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How To Launch An Esports Team During COVID-19

Esports

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July 7, 2020

Recently, Steve Isaacs and I founded Garden State Esports. GS Esports is a non-profit built for students and run by teachers. Our mission is to create game-changing students through scholastic esports by providing the learning, the leagues, and the community needed for ALL students to use esports as a platform to acquire the critical skills needed to thrive in school, work, and life. This guide is meant to help NJ schools launch an esports team, even if we are not in-person next year. If you’re not a school in NJ, you can still use this guide to launch an esports team at your school. Enjoy!

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Do you have an esports program? Has your board approved one, but you haven’t had a chance to get up and running yet? With Covid-19 and distance learning, these are definitely challenging times when it comes to getting your esports program up and running or maintaining continuity since we are unsure what school will look like in the Fall.

While there are challenges, we definitely see great opportunities for esports to help us provide the needed sense of normalcy for many of our students. In fact, earlier during our time of distance learning, we published an article, “Esports: The Athletics of Remote Learning”.

We are hoping this blog post will help you navigate the challenges during a hybrid / remote learning model in order to still provide a meaningful esports program.

Research Guidelines

It is important to first determine your district guidelines for holding extracurricular activities during a modified school schedule. Some districts have made blanket statements like no extracurricular programs will be held while others are encouraging programs to run to the extent that they can amidst the pandemic. Determine how and when your team can meet virtually and any social distancing guidelines your team will need to follow if allowed to meet in-person.

Implementation and Communication

If schools are open for certain activities, it would be ideal for some components of your esports program to still take place at school using school resources. However, one thing we are learning during these times relates to flexibility. Generally speaking, esports leagues require students to play from school or from a sanctioned facility. Currently, it is important that we allow for flexibility in these matters and allow students to practice and compete from home as needed. In order to create an environment that allows for this, we need to explore tools that facilitate communication and collaboration. For our esports team last year, we set up a Google Classroom with Google Meet for live meetings as this is what students were accustomed to for their classes. This served well for announcements and discussion. We also set up a Discord server as Discord is the preferred communication platform for esports and gaming. This worked really well as we were able to have separate channels for different games, announcements, and voice chat. The esports team continued to meet regularly and between using Google Classroom / Meet and Discord we were able to effectively run our esports program virtually.

If you are a member Garden State Esports, we will be providing esports competition for the upcoming school year. Still, as an esports coach, you will want to use these same tools to connect with other coaches and organizations around the country. The esportsEDU community is great! When remote learning started, esports coaches collaborated on a national level to set up matches and even weekly tournaments to provide a sense of normalcy and community for students. A special shoutout to TexSEF (the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation) and CompMC (competitive minecraft) for creating ongoing activities. In addition, NASEF (The North America Scholastic Esports Federation) partnered with Garden State Esports and The Florida Scholastic Esports League to offer a number of Competitive Minecraft Build Challenges open to people around the world that has been a great experience for students to connect with peers from home.

Getting Started

If your club is already established it is certainly easier. You likely have a roster and email addresses to notify and invite students to participate. If you have approval for an esports team but haven’t started yet, that is certainly a bit different. It is important to determine protocol for marketing extracurricular programs to students remotely. With a new school year coming up, many districts have a plan in order to provide students with the ability to find out about and sign up for activities. Ideally, a new esports program can be included in the information going out to the school community. It would be ideal to recruit interest by way of a Google Form that students could complete. It is important to survey students in terms of their interest in the program. Esports is not just about the player, but there are many ancillary opportunities for interested students. These include shoutcasting, marketing, business development (fund raising, etc), and much more. You can find out more about the variety of career pathways in the esports industry from NASEF. In addition, it is important to survey students on the types of games and modes of gameplay they are interested in competing in. It is important to provide opportunities for all students so it is important to carefully craft a survey regarding games to account for diverse interests.

Practice Schedule

Esports should be treated like traditional sports when it comes to practice. If the program is being conducted remotely, it is important to set a regular practice schedule that includes time for play, theory crafting, strategy, and Social Emotional as well as Physical well being.

Breakdown

Assuming you have approval to start an esports team, here are the simplified best practices for launching:

Understand how and when you will be allowed to meet based on your school reopening plan.
Create places for your esports team to meet virtually. We like Google Classroom, Google Meet, and Discord.
Through available channels, let students know that the school will be launching an esports team. Consider announcing an online interest meeting at this time or using a Google Form to capture interested students’ contact information so you can follow up.
During an interest meeting or followup outreach, explain the rules and code of conduct for your esports team. Consider using a survey to gauge game interest, tech access, and availability of team members.
After you finalize your roster, schedule practices. Practice times should be the same day and time as they would be if kids were in school to maintain continuity if and when we return to normalcy.
Game on! Continue to practice and prepare students for competition, but also be mindful to use esports as an opportunity to check in on students’ social and emotional well being.

Final Thoughts

Many traditional sports are on hold or are starting to practice but continue to be uncertain regarding how their season will look. Due to its online nature, esports can continue uninterrupted through this challenging time but it will require careful planning, dedication, and communication. Let’s embrace the idea that esports can definitely be viewed as the athletics of remote learning. Esports is growing rapidly and we can leverage that momentum especially during these times. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or require support. If you’re a NJ school, make sure you activate with us!

Until Next Time,

GLHF

Chris Aviles and Steve Isaacs

3 Tech-Savvy Moves Parents Should Make For Their Kids Right Now

EdTech Ideas

Chris Aviles

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June 30, 2020

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3 Tech-Savvy Moves Parents Should Make For Their Kids Right Now

We live in a reputation economy. In a world where everyone can amplify their voice through social media and similar platforms, your reputation is one of your most valuable assets. In the reputation economy, the only thing worse than having a negative digital footprint is having no digital footprint because a lot of times your reputation is your resume.

Before I started Teched Up Teacher, when you Googled my name very little came up about me. The top returns when you Googled my name was Chris Aviles the doctor, Chris Aviles the photographer, and Chris Aviles the felon from Jersey City, which became quite a problem for me at times. Not much on me, Chris Aviles the teacher. Just a few newspaper articles from sporting events when I was in high school. Through this blog and the work I’ve done in education, I am now the top result when you Google Chris Aviles.

That’s important. How many times have parents, students, family, friends, and prospective employers probably Googled you? If someone Googles me, I want them to see all the good I’ve tried to do for the profession and my students. In turn, having a good reputation and positive digital footprint has probably opened doors for me that otherwise would have stayed closed if I was still the 37th most popular Chris Aviles in the world. I say all this to make clear the point, your online reputation is important and something you need to grow.

As a new father, I want to make sure I protect my son’s reputation until he is ready to take it over himself. Here are the 3 tech-savvy moves I made for my son before he was even born to help him get a jump start on his digital footprint.

Get their name as an email

When we settled on the name Oliver, the first thing I did was get my son’s name as a gmail account. I don’t know if Gmail will be the most popular email service of the future, but I know having your name as a clean email address without having to follow it up with your birthday or random numbers or letters at the end will never go out of style.

Get their name as a domain

Using his email address, I bought my son’s name as .com. For just $10 a year, I can make sure no one else can buy his name. Later, if he wants, he can build a website where he can compile all the work he is proud of to show colleges. As a college student, he can build out the website to show perspective employers what he has learned as a college student. Then, when he gets a job, maybe his site becomes a place to share his passions and showcase whatever he chooses to do with his life. Maybe he never uses it at all. That’s fine, too. By owning his name as a domain, at least I can give him the option to share what he wants with the world.

Save all those pictures for them

Oliver is only 14 months old. He isn’t using his website anytime soon. In the meantime, I created a Google Photos account where my wife, family members, and I can upload all the pictures and videos we take of him. This is great for family members who don’t get to see him often. That can head to his website and see the latest pictures of him. Eventually, when the time is right, We’ll turn over his Photos account over to him so he can both add to it and have an archive of all the pictures of him growing up.

These 3 tech-savvy moves you can make for your kids right now may pay dividends in the future as reputation and digital footprints becomes even more valuable.

How Esports Can Support Equity

Esports

Chris Aviles

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May 12, 2020

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This was an article I originally wrote for Tech & Learning magazine. They’re a great resource for teachers looking to keep up on the latest edtech and ideas. Check them out!

In September 2018, my school district approved the creation of my FH Knights esports team, the first middle school esports team in the country. We are currently taking on all comers in Rocket League.

Over the last two years, I’ve learned a lot about running an esports team and the value of esports in education.

Here are two important reasons every school should have an esports team and one common misconception about starting an esports team.

Equity: Esports is for Everyone

Esports should be in every school for many reasons. It is a great way to teach social-emotional learning, and can help kids build school competency, and find a pipeline to college.

One of the best things about esports, however, is how accessible it is. Esports tends to draw students uninterested in traditional sports, including those who may have learning disabilities, physical handicaps, or be on the spectrum.

Esports also tends to be popular with students of color, LGBT students, and less affluent students as well. A Northwestern University study found, on average, black students game 30 minutes more per day than white students, while Latinx students game 10 minutes more. The Nielsen Company reports that 65% of all LGBT consumers play games of any type, slightly edging out heterosexual players (63%). Multiple studies have found that children from lower income families game more than their more affluent counterparts.

Chances are you have an underserved population that is looking for a place to call home within your school. Esports can be that place. Once we can connect with these traditionally underserved students through the gaming they love, we can use it to create better learning outcomes for everyone.

The Esports-STEM Connection

If we are serious about placing students in STEM careers, we need to be serious about esports. Esports is the fastest-growing industry in the world, and many of the highly coveted STEM careers schools talk about will be found in or tangential to esports. Esports has also been shown to improve skills associated with STEM such as problem solving, critical thinking, and concentration. A recent poll of high school students currently involved with their school’s esports program showed that more than 50% of those students intend to major in STEM subjects when they get to college. Through esports, we can even provide hands-on experience before they get there.

The North American Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) has done a great job helping spread awareness of STEM careers in esports. As a NASEF Fellow, I work to help promote the idea of the team behind the team. I have a competitive esports team that plays other schools and colleges, but I also have a team behind my esports team, made up of strategists, organizers, content creators, and entrepreneurs–roles my students take on to help support the team.

These are roles students can fill in the real world. My student entrepreneurs undertake projects such as marketing our events on social media and designing our jerseys. Our content creators host podcasts, edit video, and design promotional flyers. Our strategists keep stats in a spreadsheet and analyze video of our opponents to help develop a game plan. Our organizers keep our devices updated and troubleshoot technical issues.

Overcoming the Equity Gap

When you think of esports, or are being pitched by the edtech companies on the technology needed to bring esports to your district, it can seem as if you need to spend thousands of dollars on flashy computers. That’s a common misconception.

Think outside the Xbox. In the middle school esports league I’ve organized, of the almost 30 middle schools involved, more than two thirds of teams are run using devices, such as Xbox Ones, that students bring from home.

Finding outside funding. Schools in my league have funded programs through the PTA and even Donors Choose. Because esports and STEM play so well together, many schools have received STEM grants to create their esports team. A close friend and talented educator, Sandra Paul, Director of IT and Operations for Union Public Schools in New Jersey, worked with her leadership team to fund esports through a Title I grant. You didn’t need to spend a lot of money to start an esports team.

Using resources already on hand. The answer to your equipment needs may already be in your school or district. Many schools have already invested in high-end computers for their STEM program, and a laptop computer or PC that can be used for STEM activities such as 3D design, video editing, or virtual reality, can probably run your esports game of choice. If not, a great way to convince stakeholders to purchase these devices is to highlight their crossover use as both esports and STEM machines.

Reach out to the gaming community. If you can’t bring the computers to you, go to the equipment! Many businesses and colleges rent or donate space to scholastic esports teams. Microsoft hosts schools in their stores. Here in New Jersey, colleges and LAN Centers provide spaces for esports teams to practice. Find out what is nearby and see if they would be willing to work with your team.

As it often goes in education, where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you want to start an esports team, you can make it happen. And you should make it happen–your students want and need esports, and all the opportunities that come with it, in your school.