Category: EdTech Inquiry

Our Kahoot!

Here is the Kahoot that Kate and I are going to be playing with our class after our presentation. We have learned so many new things about Kahoot and the different kinds of games you can create, we decided that it would be fun to play a Kahoot as a class. Although we didn’t make our own for the presentation, we looked up multiple different Kahoots that are already made and available for everyone to use. We decided to choose a subject area that everyone should know some information. We chose to do a Disney character Kahoot. We think that this will be fun and that our classmates will like it. Here is the link to find so many different Kahoots that are already made and have over one hundred different topics and subjects. 

https://create.kahoot.it/discover 

And here is the link to our Disney Kahoot that we will be playing in class. 

https://play.kahoot.it/v2/lobby?quizId=c5cd5413-fb6b-43cf-baf3-ed2de4392c2f

Key Points

1. Kahoot!  is website and an app that allows teachers to create different quizzes per subject or unit.
2. With a quiz created by the teacher, the students will follow along and engage in friendly competition (This promotes a positive learning environment and can build upon past knowledge!)
3. Creating a Kahoot is fun and easy and can be personalized for the optimal learning of the students.
4. Kahoot! uses a game-based student response system (GSRS), which refers to a game-based system in which the teacher will present interactive elements within the regular delivery of the lesson.
5. By using games, students can access their previous knowledge, reflect on their own academic improvement and expand into further critical thinking. Further, games influence improvement in problem-solving and critical thinking.
6. Overall, the game-based learning is used to promote positive student engagement in the classroom and create a positive emotional climate through healthy student competition and individual motivation.
7. Pros:
   • Teachers can create various types of quizzes such as true or false, multiple choice, or open-ended questions for various subjects.
   • Provokes attention amongst the students in class. 
   • Allows students a break period from structured learning
   • Promotes student Interaction and Participation
   • Friendly competition becomes a motivator for students
   • Anonymity
   • Knowledge Retention
   • It’s FUN!!!!
8. Cons:
   • There is often only one answer to a question which can limit thoughts and opinions
   • Technology issues
   • Usernames can become inappropriate
   • The speed motivator can be overwhelming
9.  When teachers use Kahoot! within the classroom students are able to go over previously learned material and are able to understand and explore new perspectives. They are able to expand beyond what they already know and dive into new materials. 
10. Allows students to review key concepts and topics covered in class 

Game – based learning can be very beneficial to a child’s development as it allows students to learn from from a new and exciting perspective that encourages hands on learning experiences.

Here are some benefits of Game Based Learning:

• Can improve memory
  • if the game uses memorization, children can begin to think critically and build upon their memory capacity.
• Builds technological literacy
  • If  game revolves around technology (as in Kahoot!), children can build their knowledge in technology, their respect online and their online citizenship,
• Encourages children to think logically and critically
  •  allows children to develop the ability to think strategically, think ahead, and explore ideas outside of the box.
• Develop hand-eye coordination
  • often children can develop a better ability in hand- eye coordination, especially in technological games where they are expected to complete objectives using a keyboard or mouse while looking at a screen.
• Skill – Building
  • Lots of games require different skills in order to achieve a certain goal. Children can learn skills in finance (Monoply), map -reading (Ticket to Ride), mathematical skills (Dino Math Tracks), reading and writing skills (Scategories), social skills (Charades), etc.
• Game based learning can also help students develop a stronger understanding of concepts by allowing them to apply their ideas to real-life situations. This can also help motivate the students into learning the concepts and help them personalize their learning.

Enjoy this video: The Effective Use of Game Based Learning.

Information Retrieved from:

https://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-basic-benefits-of-game-based-learning/

Kahoot is a wonderful tool for solidifying a student’s learning. When teachers use food within the classroom students are able to go over previously learned material and are able to understand and explore new perspectives. They are also able to expand beyond what they already know and dive into new materials. Sometimes students can feel motivated to even study beforehand if they know there is going to be a Kahoot the next day furthering their learning and memorization capacity. Kahoot allows students to review key concepts and topics covered in class and allow students to see these concepts in a brief and precise format which helps students develop a clear understanding. Through a study done on the benefits of Kahoot, it was discovered that students are more likely to retain information if it was delivered through a Kahoot. Students also reported that they were in favour of the quick and basic reminders within a Kahoot that allowed them to refresh their memories. Further, when a question is presented within a Kahoot it opens the door for the class conversation to discuss why certain answers were correct and some were not.

By Kate and Holly

Cons of Kahoot

There are very few cons about the app and game Kahoot, here are some listed below

• One answer:
  • The one issue with Kahoot is that there can only be one answer for multiple-choice questions and true or false questions. This can be difficult when creating a Kahoot because there could be more than one answer to the multiple-choice question. There are options to do an open-ended question in Kahoot. 
• Technology issues:
  • There are some problems that can happen when playing Kahoot in your classroom, depending on the school you’re working at they might now have enough or any tablets or computers available for the students to use. There can also be an issue with wifi if the school has bad wifi the connection can create a problem when doing the quiz, that some students devices might lag and this makes it unfair 
• Usernames:
  • This causes an issue because students can create their own usernames which can lead to inappropriate names that are displayed for the whole class to see. 
• Speed:
  • Kahoot is all about getting points and the way to get points for answering correctly is how fast you answer the question. This is not always the best way to get students engaged.

By Holly and Kate

Kahoot! Provides many benefits for the learning environment that range from student engagement to the enjoyment of learning. Here are some of the Pros for Kahoot!:

• Provokes attention amongst the students in class. 
  • Motivates students to pay attention during instructional periods in order to prepare for future Kahoot! Games
• Allows students a break period from structured learning
  • Can be used to break up subjects or as an educational transition activity
• Promotes student Interaction and Participation
  • Promotes engagement as students answer questions within the game.
  • Gives introverted students the chance to share their ideas and thoughts without needing to speak or fearing judgement.
• Friendly competition becomes a motivator for students
  • Students compete to gain the most points and find themselves on the leaderboard
  • Creates a positive and active classroom environment where energy levels may rise and students can become motivated to think critically and creatively.
• Anonymity
  • Students can remain anonymous if they wish which provides them with some safety and privacy
  • Gives introverted children the chance to share their ideas while feeling safe and unjudged for their choice in answers.
• Knowledge Retention
  • Allows students to review past material and uncover new material
  • Students may even feel motivated to study beforehand if they know a Kahoot! is coming up
  • Covers key concepts and topics
• It’s FUN!!!!

Kate and Holly

Research  retrieved from :

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1524/4ecd307ab706cbb394cb5e4ccd045b3c2d6f.pdf

Written by:

Kahoot uses a game-based student response system (GSRS), which refers to a game-based system in which the teacher will present interactive elements within the regular delivery of the lesson. The students then use their own mobile devices or school-provided technology to relay their responses during the presentation. These games are awarded points for each correct answer, on a streak (multiple answers correct in a row), and timing (how fast you answer the question). These points are a way to encourage student participation and promote unknown learning. The students will thrive to be at the top of the leader board and therefore this creates individual but class supported competition. Using games to support learning within an academic setting and a range of subjects is very beneficial to the student learning experience. Within them, they can access their previous knowledge, reflect on their own academic improvement and expand into further critical thinking. Further, games influence improvement in problem-solving and critical thinking. Overall, the game-based learning is used to promote positive student engagement in the classroom and create a positive emotional climate through healthy student competition and individual motivation. Furthermore, the game-based approach is helpful for those students participating in a full-class discussion, as it gives them an outlet for their thinking.

Kate and Holly

Research  retrieved from :

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1524/4ecd307ab706cbb394cb5e4ccd045b3c2d6f.pdf

Written by:

Kahoot within a classroom can be many ways by students and teachers alike. Teachers can create various styled quizzes to promote understanding in different subjects and content areas. In our previous post about how to create a Kahoot, there are multiple different styles of quizzes that you can create. Teachers can also use this as a fun tool to engage students in expanded learning as well as fun brain breaks to get students back on track and away from traditional activities. Kahoot further allows students to use their own devices which may allow them to feel more personal connected with their learning. Students can also use Kahoot! to conduct research, review content, create engaging presentations, and recognise their own improvement through saved scores under their profiles (Bharti, 2014).

Furthermore, Kahoot! can be used within the classroom to assist teachers with formative assessment. As the application is able to save students scores and data unde their profiles, teachers are able to check in and assess where students are being clearly understood as well as where they may be struggling. Kahoot! can be used as a pre -assessment tool to see what students may already know and to introduce new content. It can be used throughout a unit to measure the accumulation of understanding from students (Mendoza, 2018).

Kate and Holly

Research retrieved from:

https://edtechreview.in/news/1490-how-kahoot-can-help-teachers-to-engage-students

EdTech Review, How Kahoot can Help Teachers to Engage Students, Written by : Prasanna Bharti, 15 September, 2014

https://learnsafe.com/using-kahoot-in-the-classroom/

LearnSafe, Using Kahoot! In the Classroom, Written by: Jonathan Mendoza, 27 September, 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGLy9jyGjkU

Step by step on how to create a Kahoot:

1. Visit the Kahoot website or download the app on your tablet or phone
2. Choose whether you are signing in as a teacher or a student
3. Create an account with a username, email and password
4. After creating your account, click on “Create a new Kahoot”
5. Choose which template that you want to use; depending on the teaching style you are going to use. Such as, teach with slide, Kahoot! for formative assessment or practice spelling and adjectives with a puzzle.
6. After selecting a template, type in a question, option to insert an image, and insert up to four possible answers. 
7. When adding a question, you can choose the type of question you would like to ask, either true or false, quiz, open-ended, or a poll.
8. Once done adding questions, click the green Done button and enter the title of your Kahoot. 

Hopefully, you have a blast creating your very own Kahoot!

Holly and Kate 

Kahoot is website and an app that allows teachers to create different quizzes pe subject and unit. The students will use their own devices, school computers or tablets to login and join the class. The teacher will start the quiz and the students will follow along and engage in friendly competition to promote a positive learning environment and build upon past knowledge.

Kahoot uses a game-based approach to test students on their knowledge and learning capacity of a specific subject and may further push them to answer challenging problem-solving questions to further their understanding. Kahoot promotes sociability and support amongst peers, therefore students will cheer on other classmates. Kahoot can also be used in multiple different settings besides the classroom.

Enjoy this trailer brought to you by Kahoot!

By Kate and Holly

Holly and I believe that Kahoot is a great tool to use in intermediate grades and for any subject. From our own experiences, we feel confident in the fact that Kahoot is a great resource for students to further study and solidify their knowledge. We aim to look further into how Kahoot benefits students in solidifying their previous knowledge and further expand their thinking and encourage them to think outside of the box.

   Image Credit: Kahoot.com

By Kate and Holly