Author: Brittany (Page 8 of 10)

Kahoot is known for its competitive nature as uses points to rank participants based on answering questions correctly as well as the speed at which the questions are answered. However, a more subtle aspect of Kahoot is its ability to promote collaboration in the classroom. The collaborative model is found within the idea of valuing student input which thus leads them to success and puts them at the center of their learning. In the following article (https://kahoot.com/blog/2018/03/13/collaboration-classroom-math-teacher-tips/)  one teacher explains his experience with Kahoot and how he started using it simply for a fun break and hadn’t explored many other possibilities until he received feedback from his students.

As such some of the modifications this teacher implemented to make it more collaborative for the students were:

• Warm up (no point game)
• Include I do not know as a possible answer
• Replay Kahoots (to check and reinforce progressions and knowledge)
• Give more time so students do not feel rushed and want to guess
• Break up questions with multiple steps

Kahoot can also be collaborative as there are many teachers and students making Kahoots and sharing Kahoot’s with each other. Students building their own Kahoot games promotes collaboration and focuses on the student being the center of their learning all while learning from others. This fosters a strength-based approach as well as it empowers students to be creative and use what they understand to help others.  Also, there is the ability to work as a team/ small groups (this is particularly successful if there is lots of time to answer the questions as it allows discussion among groups instead of rushing). There is also a feature called Team Mode on Kahoot that supports collaboration and this idea of teamwork. This mode gives students time to discuss and then answer. See the following video that explains this mode more in depth.

(Post by Brittany and Arnelle)

Group Inquiry Post #5

( Photo from https://dlpng.com/png/5035077)

This week, we decided to take a unique perspective and look at our overarching question through the perspectives of students. By changing our point of view, we will look at what students think of Kahoot and Kahoot’s influence on teaching and learning. As we already know technology is on the rise and is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments in view of enhancing students’ engagement and motivation. Kahoot is an exemplar example of this and as it fosters student engagement and improves overall students’ learning experience.

As we both work and volunteer in classrooms and currently work with school aged children, we are given the luxury to create relationships and build connections with youth. Within the past week, we have asked a bunch of students in a variety of different ages and grades what they think about Kahoot and if they use it in their classrooms. Almost 95% of the students we spoke to have used Kahoot in previous years or are using Kahoot currently. Some student testimonies are as the following:

Grade 1:

• We like how much fun it is!

Grade 3:

• We like the fact that it’s a game.
• We like that we can play against people.

Grade 12:

• It is a great study method and makes learning fun.
• It’s a great way to study in a group of people and quiz each other on class material.

In relation to external resources we found an article, which fits very well with this week’s topic. The article “Students’ perception of Kahoot’s influence on teaching and learning” acknowledges the outcomes of research that examined students’ experience using a game-based student response system, Kahoot in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. Some of the key findings from the article revealed that Kahoot enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation and improved learning experience. Our findings also suggest that the use of educational games in the classroom is likely to minimize distractions, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning beyond what is provided in conventional classrooms.

This YouTube video (link):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtH4kYacFs4 discuses and demonstrates hot Kahoot is and can be viewed from an instructor and student point of view.

Article:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326540446_Students’_perception_of_Kahoot’s_influence_on_teaching_and_learning

Partner: Brittany Johnson

Post by Arnelle and Brittany

Kahoot is really an enjoyable experience and is a shared learning platform used throughout the world. This video demonstrates how it is used with various age groups, populations as well as places and the excitement it brings to learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGLy9jyGjkU (the photo above is also from that video).

As such, this week we decided to outline our personal experiences with Kahoot both as students and as emerging teachers as we thought it would be nice to understand both perspectives.

Personal Connections (Below both my partner and I described our own stories of how we have seen Kahoot being used as a game-based learning platform and how it has motivated students to learn).

Arnelle: From volunteering in classrooms, to practicum’s and observational Wednesday visits last semester, I have seen the impact that Kahoot and all game-based learning has on an individual child and their motivation to learn. I have observed that all students are included and participate in Kahoot, I have also observed that Kahoot allows students to work collaboratively, it allows them to work individually and allows students to be competitive or play in a cooperation game style. A story, that came to my mind, while writing this week’s blog post was that, when I was observing a grade 5 classroom, the class was studying English language arts, and focusing on spelling, therefore the teacher had constructed a Kahoot, and put the students in groups of 4, with one IPad per group. The students were able to work collaboratively, and find the correct spelling to the word/ sentences the teacher said out loud. This technique was very useful, ad beneficial for the students, but also the teacher, therefore she could see who was understanding and succeeding and depict those who were struggling, and not helping their groups.

Brittany: My experience with Kahoot has extended from my high school years (it was launched in my grade 9 year) all the way to post-secondary (university). Kahoot is motivating for me as a student, I remember asking to play (intrinsic motivation), as it really helped me engage in learning and understand concepts. This fun interactive surface was able to make it so that children in the class could individually respond or collaboratively work together in small groups. In a classroom that I observed in, we used Kahoot both as a fun way to assess the classrooms understanding as a whole but also children were able to create their own Kahoot questions and play each other’s Kahoot’s as well. This idea extends beyond just the teacher instructing and allows children to create their own games which helps facilitate an engaging atmosphere for the students. I have experienced Kahoot both as a student and while observing various classrooms and I can honestly say that children are asking for Kahoot because they benefit from this learning platform.

Partner: Arnelle Basi