We had 34 students(4th-9th grade) and teachers from 9 different school districts participate in our two-and-a-half-day scholastic esports event. This was a competition-based professional development experience in which teachers learned and worked with their students to engage in graphic design, website creation, and an esports tournament. It was beneficial for all of our participating teachers to learn with their students. Teachers were able to help students develop persistence and resilience as they worked in teams to produce amazing projects for the academic portion of the competition.
We were fortunate enough to partner with Jackson College’s esports program. Students and teachers were able to use the esports arena for a real immersive experience. On the last day of the event, we ran a tournament in which teachers experienced the benefit and engagement that esports could provide for their class, school, and community. Parents and community members were invited to the tournament and the awards announcement.
Esports and Camp Goals
Esports is the fastest-growing competitive experience for students and professionals in the world. In the United States, there are over $16 million dollars in scholarships given for esports. The number of scholarship opportunities is growing and available for not just players but students that can help run the team. Careers and scholarships are given to content creators, entrepreneurs, strategists, organizers, and content creators.
Since this is the first scholastic esports experience of its kind in Michigan, we want this program to represent an opportunity to see the educational value in esports. We will be using the North America Scholastic Esports Federations framework to guide our experience. During this camp students and teachers will use a combination of tech tools, soft skills, and teamwork to create an esports team. They will design their own website, logo, team values, and compete in a tournament.
Innovation Camp is made possible by a generous donation from REMC. Thank you, REMC!
REMC, The Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1969.