The web program, Kahoot, is a game based response platform. This user friendly website gives teachers the ability to create quizzes and surveys about any subject area. Teachers can use ready made Kahoots that have been created by others. Students then have the capability to answer questions through a variety of devices and using colors and shapes to connect to the answer. The website even tracks student achievement by looking at what the student did during the Kahoot, as well as overall achievement while logged in.
Kahoot is very easy to use to create quizzes and surveys. The website takes you step by step through the creation process. Both quizzes and surveys are created in the same way. You first start by creating a title for your quiz or survey. Then, you are brought to a new screen where you start creating your quiz/survey by typing your first question. Next, you type in at least two answers (no more than four answers) to your question and mark which answers are incorrect or correct by a click of a button. You also have the ability to add images to your question by either dragging the file into the workspace or chose the file from your device. If you do not add an image, Kahoot will add one for you to make the Kahoot more engaging for the students. Kahoot has recently added a video feature to its website, meaning that you can add a YouTube video to the question. All you need is the ID of the YouTube video as well as the time to start and end the video clip. You can add more questions to your quiz by clicking the “add question” button. You must complete the question before you move on to creating the next question. Kahoot also gives you the choice to duplicate questions if the teacher wants to create a similar question. From experimenting with the website, you can add many questions to your quiz/survey. (I was able to create 40 questions in my Kahoot, which is more than what I would have for my students). After all your questions have been created, you are then brought to a review screen. On this review screen, you are able to reorder the questions that you have created as well as edit your questions if that is needed. When the questions are in the order that desired, you then are able to adjust the settings, such as privacy (if you want to make the Kahoot public or private), difficulty level (easy, intermediate, advanced) , and primary audience (school, university, business, etc.). The last step is to give your quiz a cover image or cover video. This is done in the same way of adding an image or video to a question. Then, your Kahoot is ready to use with your students.
Students play the created Kahoot using their own devices. The teacher projects the game on a Smartboard or projector that students can see from a distance. The teacher then begins the Kahoot by clicking "play". This creates a unique game code that students enter on a device of their choice. When students use this code, they will be synced into your game. Students then look at the game board, which is projected to get the question and answer choices. On their devices, students see the two by two grid with different colors and associated shapes. Depending on answer choice and speed, Kahoot will give students a score. After each question a leaderboard will be shown to students, as well as overall leader after that round. Students continue to do this throughout the Kahoot to find the overall winner of the game.
There are many advantages to using Kahoot in the classroom that benefit both teacher and student. Student engagement with this game is high. The students enjoy playing this game because it is fast paced, visual, and energetic. Because of this, teachers can see if students truly understand the material that was covered through the use of both Kahoot quizzes and surveys. It is a way to see student understanding of material. Kahoot gives teachers the ability to track student performance of the game to make adjustment in teaching or reteaching in some instances. Another advantage to using Kahoot is that teachers can easily use either Kahoots that have been made by others for public use or create their own Kahoots. The ease of this website can allow teachers of all technology skill levels to use this website with their students. Because of this, teachers can integrate this technology in all subject areas from reading and math to life lessons such as bullying and digital citizenship. Teachers could even use this technology with other teachers during professional development or meetings. I personally found this website so easy to use that I believe that my elementary aged students can create their own Kahoots for their peers to use. This would be another advantage to Kahoot. Students can create their own surveys and quizzes to show understanding of the subject matter. Teachers can use this too as an assessment for student learning by looking at the type of questions the student created, as well as what answer choices were created and visual representations were associated with the different questions.
Overall, Kahoot is a great gaming response system that has a variety of uses for teachers in the classroom because it is user friendly and open ended. Teachers can find a use that is appropriate for their classroom and students. I feel Kahoot is something that teachers should try to implement in their classroom because it can have positive impacts in the classroom for both teachers and students.