OA21: Breakout (3) Make learning fun! Escape rooms with Xerte

00:10 - And today, I’m going to talk to you about Xerte and Escape Room in Xerte.

00:16 - We had a really rough two years and, or a bit longer here.

00:22 - And one of the things that you could do is making learning fun, although it is online, and you can do that with Escape Rooms as Xerte is really good to do that.

00:36 - I’m giving this presentation live, so I hope everything works.

00:39 - I will show you some examples, and if we have time enough, I will show you how it shows on the back and of the Escape Room, so you can see how it’s built up.

00:56 - For you, (indistinct) Xerte, is there’s anyone, everybody knows Xerte, you have raise hand in the right bottom.

01:08 - If you know Xerte, please raise your hand. So that’s only Tom.

01:18 - Then I can go into explain a bit more about, oh, and Lucy.

01:23 - I explain a bit more about the Xerte. Xerte is an altering tool that you can use to create a media rich online, accessible learning modules.

01:37 - You can create a sort of mini websites, but you can also create a module where you can click through and see all kinds of information, video, audio, text interactions.

01:51 - There are lots of interactions, possible questions, multiple choice, interactive video, the Media 360 page I showed you yesterday.

02:01 - I think we have more than 70 pages you can use in Xerte.

02:07 - It’s really easy to distribute, you can just create a link and send the link to someone, put a link in your learning management system, or you can use SCORM or LTI and it’s also API enabled, so you can track all the, everything that’s done if you have a learning record store.

02:32 - Then another fairly big advantage of Xerte is that you easily can share modules and reuse them.

02:39 - In the Netherlands, we have a project at the moment for a big group of schools, vocational schools that are sharing and reusing each other’s learning modules.

02:49 - And what they do is they download a module, uploaded in their Xerte installation and make some changes, so that it fits for their school and their students.

03:05 - So let me show you some examples. This is a Doctor Noacces, this is a Escape Room about accessibility.

03:13 - It’s creator, Helen Ghodbane and Shannon Caruana from the Regent’s University in London and the South Thames College.

03:24 - They had an Escape Room, but it was made in Padlet and all kinds of other tools.

03:32 - So I asked her, is it okay for you to create one in Xerte with the same content? And this is what we created, when you click on this, I will share the link in the chat that you have this learning object itself now you can look at it later.

03:51 - So if you click on this, it will open, to be quick, I have opened it in the browser already.

03:56 - So this is the Escape Room from Helen. When you start it, you get first the goals in this Escape Room.

04:08 - And I will talk a bit later about this. If you are creating an Escape Room, you ask have to think, is this for fun, just for fun, or is this surrounding a subject, do they have to learn a new subject, or do they have to practice for Math or Physics, or History? So you need to know the goal where you make it for, and in this case, these are the goals from Helen.

04:40 - Then she starts with a small video, I’m not going to play this now because you don’t hear it.

04:46 - But in this video, it’s explained what you should do by about Dr. Noacces and he is wanted, we have to search him and disable what he’s doing.

04:58 - And this is the mission, here is also a bit of explanation, what you should do in this Escape Room.

05:06 - Then Helen made a linear Escape Room, so you go from page to page, to page.

05:12 - You have an assignment, if you have a drive to go to the next one, and then in the end, that’s the fourth one.

05:22 - You are on the end of the Escape Room. This is in English, but it’s also a bit in Dutch too.

05:28 - So I try to translate as much as I could, but sometimes you have Dutch.

05:33 - So this is an Escape Room for accessibility and how to learn Dutch, I think.

05:39 - So this is level one. Then I get an assignment, this is one image you see here and we added some things to it, and some hotspots.

05:51 - So I can go back to the timeline, then I’m back at the beginning, but I can also crack the code.

05:58 - And if I know what this is, in this case, it’s Marsha.

06:05 - I don’t know what it’s called in English, but I can go to the next level by entering the code.

06:14 - And in this case, I know the code. So I check it and I have it right.

06:24 - So I’ve one thing down and I have two to go, but my time is running out.

06:31 - And Dr. Noacces is going further, so I go to level two.

06:35 - So you see now that level one or level two are open, I go to level two, you see different things.

06:41 - And again, you get an assignment, you can start the assignment here and if you know the code, then you go to crack the code.

06:52 - I will fill it in here and I go to level three.

07:00 - And when I’m in level three, again, I get an assignment, I can crack the code again.

07:08 - I will crack at the code and I check, and I have it right.

07:16 - And at the end, and here is a small video again about Dr. Noacces and we dismantled the bomb in this case.

07:25 - So this is a linear learning object, a linear Escape Room.

07:31 - But we have another example later. That’s not linear, just a few, some information about when you creating Escape Rooms, Escape Room is not something you do in one hour, you have to plan it, you have to think through it, you have to have all the images, videos, all the assignments that you want, the codes that you want to add in.

07:56 - So you have to plan a bit before you create the Escape Room.

08:01 - So what’s the goal? Make a mind map of everything that you want to have in it, maybe do some storyboarding, if you use a lot of visuals, and then you can think about a content, what are the main chapters, clues, maybe also clues that doesn’t do anything just to distract the users, and some hints, and which tools you are using.

08:36 - You can use Xerte, but there are also possibilities to use Xerte with other tools, like Padlet or that kind of things.

08:46 - So what pages should you use in Xerte? I used the X from Y page, that’s the one I used for the code, but there are different other, a lot of other pages you can use for the, and you will see that in an Escape Room as well.

09:03 - We use a lot of hotspot image connector. That’s a bit, if you have a big image. And on the image, you have all kinds of hotspots where you can go to different places or hear something, or see a video, or that kind of information.

09:17 - Of course, we use also a standalone pages, so you create the Escape Room, but sometimes you need all the information and then you create a standalone pages where you can click on, then it opens in a mode of window, you can see and read, and get the information.

09:40 - And with a cross, you close it. Then you’re still on the same page in the Xerte Escape Room.

09:48 - Then yes, you get what I told you, you can do it just for fun around a specific subject, but also for skills training and onboarding.

09:56 - Yesterday, I showed you the image, the Media 360 page, and the interactive video.

10:03 - If you do some onboarding, you can use this really for a small Escape Room to get the students and the teachers, new teachers, acquaintance with your organization, and with your university or school.

10:23 - And for the distribution, you can do it in this ways.

10:29 - So this is another example. This is made by Menno the Waal from ROC from Amsterdam and he created this Escape Room and this was the first one he created.

10:42 - So I go to this one, you can click on parts here in the Escape Room.

10:52 - So, Oh no, my students lock me up in the classroom and I have to find a clue to get out of here.

11:00 - And if you go over our hotspots, you see the mouse with a hand and a label, so I know there’s here one on the computer.

11:12 - Oh, it’s still boots, I have to come back later.

11:16 - It doesn’t work, so I can’t use that to go out, here I get some audio message.

11:23 - You don’t have, not dial the number so you can’t get out of here this way, and then I know here’s a door and I’m in the book room, but I can’t do anything here except go back.

11:40 - And then I’ll have certain after clicking a lot, I see a light switch here and now it’s dark.

11:47 - And if I go here into the book room, I see some things glowing here. It’s very small for you.

11:54 - But when I click on this, I get some information, Oh, I need to find a telephone number.

12:00 - And the telephone number is created with this words.

12:04 - And here, see here, there’s a paper prop in the classroom.

12:08 - Please look there. So I go back to the classroom and it’s still dark.

12:13 - So I need to put on the lights and here’s the paper with the…

12:21 - Sorry, I meant all night. So I’m not going to do this assignment because of the time.

12:28 - And now I have to, I know that I have to click out the lights again, and I noticed that after doing this several times, I go here again, go here again.

12:42 - Yes, I know the number for example. And I can click here to go to the phone, so I have to click on the light again and go to the phone.

12:55 - And now I can choose phone number. I will pick this one and now I get a message that this, the wrong number, try again.

13:06 - So I go back to the classroom, I have to put on the light again, and I will pick this one.

13:12 - This is the right answer. So I confirm, and now I get a message with an assignment in it and you don’t hear it, but I know the assignment.

13:22 - So I go back to the classroom and I know now what to do, but before I do that, I have to go in here again.

13:38 - So it takes you much longer to find this out, but the students will click around and do a lot of things before they are here. So I will put a light on again, go to the computer and here I can answer the question.

13:55 - Now, if I’ve answered the question, I get an open door and I can get out.

14:00 - So this is a different way of having an Escape Room.

14:04 - You have one, place where you are, and you can click on several things, but you manage it from that one classroom.

14:17 - I have another example. I go back here and you can do this later, also.

14:26 - This is made by Marlieke Edam from the Windesheim College, it’s a higher education school, and is a real Escape Room lover.

14:35 - And what she did is create this box and everything you see in this box are really small items, this small table and a small lamp, and a small candle.

14:49 - And she created that and she asked me to help her to make an online version of this Escape Room.

14:58 - So we tried to do that. Let me see, this is in Dutch, but if you use Google Chrome, you can translate it in English.

15:08 - It will not translate everything, but a lot.

15:12 - So first you get some information about how this Escape Room works and also an audio file that’s telling something.

15:23 - So this is the Escape Room she built. This is the box and she made pictures of it.

15:27 - When I go into this room and when I click here, I can’t go in, I have to find some answers first.

15:35 - And this is a non-linear Escape Room with a lot of rooms that you have to find your way around.

15:42 - And in this room, the living room, I have a lot of items I can click on, for example, the money.

15:48 - And I get a message, Oh, I saw money, maybe I can use this later.

15:52 - In this case, you can’t do anything with it, but they are distractors.

15:58 - What’s also a really good on this Escape Room is that you don’t have a question and one answer, but you have to do two, several of two different questions or assignments and connected them together to have the total code.

16:18 - And sometimes, it’s in this room and sometimes, it’s in another room.

16:25 - For example, this painting. In this room, that I can’t find information to do it in another room.

16:40 - So in this case, I find an arrow here that’s very important, and I find a number here.

16:49 - It’s a bit dark for you, but there’s a number here.

16:53 - So when you do the Escape Room and when you can let student groups work on it.

16:59 - So each group is doing the Escape Room and who’s there in the end at first, they won.

17:10 - But during their way through the Escape Room, you have to think about what do they need, what they do they write, have to write down to do all the assignments.

17:22 - For example, in this case, below this carpet, there is a lock.

17:27 - And when I click on it, I get the question that I have to unlock it but I don’t have any code yet for, to do that.

17:37 - I can go back to the map and from the map, I came back, go back to, into this room.

17:42 - So I have to go to another room to get the code to do this.

17:46 - I can, there is an assignment here and that’s connected to this assignment, there is a two assignments.

17:54 - And if I do them and I have the right answer, I can click on this button here to enter the code.

18:04 - But if I don’t know what to do, I’ve also added variables.

18:10 - So I’ve added hints, and that’s in the question mark.

18:14 - So I click on the question mark, and I get one hint.

18:20 - So maybe now I know what to do, so I go back to the map and go back into the living room.

18:26 - I try some things, but it doesn’t still work.

18:30 - Then I click on the question mark again, and I have a second hint, and this is all done by variables in Xerte.

18:40 - So this also works with variables, but that’s a bit more complicated than just adding the linear things in the other Escape Rooms.

18:53 - This is a complex Escape Room. And what you also can use is next to a variables, is a JavaScript to do some things.

19:03 - So I’m going out of this place, I know the code.

19:10 - And Oh, Hooray, I opened the kitchen and will go back to the kitchen.

19:15 - And when I click here below, I can go back to the living room and I can go into the kitchen.

19:24 - And if I discovered all the rooms and the codes, I get this, so I have five rooms, but you only see the room that you have opened.

19:36 - If you don’t have the basement open, this is the basement, then you don’t see it here on the map.

19:47 - Go back here. Let me see the time, Yes.

19:51 - Okay. So you have all kind of exercises, this is a page that you get some information you don’t know yet what, but you can click on the cross and you’re back here.

20:10 - So this is not, so this is the non-linear Escape Room, and it’s also very complicated to create.

20:20 - So before we made this, we made a big plan and added to everything in there, and know what the questions are and what images we use, what videos, so all kinds of media is in here.

20:38 - So how does it look on the creating sides? This is the workspace from Xerte.

20:45 - So you see here, all my learning objects I have.

20:49 - And in this case, I’m going to show you this one.

20:55 - This is a small example. If I click here, I can’t play it.

21:00 - It’s an example about Halloween Escape Room first steps.

21:06 - It’s a really simple Escape Room, I get the image connector page through the image, where you can click on different hotspots.

21:16 - For example, I can click here. I get some information, I can click here, I get an audio file and when I click on the house, it’s a video about what’s Halloween.

21:30 - And when I click here, I can answer a question.

21:34 - And in this case, what day is Halloween? So it’s the first, 31 October, and it’s all Saints Day.

21:50 - So, okay, so now I should have the code, but I don’t know if you noticed it, but behind the answers, it was character and I needed to remember the character, if I didn’t do that, I have to do it again.

22:09 - And I can go to the back to the first steps, but now I can come to enter the code and yes, I go to level two.

22:18 - So this is a very simple Escape Room with just one step in it, but how does that look when you create it? This is the Escape Room.

22:30 - These are the pages, in this case, this is just a title page.

22:36 - And this one is the one with the image connector page, and here I have my media and I have choose for the Halloween house or a house in Moonlight in this case, that is the image I used to add the hotspots on and here below, are the hotspots.

23:07 - So if I go to challenge one, you see here that this is a hotspot.

23:18 - It’s a bit silly because that’s orange too, better show a different one.

23:24 - For example, the fence, this is the hotspot, and if I click in the Escape Room on the fence, then this is going to happen.

23:32 - So I’m made my hotspot and this is what’s going to happen, I get some texts and here, your fence, blah, blah, blah.

23:43 - But I can also have audio, I have add audio or video and this case, this is then the X from Y, or in this case, this is a quiz where we had the questions.

23:59 - And here we have the X from Y page or the Gap Hill page, and here, I add the code.

24:08 - So you only need those three or four pages to have one step of the Escape Room and you can make it as big as you want, or as small as you want.

24:20 - We have five minutes left, are there any questions? - [Lucy] You can add your questions to the chat, or you can unmute yourself, if you have joined with microphone, I’ve unlocked everyone.

24:42 - So please feel free to work either way, if you need me to unmute you just raise your hand.

24:56 - Looks like we have a question coming through in the chat, maybe.

25:03 - And good, this is amazing. I was just thinking about a lot of different ideas for this seems like it’d be great for language learning, could be really great for asynchronous courses.

25:21 - I also felt like it could be a really interesting student projects, but let’s see.

25:28 - So we’ve got a question from Didi, have you seen institutions use this in a game of vacation of a class? - [Inge] Yeah, do you mean in a class or? - [Lucy] Yes, in a class.

25:45 - - [Inge] The examples that you have, especially the one about your locked up are used for students, but also for teachers.

25:55 - And for example, for onboarding, I have another example, but that was really Dutch, for a history teacher.

26:03 - And he had a map with countries on it and in each country, you have to do an assignment that’s connected to that country.

26:13 - So to the history of that country, and it was really nice way to learn some history in a playful way.

26:22 - There is a module also that’s called playful learning, I don’t know if you know it, it’s not that common.

26:30 - They don’t really love that way of working to engage students by playing and by playing, they are learning.

26:38 - And Lucy, you are saying, yeah, we’re thinking about two different approaches and uses you could have for this.

26:46 - Another one is for example, Math or Science, because Xerte has using variables.

26:53 - You can add all different kind of assignments in it and each time you get in different ones.

27:00 - So as a teacher, you don’t have to change every time the assignments because you get different ones.

27:09 - - [Lucy] Oh, So you can have like a question pool in a way that randomly chooses.

27:14 - - [Inge] Yeah, you have numbers and choose a number for example, between one and 10, and minus a number between a hundred and two hundred, for example.

27:27 - So you don’t have to make the questions over and over again, it’s creating themselves.

27:34 - - [Lucy] That’s great, this looks amazing. I don’t see any more questions coming through the chat.

27:40 - I’ll just wait for another second to see if we have other questions we’d be making, you’ll be sharing your slides.

27:47 - - [Inge] Yes, I will put the link in the chat now, so you can have, take a look, but please it’s some in Dutch, it’s language training and Escape Room together.

28:00 - And if you have any question, I will be here the whole conference.

28:04 - And, but you can also send me an email. We have also a playground where you can play a bit around with Xerte if you want, but please let me know.

28:15 - - [Lucy] Oh, this is awesome. Judy, has also put, Oh, wonderful, an example from Duke in the chat.

28:20 - I will capture all of the chat for this as well.

28:23 - That’s wonderful, great. Inge, thank you so much.

28:26 - I’m gonna go ahead and stop the recording now. .