad Education

If teachers use the Escape Room in bad way and it is not properly designed, the Escape Room might not deliver the expected results - it means that students do not learn enough from this activity. It should be a connection between cognitive aims and having fun (NOT ONLY having fun!). 

     3. Not Suitable for All Topics

Not all subjects or topics are suitable fot the concept of escape games - limiting their universal application. The teachers should choose a topic which can bring some information about lesson or practise student's skills. The teacher must think whether the game will fulfill this purpose

    4. Participation

Some students may be less active or motivated. They do not like team games, or maybe they are introverts. In this case, the activity is not effective for them. 

    5. Difficulty, fear to failt

Some students are not in favour of the escape room, due to the limited time and fear of failure, they are stressful for them. Sometimes tasks can be difficult All learners should achieve the best possible outcomes. Game selection is influenced by several factors such as age, types of students, etc.



3. Tips for Teachers


Tips and Tricks 

You do not know how to create your own Escape Room? 

This chapter will help you!



    1. Watch the helpful videos

There are many ways to find information about escape games through articles, videos, books. The good resource is also Youtube platform - many videos about what is escape room or how to create it. We share one video with you: 

    

    2. Choose the platform

You can use different platform to create your own escape room. We choose three platforms which we would like to share.

LINKS: 

  • Genially: https://genial.ly/templates/gamification/escape-room/


  • ThingLink: https://www.thinglink.com/blog/how-to-make-a-virtual-escape-room/


  • Google Forms: https://www.google.com/forms/about/


     

      3. Choose the Topic

  • connection between having fun and achieve lesson goals - learning something. 
  • TOPIC IDEAS: Christmas, Traditions, Book Sharing (Discussion about this book), etc. 

      4. Create a Perfect Story/ PLOT

Why are you locked in the room? Figure out why someone is locked in the room - CREATE A STORY

  • Example: Six strangers are given mysterious black boxes with tickets to an immersive escape room for a chance to win tons of money. Being locked in several rooms with extreme conditions, they discover the secrets behind the escape room and must fight to survive and to find a way out.

4. DO'S and DON'TS

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 DO'S:

1. Choose a platform from which you can mostly benefit. If you are familiar with a platform that also provides the option to create your own escape room, it can save you time.

2. Creating narratives or stories around the escape room theme can immerse students in the experience, making learning more engaging and memorable.

3. Formulate your questions correctly.

4. Be creative with your choices – choose different kinds of tasks to create a better experience.

5.Multimodality is important. Use colors, pictures, and visual effects to create a fun experience. You can also choose effects or add music.

DON'TS:

1.Don't make the story too complicated: A good story can make it fun, but if it's too hard to follow, it might take away from what we're learning. Keep the story interesting but easy to understand.

2. Try it out first: Before giving it to students, test the escape room yourself. Look for anything that might confuse them, like tricky puzzles or unclear instructions.

3. Don't make it too hard: Challenges are good, but if the puzzles are too tough, students might get upset and not learn as well

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5. Tutorial How to Use Escape Room

                                              

                                                                     TUTORIAL HOW TO USE ESCAPE ROOM

1. Create a Genially Account: 

  • Visit the Genially website and create a free account if you don't have one already.
  • Log in to your account. 


2. Choose a topic and a template: 
  • for example: Christmas Escape Room- it finds you a lot of inspirations


3. Create an interesting plot: 
  • for example: Saving Christmas, Saving World,...
4. Design your Escape Room: 
  • focus on background


5. Add Interactive Elements:
  • Genially allows you to make your content interactive. Add buttons, hotspots, or links to create clickable areas that reveal clues or advance the storyline.
  • for example: Play, Next, Home,...


  • If you double-click on an interactive element (for example Play), a menu will appear; what should happen with it (for example add animation or edit interactivity - like in the picture (next page).  


6. Integrate Puzzles and Challenges:

  • Design puzzles or challenges that participants must solve to progress in the escape room. This could include riddles, logic puzzles, or code-breaking challenges.
  • You can choose from 4 free interactive questions: true or false, multiple choise, image selection or sort. 



  • SETTINGS: you can edit interactive question - its design, content and actions. 

7. Add pages:


8. Add images or design elements:


9. Test Your Escape Room:

  • Before sharing your escape room with others, thoroughly test it to ensure that all interactive elements work as intended.
10. Share Your Escape Room:

  • You can share the link or embed it on a website. (PRESENT)


6. Christmas Escape Room

                         

                                                                    GRINCH WANTS TO DESTROY CHRISTMAS!

Grinch doesn't like Christmas, so he tries to do everything to ensure that no one celebrates it. Help us save Christmas. Unlock all the rooms to prevent the Grinch from destroying Christmas and perfect atmosphere during this holiday.

https://view.genial.ly/656df744b213be00151a884b/interactive-content-christmas-escape-room

LINK: https://view.genial.ly/656df744b213be00151a884b/interactive-content-christmas-escape-room- Genially