Esports....It's a Game-Changer LinkedUp: Breaking Boundaries in Education

Esports has arrived in many schools and they are a game changer.  Listen as you hear from two eSPorts coaches as they talk about the setup, rigor, and positive outcomes of eSPorts. Chris Aviles is a teacher at Knollwood middle school in Fair Haven, New Jersey. There he runs the renowned Fair Haven Innovates program he created in 2015. Part of his FH Innovates program includes the FH Knights, the first middle school esports team in the country. As coach of the FH Knights, Aviles and his players take on all comers from around the country including other middle schools, high schools, and even colleges. Chris has been involved in esports since 1998 and he is passionate about growing the esportsedu movement. He has authored The Esports Education Playbook and runs a nonprofit, Garden State Esports, to help other educators start esports teams in their schools. Nate Simons is the Director of Technology for the Louisville Public School District in Louisville, NE. The district is PreK-12 and all in one building with about 650 students. Along with his tech director and teaching duties, he is also the high school Esports coach. Nate is on the board of the Nebraska School Esports Association (a NASEF affiliate) where he helps to organize season tournaments and helps to grow the scholastic gaming community.  To find out more about The Esports Education Playbook and the work Chris is doing, visit his website at http://www.techedupteacher.com/about-chris-aviles/