“Bringing the escape room to the classroom.”

I might be just a teeny bit obsessed with disguising learning as play, and being tricked into learning. There is a joy to figuring things out for yourself, and iterating on past knowledge to further your skills. Besides the fun of solving puzzles, there is also a real sense of collaboration and the payoff from combining observation skills with critical thinking.

Enter educator Adam Bellow. He saw the potential in escape rooms to hone the soft skills of team-building, communication, and problem solving. So he created his company, Breakout EDU, to bring escape rooms to the classroom. This comes in the form of a kit that includes multiple locks, cipher wheels, and black lights, and other props.

Then on the Breakout EDU platform, teachers can choose from thousands of games, resetting the Breakout EDU kit to fit the game format.

Adam joins us on Reality Escape Pod to talk about creating escape rooms for kids, especially in an academic setting. The Breakout EDU games all adhere to an academic curriculum, and also incorporate their “4 Cs” – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. I really enjoyed learning about the “4 C” cards that students use to explore different concepts after the game. These cards ask follow-up questions like “How would this game work if you didn’t play verbally?”

Even as an adult, playing escape rooms has helped me learn to be a better team player. I’m glad that school kids today have this opportunity too. To learn more, visit the Breakout EDU website or check out the resources below.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:00 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 03:13 The Concept of Breakout EDU
• 05:28 Development and Evolution of Breakout EDU
• 07:43 Components of Breakout EDU Kits
• 09:25 Challenges and Solutions in Breakout EDU
• 13:03 What Makes for an Excellent Breakout
• 17:33 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 19:46 The Breakout EDU Production Team
• 22:43 The Target Age-Range for Breakout
• 24:31 Digital Offerings and Expansion
• 31:12 The Logistics of Production
• 34:56 Creative Puzzle Design in Educational Games
• 35:51 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 37:46 Game Design Studio: Empowering Students and Teachers
• 40:41 Integrating Adobe Express and Ensuring Safety
• 42:35 The Role of Generative AI in Education
• 46:53 Sponsor Break: Cogs By Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
• 48:24 Breakout EDU’s Diverse Customer Base
• 55:54 Legal and Safety Considerations in EdTech
• 58:30 The Next Frontier for Breakout EDU
• 01:03:02 Credits

Leave a Voicemail

Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Breakout EDU website
• Game On Podcast

About Adam Bellow

Instagram: @breakoutedu & @adambellow

Email:  adam@breakoutedu.com

Adam Bellow is a dedicated educational technologist and father of two amazing kids. Adam is CEO and cofounder of Breakout EDU, the immersive gaming platform. He’s served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow for the White House and created several edtech learning platforms including eduTecher, eduClipper, WeLearnedIt, and eduGames.

Bellow began his career as a high school English teacher and has also served as a technology training specialist and director of technology for multiple school systems. He’s written numerous books about educational technology and speaks internationally on the topics of education, technology, innovation, and edupreneurship.

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