My First Digital Breakout!

This summer I attended EdCamp Library in Frisco, TX. While there, I attended a very interesting session about library orientations. I loved hearing all of the awesome ideas shared, and I came home knowing I would try something new out this year to familiarize students with the library once again.

My "something new" would be a digital breakout. I wanted to try this because I'd been hearing and reading so much about them. Right from the start, I made it a bit easier on myself by not using boxes or locks the boxes this first time -- although I do eventually want to try them.

I started out by connecting with my digital learning coach. She gave me the idea to create my breakout using Google Forms. We talked through a couple of the questions, and she showed me how to use "Response Validation" on each question to have students enter a code. With "response validation", the form replies with a "custom error text" when the answer is incorrect.

I first drew up the questions, each of them leading to a spot in the library that they needed to know:

1.) Book return
2.) Fiction
3.) Graphic novels
4.) Texas Bluebonnet Books
5.) Nonfiction
6.) Diary of a Wimpy Kid books
7.) Research station

I decided that I wouldn't connect the questions to another one, but instead give students the option of completing them out of order if they wanted. It is possible to connect them by placing the link on the Google Form, but because this was my first one, I decided to do it this way.

To connect with our back-to-school theme, I gave each a question a bit of a "camping" flavor, serving up the breakout on a picnic-style table cloth.

Here is a screenshot of my first question:

My custom error text was "No, please try again".

For some of the questions, I did not have to come up with a random code. The answer was clear cut!

On the lower right hand corner of each form, you will find the "Response Validation" option. That is how the form checks the answer. This part is a bit tricky because you have to make sure it is not set to "greater than" or "less than" instead of "Equal to"; if you don't do this, the answer will be wrong.  Also, It took me a few tries to get this right.

I added Question 6 because I do get asked this question often! Do you???

Next, I housed all of the questions (7) on a Google Site. It was relatively easy to embed each of the forms.

I then created a QR Code for the Google Site and printed a few of them for my first class.

The teacher and I divided the class in groups of 4 and equipped with an iPad, they were off!

As I did the activity with a few classes,  I realized that seven questions takes awhile - and didn't give as much time as I wanted for checkout, so I decided to make it a challenge instead, encouraging the students to complete as many as possible within our time frame. Learning is all about being flexible, right?

The students enjoyed it, and I was glad I was able to adjust as needed. For my first try, I think it went fairly well, and I know the next one will be even better!