In the past month (actually less than a month), Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc has released FIVE books! With the release of this most recent book (TODAY), DBC, Inc has officially released 75 books (and another seven books have been released under the IMpress label)! This is certainly a landmark number! As a point of reference, it was just at this time last year that the 50th book was released!!! Congratulations to Dave & Shelley Burgess and the DBC, Inc team!

Now… for the 75th book blog!

EDrenaline Rush, written by John Meehan, is a book you’ll want to purchase IMMEDIATELY! One reason for this is the incredible bonus you get it you purchase by Saturday,  June 22, 2019! I preordered my book and got in on the bonus and I am blown away by the resources I got for FREE from John! All I’m saying is if you’re going to buy the book at some point this summer, get it this week! Even Dave says so here in his blog!

Another reason you’ll want to purchase this book is because it’s just that good! From the minute I opened this book, I was pumped! I can’t wait to get back to school so I can implement some of the super creative games John outlines! The engagement strategies are plentiful and sure to hook students immediately!

The book is divided into three parts.

1. Amusement Parks
2. Mud Runs
3. Escape Rooms

While a Saturday at a mud run doesn’t exactly sound like a fun day in my humble opinion, amusement parks and escape rooms are my favorites! I love the adrenaline rush I get from an amusement park – the fear of riding a new coaster, unsure of what’s going to happen on each ride, always wondering if I’m ever in any actual danger (typically not). Even the music as I walk into the amusement park puts an extra pep in my step upon arrival!

We had a new escape room open about an hour from our house and I fully intend to take my daughters with some of our friends one afternoon this summer to see if we can make it out! I love trying to solve puzzles and even have a few escape room apps on my phone. I may also be guilty of spending an excess amount of time in our htc Vive at school working my way through various themed escape rooms – obviously I’m only doing due diligence with research and development, right? (HA)

In part 1, John takes us to Disney and reminds us how many lessons we can learn from a Disney experience! (I wonder if I can convince my husband to take me to do research and development at Disney this summer… hmmm..) In November 2018 our family went on a 7-night Disney cruise and I made many connections to the service we received at Disney. Check out some of my reflections here!

In part 2, John talks about the experience of completing a Mud Run and the big obstacles that the runners face in these races. I immediately fell in love with the Personal Record rubric and cannot wait to share it with the teachers I serve! I think they will LOVE it as a goal setting and reflection tool for students. What a terrific way to help students own their learning! By the way, in part 2 – John gets REAL in some dialogue about equity, race, and access. He also begs the question, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Finally, in part 3, I was blown away by the information about escape rooms! He helps the reader set up their own escape room – both physical rooms and digitally using Google forms. Yes – it has a similar feel to BreakoutEDU (which John also talks about). In Breakout, you’re trying to get INTO a box! In escape rooms, students are trying to get OUT of the room! Both have suspense, collaboration, critical thinking, and are a recipe for student enthusiasm! I can’t begin to tell how many times I’ve had students beg to stay in the media center to continue on their BreakoutEDU session rather than go to their next class!

Also… #QRBreakIn… yes, it’s a thing! (I told you that you need to get this book!) I’ll just leave that right there. Check out the sneak peek video below (or click here) & subscribe to the DBC, Inc Media YouTube channel!

Implementation

I seriously don’t know that I can choose just one thing to implement from EDrenaline Rush! I truly have about 10 things that I took a screenshot of (waiting for my physical book to be delivered later this week) that I can’t wait to share with teachers at my school! This is a unique book in that it blends inspiration and practicality. There are stories that touch your heart immediately followed by ways to engage your students in that same emotional experience! I’m not going to lie – I was on the edge of my seat during some of the book and noticed I was reading faster than usual (which is a feat in itself) to see what happened next.

In DON’T Ditch That Tech, Matt Miller and Nate & Angie Ridgway remind us to move poco a poco (little by little)! When my physical copy is delivered, I will do my best to narrow down to one or two games to implement in the 2019-2020 school year. This is exactly the kind of thing I geek out on in education, so I truly loved every minute of reading this book and it’s going to be a task to just pick one or two actions! (Maybe I can do one or two per teacher… hmmmm……)

Follow along with the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #EDrenaline – it’s getting ready to get lit over there, bro (hahahaha, sorry John, I had to! I know that is going in your word graveyard)! In all seriousness, you don’t want to miss out! Go preview and order the book here and check out John’s website here. I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this epic book! Remember to take advantage of the BONUS FREEBIES by ordering before Saturday, June 22, 2019 and then complete this form!

Take a minute to connect with John on Twitter and Instagram, too;  he’s a super-cool guy!