Tool Reviews
36
Overview
Kahoot! Overview (3:46)
Description
Kahoot! is an interactive game-based, web-based learning platform that can be accessed on any device and used in a school, work or home environment. Individuals (teachers, facilitators, trainers, students and others) can create, host or play learning games which are called kahoots, reviewing or introducing topics and concepts or elaborating on them. Games (kahoots) can take the form of any combination of quizzes, surveys (polls) or discussions (content slides) and can lead to further discussion, collaboration or research. They can consist of various question types that are connected to colours, shapes and music, as well as uploaded images and embedded YouTube videos. Quizzes can consist of multiple-choice, true or false, open-ended or puzzle (sort/ sequence) questions. Surveys (Polls) can consist of multiple-choice questions or free form answers that can be visualized in a word cloud and discussion in the form of content slides can contain additional information about a topic or concept. Learners connect to a game through a generated pin on a shared screen and can see their name, nicknames or team names, that they have created, on the leaderboard. They are able to get immediate feedback when choosing, answering or sorting questions. And they can see how their responses rate relative to their fellow learners or colleagues by the number of points they have been awarded for correct and timely answers. Teachers, facilitators and trainers can use the games (kahoots) to help them with formative assessment, evaluating learner knowledge and identifying the learners who may need help. They can also gather feedback about content and structure of their games (kahoots) from learners. The results of each game can be downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet or Google drive. Games (kahoots) also provide opportunities for learners to assess and reflect on their knowledge. Games (kahoots) can be shared with others, edited, published online and teachers, facilitators or trainers can assign them as homework in the form of Kahoot! challenges for learners to play at their own pace on their own devices at home within a timeline set by them.
Justification for Using this Tool
The most important feature of Kahoot! is its ability to engage and motivate learners to learn. It is tied to “gamification of education” (Dichev & Dicheva, 2017) in employing such “game design elements” (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke, 2011) as fun, rewards connected to units of measurement such as points and time, immediate feedback, visual tracking of progress and recognition through a leaderboard, and “social elements” such as “competition and cooperation” with other learners where “their progress and achievements are made public” (Huang & Soman, 2013).
Games (kahoots) can also be used to facilitate discussion “between an entire class” (Plump &LaRosa, 2017) and promote collaboration and problem-solving. Instructors, facilitators, and trainers can also invite learners to create their own games (kahoots) either by themselves or as part of a team, edit them, and share them with others.
Games (kahoots) also offer help with formative assessment. They offer learners opportunities for “self-reflection and self-assessment” (Ismail et al., 2019). Teachers, facilitators and trainers are able to identify which learners are having difficulty with a topic or concept. They are able to see who is answering questions incorrectly and whose name is lower down in the leaderboard. They can then adjust games (kahoots) or create new games (kahoots) to address those areas of difficulty.
Strategies for Use
Strategy 1 – Using Kahoot! for Review
Using Kahoot! for Review (1:18)
Teachers, facilitators or trainers can use Kahoot! to review topics, subjects or concepts previously covered in class as preparation for tests and exams. They can also create review quizzes for formative assessment or access public ones and edit them for their own use. Learners can work in small teams to create review kahoots on a particular concept or topic covered previously to prepare for a test or exam, or for simple review, and share them with their classmates.
Strategy 2 – Using Kahoot! to Introduce New Material
Using Kahoot! to Introduce New Material (2:08)
Kahoot! can be used to introduce learners to new material through the creation of “blind” Kahoots.
Helpful Resources
Resource 1- A Teacher Tutorial on How to Create a Kahoot!
In this YouTube video a teacher takes you through the various steps involved in creating a kahoot!
Resource 2 – A Guide to Using Kahoot!
This Kahoot! guide explains how to play and create a kahoot!. It offers suggestions, tips and examples on different ways of integrating it in educational settings.
Resource 3 – A Master Class Video by the Co-Founders of Kahoot!
This YouTube video by Kahoot! co-founders explores different uses of this platform. In it they articulate their vision for Kahoot! And they delve into various features and functionalities of Kahoot!
References
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R. & Nacke, L. (2011). From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining Gamification. In Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, Tampere, Finland. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230854710_From_Game_Design_Elements_to_Gamefulness_Defining_Gamification
Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: what is known, what is believed, and what remains uncertain: a critical review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. 14(9). Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
Huang, W. H-Y., & Soman, D. (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide to Gamification Of Education. Research Report Series: Behavioural Economics in Action. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Retrieved from:
Ismail, M. A. A., Ahmad, A., Mohammad, A. M., Fakri, N. M. R. M., Nor, M. Z. M., & Pa, M. J. M. (2019). Using Kahoot! as a formative assessment tool in medical education: a phenomenological study. BMC Medical Education. 19. Retrieved from:
Licorish, S. A., Owen, H. E., Daniel, B. & George, J. L. (2018). Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning. 13(9). Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-018-0078-8
Plump, C., & LaRosa, J. (2017). Using Kahoot! in the Classroom to Create Engagement and Active Learning: A Game-Based Technology Solution for eLearning Novices. Management Teaching Review. 2(2). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313418401_Using_Kahoot_in_the_Classroom_to_Create_Engagement_and_Active_Learning_A_Game-Based_Technology_Solution_for_eLearning_Novices/link/5d6532af299bf1f70b103036/download
Author
| Submitted by: | Ivetka Vasil |
| Email: | ivetka.vasil@ontariotechu.ca |
| Bio: | I am a graduate student at Ontario Tech University in the M.Ed. in Education and Digital Technologies program with an interest in incorporating gamification in healthcare learning environments. |
