Digital escape rooms have been a student favorite since I started using them a few years back. They loved them so much that I started creating my own. If digital escape rooms are something you’re already using or plan to use, I have answers to many of the questions I get from users.
What are digital escape rooms?
Digital escape rooms are activities that turn learning into a game. Students barely recognize they’re learning because they get so involved in the various tasks. They can be used with any subject area or skill. Since I teach ELA, my escape rooms focus on important ELA and Reading standards covered in middle school, such as main idea, figurative language, point of view, elements of fiction and nonfiction, author’s purpose, and more. Students have a variety of activities they must complete in order to get a code that will allow them to move on to the next “room.” Once they have completed all of the tasks correctly, they escape. I’ve also blogged about how to create your own escape room here.
What digital tools are used in your escape rooms?
The majority of my digital escape rooms are housed on Google Forms. The Google Forms have directions and links to each activity. The link may take students to Google Slides, Google Docs, a jigsaw puzzle, a video, etc. After completing the activity, students will be required to determine the code for that “room.” Explicit directions will be given for how to do this in each room. I always tell my students that they must READ CAREFULLY so that they follow the directions correctly.
How do I share the digital escape room with my students?
Check out the video below to see exactly how to share the escape room with your students.
What if my students receive a “permissions error” when trying to complete the digital escape room?
This typically happens when your district/school blocks resources made by outside networks (that’s me). First, if your school has a tech person, see if they can fix this. If not, there are 2 work arounds for this:
- Allow students to use their personal emails to log into Google. For those that don’t have an email, let them work with someone who does.
- Use your cell phone hotspot if you have one to avoid using the school’s network.
Why can’t students access the puzzle at www.jigsawplanet.com?
This is also an issue controlled by your district. There is likely a firewall blocking this site. Since a lot of digital escape rooms use Jigsaw Planet, consider contacting tech support at your school to see if they can unblock this. It’s also VERY important to read what programs are used in the escape room you’re purchasing. This is stated in all of my descriptions for each digital escape room I sell on Teachers Pay Teachers.
If you have used my escape rooms, I’d love to see some pictures of your students in action? If you’ll share them with me by tagging @litwithlyns on Instagram or Facebook or by emailing me, I’ll send you a freebie! I’ll make sure students faces are blurred out as well.
Let me know if you have any other questions that weren’t covered here!
