Instructional, Math, Technology

BreakoutEdu Digital: Save the Uber Driver!

It’s been awhile since I have had the chance to sit down and build a new BreakoutEDU Digital, but my students were begging that I create another one for our current unit.  It’s amazing to see how much these students LOVE the BreakoutEDU Digital games that I have brought into the classroom.  As I’ve mentioned before, it is an excellent way to challenge students to think critically, collaborate, and communicate.

The focus of this BreakoutEDU is “Writing Linear Equations”, such as writing equations given slope/y-intercept, a point, two points, as well as rewriting linear equations.  Obviously, the content that is within each BreakoutEDU is critical to making it a meaningful and purposeful activity – but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have some fun when building it!  In addition to wanting to play another BreakoutEDU, my students really wanted to be characters within the story.  Everyone builds their BreakoutEDU Digital games differently, but mine always need a story to guide it.  In this story, the students are trying to “Save the Uber Driver” by helping him find the lost pickup times for his passengers.  Throughout the story, the students are introduced to a variety of characters (the passengers) that the Uber driver must pick up on time to save his job.

In addition to the story, I was able to incorporate a lot “edtechy” tools into this BreakoutEDU Digital.  Here are some of the tools that I used:

  • Google Forms
  • Google Slides
  • Google Drawings
  • Google Maps
  • EdPuzzle
  • Jigsaw Planet

To access this BreakoutEDU, click HERE.

Each time I build a BreakoutEDU Digital, I find myself getting more creative with the resources available online.  If I keep it the same each time, the students begin to get bored and the puzzles become easy to solve since they recognize the pattern.  However, if you are planning on building one, I suggest starting small and working from there.

As I presented on BreakoutEDU Digital a few weeks ago at the EdTech Team Summit in Pomona, many of the attendees to my session asked me how long it took to build it.  For myself, it takes two to three hours to build the BreakoutEDU Digital, including designing time.  It’s a process, but it does take time.  After awhile, it starts to get quicker and easier, but try to look past how long it takes to build it.  Look into how much your students enjoy the activity and learning/practicing the concepts from the subject area.  Once you do that, you will see that it is worth it and the amount of time it takes to build one does not matter.

If it’s good for kids, if it inspires and engages them – just try it!

21 thoughts on “BreakoutEdu Digital: Save the Uber Driver!

  1. I really like this idea. Are the students given anything else or just the link to the Save the Uber Driver website? Is all the information they need in that site? Would you mind if I shared it with my math department?

    1. Hi Michelle,

      Please – share with your department! I would love for you to share it and let me know how it goes.

      I give the students the link, but nothing else. Everything they need is embedded within the site. My suggestion, however, is to go through the BreakoutEDU with your department in case you need to give some clues to the students.

      Let me know if you have any other questions!

  2. I am currently stuck on in google drawings on both the business owners and soccer players. What are students expected to do from here?

    Thank you!

  3. These are awesome! We did the SOCal one with our exponent unit and the kids loved it. I plan to use Save the Uber Drive as well. Please share if you make anymore. They are fantastic and the kids love them.

    1. I am so glad your students enjoyed it! Please feel free to email me at [email protected] with any Breakout ideas or topics you would be interested in. If you give me enough of a head’s up, I could build something for you and your class! 🙂

  4. Hello!
    Is there a key available for teacher use? On the equation question, we tried to space out the equations, but it still says they are not formatted correctly. We wrote y = -8x + 3 in this format. Also, what do you do with the bookstore coordinates? We would love to use this before Thanksgiving break, but need some help 🙂
    Thanks!

    1. Hello! There is no answer key because it is SO important that you go through it yourself to understand where your students will struggle. 🙂

  5. I am stuck on the math and mingle google doc. I know I am supposed to be looking for a hidden link but I can’t find it. Any pointers are appreciated.

    I used the Escape the Dungeon with my 7th graders and they LOVED! it. I plan to use Save the Uber Driver with my 8th graders after break. Thank you for taking the time to create and your willingness to share.

  6. Hi Meagan,

    With suddenly being an online teacher, I have been desperately searching for activities for my precalculus classes. This activity is perfect! The only thing is, I can’t get the link on The Chefs’ slide to work. I ‘m not sure if I am doing something incorrectly, or if the link is not working anymore (I just checked the date of this original posting!). I appreciate your help!

  7. I would love to use this for some asynchronous work for my students coming up! I am struggling with the edpuzzle portion however.

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