What is Baamboozle?
It's a website where teachers can create their own educational games or use one of the countless already made by other teachers. My students from all ages and levels love it because there are bonuses, extra points, swapping points, "bombs", and the possibility of playing in groups or individually.
How does it work?
It's basically a hidden cards game, where students should choose a number and do what is asked in the card. Students do not operate it, it is the teacher who projects the game on the screen and opens the card the teams choose. However, if you use breakout rooms, students may operate the game, too.
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| Bamboozle |
Yes, but there is a paid option where you have more space for uploading images, you can create a copy and edit other teacher's games. Personally, I can make do with the free version because there are already thousands of games available. But I wouldn't oppose if my school would be willing to pay for a yearly subscription for the teachers to use the same account and have more options to create games.
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| Screenshot from the Bamboozle website - An example of how students see the game |
Suggestions on how to use Baamboozle in your online class
Group games - That's how I usually play it. I divide my students into groups and they can help each other complete the tasks in the cards. Even though it's one group at a time, the others are really interested in what the other group answers because it's after all a competition. They can choose their group's name and it's a lot of fun. They also enjoy the "win 50 points" and "swap points" kind of power ups - although it seems unfair, they don't mind.
Treasure hunt for young learners - There are many pre-made games of treasure hunt for the online classes. My young learners love it. There are also many movement games where students have to do the action shown in the card (which can be a fun gif). It's nice to have some games saved in case you have 5 to 10 minutes to spare at the end of your lesson.
Speaking practice - With my one-to-one students and older learners, I also use Bamboozle for speaking practice. There are IELTS questions, FCE questions, and you can set a timer for each student to speak about the theme that's in the card.
Vocabulary fun games - With teens and lower level groups, I always like to have saved some options for when we have extra time. For example, "name 5", "think of something", or alphabet games.
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Have you ever used Baamboozle? How do you use it? What have you fund most useful from this website? Share in the comments! :)
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