Kahoot game maker - App Assignment write ups PDF

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KAHOOT!

EDCI-767 The Great App Assignment Tyler Merritt

The App I’ve decided to investigate is called Kahoot. Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that can make education fun and exciting for students. I have seen it used in high schools and it seems to be an effective tool that could be applied in science classrooms. “Kahoots” are multiple-choice quizzes, the majority of which are user generated and can be accessed via web browsers. This App can be downloaded directly from the App-store and is completely free to use. After exploring this App’s functions, it seems like there are no hidden fees or extra costs associated with using it. There also seems to be no advertisements, aside from the pre-made quizzes that you can use on the App. This is refreshing because most of the phone Apps used today are continuously barraging you with personally tailored advertisements. Kahoot can be used on iPhones, Android devices, tablets, and laptops; therefore, students can play along in class using their own devise. It is rated as the number three “Top Free App” on Google play and is used by many education professionals in a variety of courses. Kahoot could be used with any grade level and in any scientific subject area. Teachers are able to design their own quizzes using whatever material they would like to review with their students. There are numerous quizzes that come with the App yet, teachers are still able to tailor the Kahoot questions to fit their student’s needs with their own curriculum. Kahoot was designed for social learning and can be used to review student’s knowledge or for formative assessment. However, from my experience, it is most often used as a break from traditional classroom activities and structure. It brings an element of fun to the classroom that makes students want to participate and challenge their peers. The music alone brings a game show-like atmosphere to the classroom and gets the students excited. During my observations at Vic High, I noted at least 7 students ask their teachers if they could play Kahoot. The gameplay is simple; all students use a device to answer questions created by the teacher. These questions are worth points, which show up on the “leader board” after each question. Once the time to answer the question runs out, the students get to see the correct answer on the overhead projector screen right away. In this

way, they immediately know if they were wrong or right and have the opportunity to learn instantaneously. In general Kahoot is a well thought out App and there are no apparent adaptations to the game-play that I would suggest. It is simple for the students and teachers alike, and brings a Jeopardy-like game show element to the classroom. I think it would be particularly affective for biology 11 or 12 reviews, where students could link vocabulary words to pictures on the screen; for example, posting pictures of the different phases of the salmon life cycle and having students answer with the correct phrase. Kahoot is also a great way for teachers to have a quick review with their students before a test. It is an excellent tool for getting everyone in the class involved because it gives everyone an equal chance to answer, therefore including the less-outspoken students within the class. The teacher can also see how many players have joined, so they can ensure that the whole class is participating. In addition to classroom participation and test review, this App is a way for students to become more technologically literate and it allows them to use their own devises in the classroom, which is usually frowned upon. Teachers can have students create their own quizzes on Kahoot and test their fellow classmates. This could be an uncomplicated study tool that encourages students to socialize and assist with each other’s learning. Furthermore, using Kahoot gives teachers the ability to prevent their students from developing science-related misconceptions because they have direct control over the content that is presented in the quizzes. Due to the educators total control over the material presented to their students, I could find no apparent “hidden curriculum” when using the App. I would highly recommend Kahoot to science teachers in a high school setting; however, there are a few issues they should be aware of before using this App with their students. The primary concern is that teachers cannot address wrong answers during the game, as each question is timed and the next one is presented instantly. If a student, or the classroom as a whole, has problem with a question, the teacher cannot provide the students with feedback during the quiz, even if the majority of the class answers a question wrong. Another issue is

Kahoot’s long-term ranking system. Student’s results are recorded and saved on the App and over time and this could have a negative effect on students self esteem. Some students don’t like being ranked in front of their peers and many might feel distressed when they lose. One possible solution is for teachers to encourage students to set their own goals and only provide results from the quiz taken that day. In this way, teachers can review the questions that students got wrong without presenting running scores from quizzes past. A third concern with using Kahoot in the classroom is the timing of when it is implemented during a lesson. If a teacher starts their lesson with a Kahoot quiz, the students may get overly excited and it could be difficult to get them back on task. To avoid losing one’s class to the game show-like excitement that the App can produce, I would recommend that teachers use it at the end of a lesson to summarise key points. It is my opinion that Kahoot is an excellent App for use in science classrooms and that it could significantly enhance student’s individual learning experiences in a social, fun and non-traditional way....