Amazing Race Secondary PD

Our high school is 1:1 Macbooks and our middle school is 1:1 Chromebooks, so I wanted to create a race that both schools could participate in together.  The majority of teams were made up of one high school teacher, one middle school teacher, and one associate or student teacher.

The tasks for the secondary staff are below: 

Task 1: Slide into Learning (this one separated the men from the boys)

Create a shared Google Slide presentation per team. Each slide has specifications:

Slide 1: Create and list your team name, members of your team

Slide 2: Tell which each member of your team is an expert on.  Each member will contribute a link to their expertise.

Slide 3: Create 1 shared Google Maps Engine Lite map for your team.  Each team member drops a pin on their favorite vacation location.  Each pin must include the Place name, Team Member’s name and a short description about the vacation.  After all pins are dropped, take a screenshot and insert the picture into the slide.

When all 3 slides are complete, show to your Clue Master for your next clue.

Task 2: Twitter-ific

Your team has a few tasks at this location.  

1. Take a picture of your team.  Tweet it out with your Amazing Race Team name and the district hashtag.
2. Favorite a tweet
3. Retweet another person’s tweet

After each task, show your Clue Master.  Once all three are completed, your Clue Master will give you your next clue.

Task 3:  Standards

In this task, you will be shown three pieces of student work.  You will need to determine the ISTE/Iowa Core 21st century standards addressed in each one.  

Once you have answered correctly for each one, you will be given your next clue from your Clue Master.

Task 4: Detour

For the detour, you need to decide between two tasks.  When one task is complete, show your Clue Master for your next clue.

1. Create a video with the green screen in either iMovie or WeVideo.  Upload to Youtube (you can keep it private).

OR

2. Create a house in Google Sketchup with a roof and two windows.

Task 5: Hangout and Display it All

In this task, you will need to install Google Hangouts. Then, connect with your clue master via video on hangouts and display your video conversation. Once your video conversation is displayed, your clue master will give you your next clue.

Task 6: Roadblock

For the road block, only one of you will be allowed to complete it. The rest of the team may not help, but can encourage the designated teammate. You must decide who will perform this task before seeing the task.

Complete five levels of Hour of Code for your grade span.  When you have completed the first five levels, show your Clue Master for your next clue.

Task 7: Screencastify

For this task, each member of the team needs to download the Chrome app Screencastify.

Each member creates a screencast that shows off one skill you performed or learned today.

Insert them into the Google Slide created during task 1 and share with the district technology integration specialist.  

See your Clue Master for details on your checkpoint.

Checkpoint!

Great Work!  You have reached your checkpoint.  At this time, you will share something you learned during today’s session OR how you could use the Amazing Race game in your classroom via Google Moderator.   You can vote for others’ too and the most popular rise to the top.

Amazing Race Elementary iPad PD

I wrote about the planning of our Amazing Race Professional Development.  I have already had a few requests for the actual tasks, so I will start with my elementary iPad Amazing Race.



Task 1: Virtual Field Trip

Login to Discovery Ed Science through ourAEA’s online resources.  Find a virtual field trip you could use for your grade level in the next nine weeks. When you find one and bookmark it, show your Clue Master for your next clue.

Task 2: AirDrop your Video

For this task, you will need to decide your Amazing Race team name.  One of you will then record a short video (under 30 seconds) of the rest of the team members explaining why you chose that name. Then AirDrop the video to all of your team members.  

Once everyone has the video, show your Clue Master for your next clue.

Task 3: Twitter-ific

Your team has a few tasks at this location.  

1. Take a picture of your team with Photobooth.  Tweet it out with your Amazing Race Team name and the district hashtag.
2. Favorite a tweet
3. Retweet another person’s tweet

After each task, show your Clue Master.  Once all three are completed, your Clue Master will give you your next clue.

Task 4: Detour

1. Create a digital story on one of your iPads.  Team members may want to search for images and airdrop them to the production iPad.

OR

2. Each of you need to drop a pin on your favorite vacation spot in Google Earth.  Include your name and short description about your vacation.

Task 5:  Standards

In this task, you will be shown three pieces of student work.  You will need to determine the ISTE/Iowa Core 21st century standards addressed in each one.  

Once you have answered correctly for each one, you will be given your next clue from your Clue Master.

Task 6: Roadblock

For the road block, only one of you will be allowed to complete it. The rest of the team may not help, but can encourage the designated teammate. You must decide who will perform this task before seeing the task.

Complete five levels of Hour of Code for your grade span.  When you have completed the first five levels, show your Clue Master for your next clue.

Task 7: Hangout and Reflect

In this task, you will need to install Google Hangouts (Hangouts in the app store) on one of your iPads.  

Then, connect with the clue master via video on hangouts and display your video conversation with Reflector.

Once you have reflected, your clue master will give you your next clue.

Task 8: Stay Put!

In this task, you will need to get into an app on your iPad and turn on Guided Access.  Once you have Guided Access turned on, you will show your Clue Master for checkpoint information.

Checkpoint!

You have reached your checkpoint.  At this time, you can discover apps on your iPad until the rest of the teams arrive!  

Great work on learning some new things about the iPads!

Amazing Race Tech PD

For one of our ninety minute technology professional development sessions, I created an Amazing Race style game. @angelancheatham and @jessica_branch presented a poster session at ISTE14 about giving professional development a makeover and this was one of their ideas. 

There is a lot of preparation and organization to creating the races, but it was well worth it by having actively engaged learners who are collaborating and growing with each other.  In preparing for these races, here is the checklist I used to get organized.

• Determine 8 tasks that you want the staff to engage in or learn
• Determine locations for each station and get permission from classroom teachers to use their room
• Make list of equipment needed in the location
• Ask 7 other people to be "Clue Masters" that will be stationed at each pit stop
• Create and print clue sheets to move from one pit stop to another
• Create and print task sheets for each pit stop
• Share tasks with clue masters.
• Determine teams - (worked great in pairs or groups of three)
• Purchase yellow envelopes
• Stuff and label clue envelopes - Give yourself plenty of time for this
• Create and print station instructions/keys for clue masters 
• Create introduction iMovie
• Create Google Form for team reflections
• Secure prizes for winning team(s) - I purchased gift cards
• Give Clue Masters the task cards, materials needed for their station (including answer keys), and clue envelopes
• Day of the Race - set up each station

To make an Amazing Race work for our district, which is 1:1 Macbooks at the high school, 1:1 Chromebooks at the middle school, and some iPads at the elementary, I had to create multiple races which added to the planning.

The day of the race (for secondary staff) followed this format:

1.  I presented an introductory iMovie that explained the race and the teams.

2.  Staff started with me with their first task

• Task 1: Create a shared Google Slide presentation per team. Each slide had specifications such as adding a team name, inserting an image, external links and using Google Maps engine lite

3. When they were done with their first task, they received their first clue to the location of their next pitstop. These clues were stuffed into the yellow envelopes. Here are a few examples of clues that moved the staff from pit stop to pit stop:

                       

         

4.  They moved from pitstop to pit stop until they arrived at their checkpoint.  Along the way, staff had a roadblock in which only one member could participate.  They also had a detour in which they had a choice between two tasks.

5.  At the end of the race, I awarded prizes to the team that finished the race first.  Then, teachers reflected on the learning experience through a Google Form.

If you have any ideas to make this better or would like some more of my resources or task ideas, please let me know.