Running Head: BREAKOUT EDU 1

Breakout EDU and Digital Citizenship

Julie Adames, Betsabe Vela, and Kerry Whitehead

Texas A&M University - Commerce

ETEC 588

DR. DOUGLAS WILSON

SPRING 2017
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Table of Contents

Four Main Elements of Diffusion 3

Introduction and description of innovation 3
Communication channels 3
Time 5
Social system 5

Innovation Development Process 6

Need 6
Research and development 7
Commercialization 9
Diffusion and adoption 10
Consequences of the innovation 10
Identification of technology clusters and technology transfer 11

Innovation Decision Process 12

Role of the Change Agents 13

Strategy for diffusion 13
Seven step sequence of the role of the change agent 14
Method of identification and utilization of opinion leaders 16

Possible Consequences of Adoption 16

Anticipated, desirable, direct 16

References 18
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Four Main Elements of Diffusion

Introduction and description of innovation

Technology has infiltrated every aspect of modern life whether at home, school, or

society as a whole. Communication is done through a myriad of avenues including Skyping,

webcasts, or cell phones. With all the technological advances occurring daily there is mounting

responsibility in how an individual delivers information and what they do with the information

received. The leaders of this technology movement are a generation of children that text instead

of writing letters or Skype instead of making a phone call. Is there an elective class on the proper

use of technology? Did students go through training for appropriate technology use prior to

having a laptop placed in their hands?

Parents and teachers mistakenly think that children know how to appropriately and

safely use technology even without any direct instruction on technology. Technology is a

wonderful resource used for information gathering and communication, but as with anything,

there are inherent risks with the rewards that students must be educated about. A growing need

with the onslaught of technology in schools is for students to learn Digital Citizenship. Digital

Citizenship is defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use (Ribble, 2014).

Learning how to be digital citizens is a fundamental component of the correct and safe use of

technology for students.

Communication channels

Principal Spring, as the guiding leader, has gathered a technology committee to research

and develop an innovation related to digital citizenship. The committee has access to Common

Sense Medias Digital Literacy lessons and interactive website, but they feel that this innovation
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will not take off with the high school students. Some of the committee members recalled

attending a training on educational escape rooms and the librarian has found Breakout EDU on

her notes. This decision making unit will pass through the communication channels by gaining

knowledge of an innovation. Once the committee selects the ideas of the innovation they will

pass through the persuasion channel to form a desired attitude about the innovation, then they

will make a decision to adopt or reject the innovation. Implementing the newly adopted idea will

take up the majority of the technology committees resources. The final communication channel

will be to confirmation the innovation by continuing its use or discontinuing its use depending on

the resulting outcome.

Knowledge - The committee does not really know about the innovation other than what

the campus librarian is sharing, but they all listen receptively as she speaks.

Persuasion - Several of the members in the social system begin searching for videos on

how the Breakout EDU innovation looks like as it is being played.

Decision - The ELA department needs additional persuasion because they feel it is too

much time to invest into a game approach for such a serious matter. The principal makes

a collective decision and decides to adopt the innovation and move the innovation

forward.

Implementation - As the technology committee develops the customized innovation to

the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship they find that the innovation can be customized

for many content areas. In fact, the ELA department has found ready made digital

breakouts which they will implement.

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Confirmation - The technology committee is deciding to continue the innovation

through the elective courses as to not interrupt the core testing areas. They agree that ime

will ultimately confirm whether to continue or discontinue the innovation.

Time

In September the technology committee will meet with each content area department

leader to explain the innovation that will address digital citizenship and answer any questions.

Over the next few weeks, the innovation will be tested with a small group of students to help

bring to light any issues in the logistics of the innovation and whether any functionality changes

need to be made to reach the desired outcome. In October after the student pilot a professional

development training will be held with department leaders so the innovation can be understood

thoroughly. Any department leader concerns or issues will be addressed.

In late October at the next content area meeting, department leaders will introduce their

content area teachers to the innovation and why it needs to be delivered to students. Teachers

will also interact with the innovation to get a thorough understanding of its elements. All

teachers will include the adopted innovation in their November lesson plans. Every month

students will play Breakout EDU so they learn all nine themes of Digital Citizenship by May.

Social system

Escape High school is part of a district that prides itself on being technologically

advanced. Teachers attend extensive professional development trainings on the latest technology

to surface with expectations of integration into the curriculum. Communication with students and

parents is done via email, texts, and phone messaging. Students are expected to present content

understanding through a variety of mediums including online presentations. Teachers present

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lessons on videos. Students communicate with classmates on homework and submit group

projects electronically.

Every student is issued a laptop at the beginning of the year. Students and parents are

required to sign a technology code of conduct procedural guide prior to the issuance of the

laptops. That is the only technology education supplied to the student, which is simply a list of

what to do and not what to do. There is no direct instruction by teachers telling them and

showing them what appropriate, safe use of technology looks like so they would be considered

good digital citizens. An innovation on Digital Citizenship will address the need for students to

become well-versed in the themes that encompass digital citizenship.

Innovation Development Process

Need

The need for teacher and student awareness about proper technological use piqued the

interest of the technology committee at Escape High school. There were unfortunate events with

disparaging comments made online to a student and inappropriate pictures circulating on social

media after a weekend party. Teachers used Twitter to express their political thoughts leading to

divisiveness among the staff. The technology committee noticed that technology misuse became

a recurring problem that needed a solution to limit campus distractions, so the focus was on

education.

Digital Citizenship encompasses broad possibilities of varying factors that students need

to be aware of so a framework of themes were established as guiding principles (Ribble, 2015).

The innovation will need to address the nine critical themes that relate to digital citizenship

Students will learn and work directly with each theme to ensure they are digital citizens who are
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engaging positively and productively while in school and upon graduation when they face

technology as contributing members of society.

Research and development

Breakout EDU offers educators the ability to let students learn through collaboration,

critical thinking, creativity, and communication in a game format. This interactive game allows

students to use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of puzzles to open a locked box.

Principal Spring at Escape High school, with the careful direction of the technology committee,

decided to diffuse Breakout EDU as an innovation onto their campus to address the growing

need for all students to become digital citizens.

The committee has decided that the primary goal of the Breakout EDU Digital

Citizenship innovation is to search for pre-developed content in order to save time and staff

resources. In doing their research, the committee has found that the Breakout EDU website offers

ready to use content that is free of charge and is created by educators from all content areas and

grade levels. After several weeks of researching they have found that the ready to use content

does not completely align with the high school needs or with Ribbles Nine Elements of Digital

Citizenship which are critical components. The technology committee has collectively decided to

create their own games by following a customized outline for the game development.

The development of the nine Breakout Edu games will incorporate pop culture, puzzles,

an infrared light that will reveal clues written with invisible ink, a digital lock app to prevent

missing or broken locks, many types of fun props to wear and special guests to solidify the

content the students are learning. The committee decides to distribute the game development

process into three major areas. The principal will take charge in making contact with nine special
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guests. One of the special guests for the Digital Citizenship element of Digital Law will be a

campus police officer or government agent who will speak on the reality of how the government

is legally required to store inappropriate images that are taken and distributed by minors.

Currently, students are not informed of the logistics or legal implications until it is too late. A

college recruiter will be another special guest and will speak on how recruiters rely on social

media to preview an applicant's online conduct.

Diagram 1 - Game Development Timeline

The instructional technology (IT) staff will ensure that the websites needed for the game

deployment will not be blocked and that the apps the teachers and students will use are

purchased and ready to download at least two weeks prior to the implementation of the games.

The IT staff will test out each of the games using a pilot student account and notify the rest of the
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committee if any problems arise. The remaining staff which consists of the English and

Language Arts (ELA) department, campus librarian, Speech teacher and Career/Technology

teachers will develop the content for the games.

Commercialization

Breakout EDU currently has several options for implementation in numerous settings. A

kit ($89) can be ordered through their website which offers purchase order, credit card, and

international shipping options. During the initial research of the innovation, the technology

committee found that numerous educators complained about the locks not working. The kits they

received were made from sturdy materials, but the locks were confusing for students to use and

were prone to accidental resets which deemed the locks unusable.

Diagram 2 - 4 Steps
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The greater success was found in using a smart device and downloading the Locks by

Breakout EDU app for $1.99. Breakout EDU offers a template and instructions to make personal

breakout boxes. The Career and Technology teacher offers a suggestion that the Future Farmers

of America club might be able to build the boxes. A quick Pinterest search has also revealed

many affordable alternatives by using repurposed utility boxes and a lock with a key. The

committee has decided to do a combination of using the digital locks app and customized boxes.

They will use a regular key lock which the guest speaker will provide after the students guess the

correct digital lock sequence.

Diffusion and adoption

The technology committee, with Principal Spring as the guiding leader, will diffuse

Breakout EDU Digital Citizenship on the campus. Opinion leaders, power actors, and change

agents will be the teachers that lead each Breakout EDU game with their classes. The intended

audience is any student on the campus because if they use technology, then they must be aware

of all the themes related to digital citizenship. Breakout EDU allows for students to work as one

whole class group or in small groups at the teachers discretion. Students will also watch video

tutorials to understand the game infrastructure.

Consequences of the innovation

There are several resulting consequences that the technology committee looks forward to

seeing as the innovation is adopted by teachers. The most immediate consequence is a seeing a

decrease in the number of students who are using social communication inappropriately. Another

is an increase in positive and educational engagement among the staff who use social media. The
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committee agrees that the most important consequence is that the innovation provides an overall

introduction of the digital citizenship themes to students.

Identification of technology clusters and technology transfer

A primary theme in digital citizenship is Digital Access which refers to students

knowing that everyone in society should have full electronic participation including students that

may have disabilities (Ribble, 2015). Various accommodations and modifications can be made

for physically disabled or learning disabled students to participate with technology like their

peers. Students need to be knowledgeable about the Digital Commerce theme so they can take

the necessary steps to protect their information if they are ever buying and selling items online.

Students often purchase music and books online which requires payment information and

students must ensure the devices they are using for purchases are safe from identity theft.

There are many ways to communicate today, so with the Digital Communication theme

students learn what method of communication is appropriate for the information they want to

deliver (Ribble, 2015). Students will learn that sending an email may be more appropriate than

sending a text message, for example. Just as students are taught reading literacy, they also need

Digital Literacy instruction by teachers to help them navigate how to use technology.

Assumptions are made that students know when to use technology and how to use it

appropriately, but the Digital Etiquette theme will help enable students to be knowledgeable

about electronic standards of conduct (Ribble, 2015). Digital Law explains to students the

dangers of downloading or copying material without permission. Plagiarism, copyright law, and

fair use law will explain what is and is not allowed to protect students legally.
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Students can get caught up in situations that warrant adult intervention, so they will

learn when to reach out for help with Digital Rights and Responsibilities (Ribble, 2015).

Addictive use of games, the internet, and other technology has become a growing problem, but

Digital Health and Wellness theme will help keep students physically and psychologically safe.

The final theme is Digital Security, which stresses the importance of protecting programs from

viruses and how filters work to protect students from seeing inappropriate material. These

precautions are important and need to be often checked to guarantee student safety in a digital

environment.

Innovation Decision Process

The social system at Escape High School is divided into two groups. One is the

educational staff which included the technology committee and the other is the student body who

will be piloting the innovation. The desired innovation decision process for these pilot students

would be the following:

Knowledge - The students may have heard of escape rooms but they do not really know

about the Breakout EDU innovation. Their interest may be awakened as they listen to the

comparison between the two.

Persuasion - As the students interact with the Breakout EDU innovation they will notice

an increase in communication with their peers and also notice each others strengths and

weaknesses.

Decision - The technology committee is confident that the pilot group will provide honest

feedback on whether or not to move forward with the innovation.

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Implementation - The pilot group of students will be informed that their feedback is

crucial to the success of the implementation. An implementation timeline will be voiced

to the pilot group of students so that they can begin sharing their experience with their

peers.

Confirmation - As the Breakout EDU innovation is implemented in different subject

areas the confirmation of its continued use or continued rejection will become evident.

Role of the Change Agents

Strategy for diffusion

The technology team would establish a strict timeline for diffusion. Within that timeline,

there would be staff developments to attend. One of the staff development sessions could include

the teachers participating in a Breakout EDU session. The session will allow the presenters to

model what will be expected of the teachers and the students. Another session could focus on

reflection. The teachers will come together and discuss what went well and what didnt so that

the innovation can be reinvented to fit the needs of the campus. Another strategy to diffuse the

innovation would be to use social media. As teachers implement Breakout EDU in their

classrooms, videos can be posted on the campus Facebook or Twitter accounts or even the

districts social media accounts. However, in accordance with the project, all guidelines need to

be followed in regards to student privacy, to follow the themes of digital citizenship. Another

strategy can be to get feedback from the students. If the students are enjoying the innovation and

learning and the desired outcomes are taking place, value can be placed on the innovation.
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Seven step sequence of the role of the change agent

According to Rogers (2003), a change agent is one that influences the decisions of

innovations. The goal of the change agent is to affect the clients adoption of the innovation

positively. There is a sequence of seven steps that the change agent goes through to influence

the adoption. In regards to the Breakout EDU innovation, the principal is the main change agent.

The principal will go through each of the seven steps of the role of the change agent. The first

step of the role of the change agent is to develop a need for change. The principal will address

some of the issues facing students today in regards to their exposure and usage of the Internet.

Some of the issues include but are not limited to, cyberbullying, plagiarism, the students

inability to effectively explore and discern credible information. Through the technology team,

the teachers will be empowered to embrace Breakout EDU to help students learn to use

technology appropriately.

The second step in the sequence of the role of the change agent is to establish an

information exchange relationship. For the teachers to accept the innovation, the change agent

(principal) needs to have a personal relationship with the teachers. The teachers must feel the

principal has their best interests as well as the students best interests in mind. The change agent

will have the technology team work with department heads. The department heads will then

train the teachers. The department heads and technology team will be available for additional

support should the teachers request it.

The third step in the sequence of the role of the change agent is to diagnose problems.

The main problem to diagnose is that there is no program currently in place to address

citizenship at the school. Students are accessing inappropriate sites and struggling with using the
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Internet appropriately. As a result of the students struggling with the appropriate use of the

Internet, teachers lose valuable instructional time and become frustrated with use technology

integration.

Creating an intent to change in the client is the fourth step in the sequence of the role of

the change agent. The change agent has investigated the innovation of teaching digital

citizenship through Breakout EDU. Breakout EDU allows the participants to get up and move

around the room to locate clues to help unlock a mystery box. The students must use critical

thinking skills to solve the puzzles or riddles, but while the students are using these skills, they

are also developing collaboration skills to solve the puzzles or riddles. These are all skills that

students need to be successful in an ever-evolving technological world.

The next step in the sequence of the role of the change agent is to translate an intent into

action. The technology team would have the group of teachers complete a Breakout EDU game

to allow the teachers to experience what students will experience. At this point, the technology

team would train the department heads. The department heads are peers to the teachers. The

relationship between the department heads and their teachers is paramount during this step. As

opinion leaders, the department would also be implementing the innovation. To help stabilize

the adoption and prevent discontinuance, the change agent will provide continual support from

the technology team and the department head. Additional training will be provided as needed. A

terminal relationship will be developed when teachers take ownership of the innovation and

incorporate Breakout EDU into their lessons on their own. The terminal relationship will be

evident also when the teachers use Breakout EDU in other areas of their lessons outside of digital

citizenship.
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Method of identification and utilization of opinion leaders

According to Rogers (2003), opinion leaders are influential within an organization. It is

a delicate balance when using opinion leaders. The change agent does not want to overuse the

opinion leaders so that they lose credibility with the other members of the organization. Once

the opinion leaders have adopted the innovation, it will spread to the other members.

Department heads are considered leaders in their school. They have demonstrated the skills

necessary to lead and communicate with the members of their department effectively.

Department heads work in close cooperation with the building principal and conveys the

principals directives and messages. In the case of Breakout EDU, the department heads, along

with the technology team, will bring the innovation to the teachers. The department heads will

implement the innovation alongside their fellow teachers. This will give them the credibility of

supporting the innovation.

Possible Consequences of Adoption

Anticipated, desirable, direct

There are many possible consequences of adopting the innovation of Breakout EDU for

the teaching of digital citizenship to high school students. An anticipated consequence would be

that students learn the nine elements of digital citizenship. Another anticipated consequence

would be that teachers begin to feel more competent in their technology skills. It would be

considered desirable that students be able to use a gaming platform to learn essential skills such

as digital citizenship. It would also be desirable for students to be able to create Breakout EDU

games for other students, possibly other grade levels. A direct consequence of diffusion the

innovation would be that students become responsible digital citizens and that teachers learn
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more about the nine elements of digital citizenship. Many of the undesirable or indirect

consequences would be a result of students or teachers that do not participate in the diffusion of

the innovation.

According to The Theory of Perceived Attributes (Rogers, 1995), he states that potential

adopters judge an innovation based on their perceptions in regard to five attributes of the

innovation. Thus the overall positive and/or negative effects would rely on the attributes of

trialability, observability, relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility. Applying this theory

to the Breakout EDU Digital Citizenship innovation would provide positive results because the

innovation can be tested and tried before adoption to ensure that it offers observable results. The

observable results being that students gain awareness and understanding of the Nine Elements of

Digital Citizenship.

This innovation does have a relative advantage to other innovations in the sense that it

engages students in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Other

innovations offer solutions where students navigate through modules and answer questions. The

innovation is not overly complex but offers students the opportunity to develop grit. If at any

point they feel like giving up they have two hint cards in which the teacher can provide hints to

guide them along. The overall negative effects are that students might not break out of the game

the first time around causing frustration. This negative effect essentially provides a positive

lesson that teaches students to not give up at the first instance of failure.
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References

Gegan, W. (2017). 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship - Printable Poster. Fractus Learning.

Retrieved 4 May 2017, from

https://www.fractuslearning.com/2014/09/09/digital-citizenship-poster/

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: nine elements all students should know.

Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Ribble, M. (2014). Raising a Digital Child. Eugene: ISTE.

Rogers, Everett M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press.

Surry, D. W., & Farquhar, J. D. (1997). Diffusion theory and instructional technology. Journal of

Instructional Science and Technology, 2(1), 24-36.

Prezi link - https://prezi.com/view/ORN7sqAG0kiwf9edVFxu/

YouTube presentation - https://youtu.be/zFXnFEo_gE4