Esports in the Classroom

04/26/19 • 55 min

Stories from the Classroom

I spoke with several people that are on the front lines of where esports and education intersect. We discuss:

What exactly are esports
What types of esports scholarships and programs are available at the college level
How an esports program is so much more than just playing video games
Why educators need to consider starting an esports program at their school
Where to go for gaming PCs when your school doesn't have the funds for them
Resources for getting an esports club started at your school
Resources for implementing esports into English curriculum

You'll also hear a little audio from an esports project I tried out with my some of my students.

Connect With Thom

YouTube : youtube.com/gibsonedu
Twitter : twitter.com/gibsonedu
Instagram : instagram.com/gibsoneducation/
Website : thomgibson.com/
My classroom economy instructional video series : thomgibson.com/classroomeconomy/

I spoke with several people that are on the front lines of where esports and education intersect. We discuss:

What exactly are esports
What types of esports scholarships and programs are available at the college level
How an esports program is so much more than just playing video games
Why educators need to consider starting an esports program at their school
Where to go for gaming PCs when your school doesn't have the funds for them
Resources for getting an esports club started at your school
Resources for implementing esports into English curriculum

You'll also hear a little audio from an esports project I tried out with my some of my students.

Connect With Thom

YouTube : youtube.com/gibsonedu
Twitter : twitter.com/gibsonedu
Instagram : instagram.com/gibsoneducation/
Website : thomgibson.com/
My classroom economy instructional video series : thomgibson.com/classroomeconomy/

Previous Episode

How to Use Storytelling in the Classroom

A few months ago I didn't know that storytelling competitions were a thing. Then I heard Matthew Dicks on a podcast and he shared what makes for good storytelling. I thought it was interesting but it wasn't until he told a short 5-minute story that I was convinced of his mastery of the craft and I wanted to learn more.

I found out Matthew Dicks was not only a champion storyteller but also a classroom teacher and that he had a podcast with his wife Elysha where they listened to stories told from the stage and critiqued them; sharing what made them such powerful stories and what they could have done to improve the story.

I initially was drawn to the storytelling podcast because I thought I could get tips on how to tell better stories in social contexts but I walked away wondering how I could implement this into my classroom.

In today's episode, Matthew and I explore the following:

what are a couple things you can do to make your storytelling better than 90% of the stories most people tell
what storytelling looks like in Matthew's 5th grade classroom (both when he's telling stories and when he has his students telling stories)
we listen to a novice storyteller (myself) tell a story to my class of a time I felt I really had no idea what I was doing but I didn't want anyone to know and I get Matthew's feedback on it.
we listen to experienced storyteller/teacher Jennifer Bonaldo tell a story to a group of freshmen of a time she tried a little too hard to be with the 'in-crowd' and get Matthew's feedback.
Matthew provides resources and insights for teachers wanting to
implement more storytelling in their classrooms.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Connect with Matthew at www.matthewdicks.com

Matthew's storytelling podcast 'Speak Up Storytelling'

'Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling' by Matthew Dicks[affiliate link]

The Art of Manliness Podcast episode with Matthew Dicks

Connect with me, Thom Gibson

Next Episode

Leveraging Social Media as Educators [Part 1/2]

CJ Reynolds is a high-school teacher in West Philadelphia with an active YouTube and Instagram channel where he documents the meaningful learning experiences in his classroom with the goal to inspire, engage, and motivate new and veteran teachers to be the teacher they always wanted to be. Reynolds uses "real rap" to share teaching tips and strategies and to give an authentic look at what it means to be a teacher in inner city Philadelphia.

In this episode, we discuss:

how being on social media led to an opportunity for his students to meet with Gary Vaynerchuk; a massive name in social media marketing, and how it changed the lives of some of his students
how he grew his online community of nearly 30k YouTube subscribers and 7k Instagram followers
how his content differs from platform to platform
the impact creating content has had on his relationship with his students and their parents
how he manages to balance time as an educator, content creator, father, and husband
what other teachers should think through as they begin to create content for social media

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. In part 2, I will be chatting with a couple educators who are having their students create social media content as part of the class curriculum.

CONNECT WITH CJ REYNOLDS

CONNECT WITH THOM GIBSON
My video "Why I Use Social Media In My Classroom"

Website - thomgibson.com
YouTube - /gibsonedu
Twitter - @gibsonedu
Instagram - @gibsoneducation

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My course on creating & managing a classroom economy - thomgibson.com/classroomeconomy
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