ETL533 – Literature in Digital Environments – Assessment 2: PART A
Review 2 – Stage 2: Roald Dahl Digital Escape Room
The phenomena of the escape room is relatively new, and the digital escape room even more so, especially within the context of the classroom (Taraldsen et al, 2022). Although game-based learning is not a new concept, it is a way to engage students in cooperative communication and be critical and active learners (Taraldsen et al, 2022). Being a relatively new framework for education, there is not a lot of research studies in this area (Taraldsen et al, 2022). However, Makri et al. (2021) have looked at Educational Escape Rooms and Digital Educational Escape Rooms (DEERs) in their study.
I began a search for digital escape rooms as I recalled how much the children in Years 3 to 6 enjoyed the opportunity to engage in a new digital text during the Covid-19 lockdown. I came across a website that features a variety of digital escape rooms for kids and adults compiled onto one page. They are sorted into categories, many with educational themes, and for a variety of levels, and content suitable for family fun, teens, and adults.
I was drawn to a family favourite, Roald Dahl, in the ‘Based on Books’ section. I have read and reread Roald Dahl’s books to my own children and many of my classes in Stages 1 and 2. I discovered that it had been created by Willoughby City Library in 2020, as an opportunity to connect children and their families to the public library and its services during the Covid-19 lockdown. It is recommended to open the digital escape room using a computer screen, rather than a mobile device for the best experience. It was created using Google Sites in honour of the 30th anniversary of the death of Roald Dahl.
It requires the reader to be accomplished or have an adult present to help navigate the text and other features. To begin the experience simple navigation by clicking a ‘next’ button at the bottom of the page, and to advance in the story. Once the main ‘room’ is reached, the layout is a simple two-column webpage to present each ‘chapter’.
Each ‘chapter ‘represents a different Roald Dahl book and is characterised by an image from an Unsplash source (image 2.1).
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four |
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| image 2.1 (all credits can be seen here, provided by Willoughby City Library, 2020). | |||
There is an embedded Google Form in which the digital escape room story and puzzles are played out. Each image has hidden links, which are clues to answer the questions for each chapter. The clues open up in a new tab via Google Slides, Google Docs, Google Drive, or Google Sheets. The clues must be answered correctly, in all caps, with no spelling errors or accidental additional characters to advance. Each question has a required answer and begins as a red line, then changes to a blue line when answered correctly. Completing the first chapter opens chapter two and three questions, and completing these two opens chapter four questions.
After becoming stuck on one question in the first chapter and another in the third chapter. I decided to seek assistance from the source. An email address on the introduction page proved most helpful. I contacted the library to request an answer sheet, for the purpose of my assessment and to support students for use in the classroom setting. Support was prompt and courteous and they were excited that a resource that was created quickly during the first sudden lockdown was still useful.
It is assumed that you have knowledge of the Roald Dahl books prior, as the first question in each chapter asks you to look at the image to determine the title of the book represented. In addition to this, some questions also require knowledge of the characters or storyline to ensure that an answer can be achieved.
The layout could be a challenge for some students and a suggested improvement would be aligning the chapter pictures with corresponding Google Form questions. At times the questions were quite vague and brief. Rewording the questions may be helpful in understanding what was being asked of each corresponding clue. Most of the clues were well placed though and children could be guided to determine a response. I could see how some students could also be easily discouraged if stuck on clues that required some deciphering using numbers and letters or knowledge of the original text. It would be critical for teachers to have the answers to ensure some level of success or support.
DEERs are certainly an innovative way to combine digital skills, critical thinking, and teamwork in education and the online classroom, however, certain considerations need to be taken into account (Makri et al., 2021). Considerations include learning objectives, communicative and teamwork skills of participants, and ensuring students can navigate the experience to achieve success. DEERs may also be a tool for teachers to access understanding about a text read in class or another topic that they have been studying, though they would also need to incorporate a way to gather evidence of their learning such as follow-up polls, quiz scores, or comments on the platform (Makri et al., 2021).
Resources
Makri, A., Vlachopoulos, D., & Martina, R. A. (2021). Digital Escape Rooms as Innovative Pedagogical Tools in Education: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 13(8), 4587–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084587
Seymour Public Library. (n.d.). Escape rooms and games. https://seymourpubliclibrary.org/departments/escape-rooms/
Taraldsen, L. H., Haara, F. O., Lysne, M. S., Jensen, P. R., & Jenssen, E. S. (2022). A review on use of escape rooms in education – touching the void. Education Inquiry, 13(2), 169–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2020.1860284
Willoughby City Library. (2020). Roald Dahl digital escape. April 22, 2020. https://sites.google.com/view/roalddahldigitalescape
