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Scholastic Esports Engagement: From Finding Your Why to Building a Successful Program

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Colorado Convention Center, 709/11

Listen and learn: Edtalk
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Presenters

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Julius Edwards
Digital Media/Esports Director
School District of Palm Beach County
@CoachJuliusPBG
A high school teacher for seven years, Julius is a dedicated, resourceful, and goal-driven professional educator with a solid commitment to the social and academic growth and development of all students. He is also the Vice President for the Sunshine Scholastic Esports League. His responsibilities include maintaining and enforcing eSports program and arena policies and procedures; establishing and maintaining professional membership with national and regional organizations; and ensuring team and program compliance with all league, conference, and institutional rules and regulations.
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Michael Marrero
Teacher
School District of Palm Beach County
@MichaelMarrero
Michael Marrero is a chess coach, chess club sponsor, and assistant director over esports for Palm Beach Lakes High School. A gamer at heart, he has the prevailing belief that tactical, strategic, and competitive games lay the fundamentals for flexibility, problem solving, and general intellectual virtue. Ultimately, he believes that esports has the potential to revolutionize education for countless students in providing them the new ground they need to be aligned to success. With about a decade of experience teaching, Michael Marrero is passionate about creating new foundations in technology literacy, confidence, sociability, and passion in students using esports.
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John Shoemaker
Ed Tech Specialist / Scholastic eSports Facilitator
School District of Palm Beach County
@shoewee
@mrjohnshoemaker
John Shoemaker is an Educational Strategist, Consultant, and Educational Technology Specialist for the Palm Beach County Schools.  He has a passion for pedagogy and technology integration.  Having progressed through multiple roles from classroom teacher to district administrator, he has a wide-ranging skillset that aligns to his passions.  His background includes expertise in creating and implementing learning programs, courses, trainings, and workshops.  He serves as the eSports Facilitator for the District and oversees the roll out of eSports to all schools.  He has been working on Scholastic eSports for over 5 years and was a NASEF Fellow and Mentor.

Session description

We begin with “why eSports” and share what building Scholastic eSports programs while navigating challenges looks like. Hear how we went from concept to reality as we rewrote the CTE curriculum for digital media courses to become eSports focused. Find out how this program transformed countless students at the school.

Purpose & objective

Upon conclusion of our session, participants will have started their thought process on what their "why" is for eSports. They will also have concrete tips for working with district level people to avoid any type of pushback. Relevant research will be shared for participants to use when questioned why eSports is a needed program at their school. Participants will also gain access to multiple resources to help get them started or help them continue the journey they are on no matter where they are in the process. They will also gain access to some sample lessons created by the coaches as part of their digital design CTE courses. Finally, we will share our recommendations for eSports Leagues and some of the amazing stories of transformation from our students. Access our resources at https://bit.ly/ISTE2024esports

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Outline

Introductions
The importance of why and our why/Visioning
The eSports Ecosystem
Challenges faced getting started
Shared Permission Slip
History of eSports at Palm Beach Lakes
Transformation of curriculum into a during the day program
Four year course pathway design
College scholarships
Managing an eSports program and roles for students
Importance of partnerships
Competitions and eSports Leagues
Video compilation sharing student impact (not shared during session, included in online resources)
Q&A
Access our resources at https://bit.ly/ISTE2024esports

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Supporting research

Video Games and Learning
Improve visual acuity & attention (Green & Bevelier)
Foster scientific reasoning (Clark; Steinkühler & Duncan; NCR)
Accelerate language learning (Young et. al.)
Increase problem solving skills (Adachi & Willoughby)
Improve digital & print literacy (Gee; Leander; Steinkuehler)
Associated with higher math achievement (Bowers & Berland)
Strongly associated with technology fluency (Hayes)

Sports and Learning
Associated with higher GPA for HS students (Fox et. al.)
Fosters personal growth (Richard & Ares)
Cultivates persistence (Pascarella et. al.)
Increases satisfaction with school (Astin)
Associated with higher degree completion (Ryan)

In addition https://connectedlearning.uci.edu/projects/researching-the-impacts-of-esports-programs-for-youth/ and https://www.nasef.org/research

Access our resources at https://bit.ly/ISTE2024esports

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Session specifications

Topic:
Esports
Grade level:
PK-12
Skill level:
Beginner
Audience:
Teachers, Chief technology officers/superintendents/school board members, Curriculum/district specialists
Attendee devices:
Devices not needed
Participant accounts, software and other materials:
Not needed in this session.
Subject area:
Career and technical education, STEM/STEAM
ISTE Standards:
For Educators:
Designer
  • Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
For Students:
Creative Communicator
  • Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
Global Collaborator
  • Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

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