3 Ways To Use Unruly Splats for Hybrid Learning
If one thing is certain about the upcoming school year, we know it will look different than anything we have experienced before. Many administrators are exploring the return to school as one of three options: in-person instruction, online instruction, and a mixture of both. The last option is what we are referring to as a hybrid model, part in-person instruction and online learning. As schools debate the best approach to bringing students back in the fall, we’re here to share a few quick resources to make hybrid learning more fun and engaging!
Getting Started with Hybrid Learning
Hybrid learning presents an opportunity to combine the best of face-to-face learning with the best of online learning. While some activities are well-suited to synchronous or asynchronous virtual learning, others require face-to-face interaction and are best saved for the classroom. According to the Center for Teaching Innovation at Cornell University, a hybrid learning model accommodates a wider range of abilities by offering flexibility, varied learning options, and integration of activities that lead to deeper learning.
To get started with your hybrid learning planning, here are a few key questions that will help outline which aspects of your lesson should be virtual or in-person:
- What are your learning objectives for students participating in this lesson?
- How will students demonstrate their understanding of the material?
- Which of the objectives or assessments would be best handled through in-person instruction and which in an online format?
With practice, the process of designing a hybrid experience will come together much more naturally.
How to use Splats for Hybrid Learning?
Incorporating engaging and playful activities into lessons is important for all learning environments, but especially for virtual learning. Whether students are learning together in the same space or working remotely, we want to ensure that resources are available to support teachers and students every step of the way. To help you get started, we created a Guide for Hybrid Learning with Splats!
We’ve outlined a number of ways to bring hybrid learning to your classroom and have a ton of resources to help as you choose the best approach for your students. In this guide we cover three options to consider as you structure your lessons for the upcoming school year.
- Coding Remotely - No Splats, no problem! Students are able to create, test, and run code from anywhere with our Splatting without Splats Guide.
- Playing Remotely - While you can code any of our activities remotely, we prepped lessons that you can play using Virtual Splats. Consider sharing any of these activities directly with your students: Morse Code, Musical Splats, and Unruly Fitness.
- Same Space Game Play - If you are meeting in person, you can easily modify games to meet new safety guidelines. For example, a game that may have included students standing together, could now start with a nine-foot diameter circle with players facing away from each other.
Game Examples for Hybrid Learning
Make this a year of unstoppable play with games designed just for you. Get students playing in no time and bring creative hybrid learning experiences to your classroom with these new games. Let’s go!
- Rainbow Keyboard - This open-ended lesson is available in the Guide for Hybrid Learning and can be used as a base for other Unruly adventures. Using 6 virtual or physical Splats, this program lights up the colors of the rainbow. Each Splat makes a sound on the keyboard as well. Once students code their awesome creation they can share with the class for discussion and even a virtual Splats concert!
- Four Corners - An Unruly version of the classic game! Students build a program to randomly select which corner is out. Place four Splats in four corners. Press run to start the game. Students have 10 seconds to pick a Splat and stand by. If your Splat turns off, you’re out. Repeat until there is only one player remaining. For playing in person, create small groups, mark the floor to show students where to stand, and flags or hand signals to choose a corner. For remote play, students can use hand signals to indicate their corner, for example four fingers for corner #4. Finally, consider using this same code for a completely different game! For example, turn the code into a 4-sided die and assign a different exercise for each color.
We’re interested in hearing how you are approaching hybrid learning this year. Share your approach with us on Twitter with the hashtag #WeAreUnruly or email us at info@unruly-studios.com with your ideas to engage students in Unruly activity in and out of the classroom!
