How to Use Kahoot in Your Classroom: An Overview for Teachers

Kahoot is a virtual training tool teachers and students can use to learn new information, check progress through trivia and quizzes, or play fun educational games in class or at home! As teachers, game-based learning is a great way to utilize your students' mobile devices as a formative assessment tool for any subject and age.

Now let's learn about how we teachers can utilize this free game-based platform to make a positive impact on our students' learning experience.

Here are some common questions teachers have about Kahoot and reasons why it might be the perfect addition to your classroom!

1. Where can I access Kahoot?

Kahoot was initially designed as a mobile app, but now is accessible through any smart device such as a laptop, computer, or tablet! This makes Kahoot a great option for distance learning in addition to encouraging student engagement through gamification.

2. What features are available through Kahoot?

Kahoot has many functions and features that make it versatile and useful for learners of all ages and learning goals. It can be used by employers in the workplace for training and other purposes, but this overview will focus on educational features teachers and students can use in their classrooms.

Create: This feature allows teachers to log into the platform and create their own quizzes and trivia personalized for their lessons. First, log in to Kahoot and click on the button that says "Create". Next, you'll want to hit "New Kahoot" and be taken to a page where you can add your own content/questions.

- - - Depending on the subscription you have a variety of question types you can choose from.
      - Multiple Choice Questions
        Open-Ended Questions
        True or False Questions
        Poll
        Puzzle
    - When creating your own quiz you can add images, links, and videos to help with clarification and retention of knowledge.

kahoot-question-types.png?fit=1426%2C550&ssl=1

Question Bank: This feature gives you access to the millions of available Kahoots that other teachers have created! Just type a subject or topic in the question bank and see what results come up.

You can either use the entire Kahoot game found through the search engine or pick and choose the questions that work for you and add them to your own Kahoot to display questions perfectly curated for the learning outcome you desire.

3. What types of games are available on Kahoot?

Student-paced Game: This feature is a super fun and accessible way to develop motivated students by making digital game-based learning something they can do on their own time. These student-paced challenges are free in the app and on computers and allow students to complete quizzes anywhere and anytime.

As the teacher, you can assign these student-paced games for homework, review before a quiz/test, or for additional study if students complete an assignment early in their conventional classrooms.

To access and utilize the student-paced Kahoot, open the website and choose, "Play", then click on the "Challenge" tab and set the time constraints and lecture content you desire.
- If you want your students to focus on class content instead of speed, you can change the settings so there is no constraint on answering time.
- You can share the link to your student-paced Kahoot via email, or generate a game PIN and write it on your whiteboard.
You can access class participation, and check each answer after submission for every student, assess knowledge retention, and facilitate class discussion regarding the content covered by checking the Reports feature in the app.
- If you desire, you can use the results from your class's student-paced games as a creator tool for the distribution of answers to other teachers or school faculty.

Live Play: This feature is teacher-paced and a useful learning game to add to your lesson plans to influence classroom dynamics and promote healthy competition and interaction between students.

To access this feature you and your students will need to download the free app onto your smartphones.
Next, you will tap "Play", then "Live Game" and share your screen through the control center.
- You can search through the game-based learning platform for the Kahoot live play you wish to share with your class. There are thousands of relevant studies and subjects to choose from (there are Kahoots in many different languages as well) so the possibilities are endless!

Classic vs. Team Modes

Classic: This mode puts students against their fellow students in an individual player mode on their own digital devices. Each person is participating in active learning trying to provide the correct answer before their peers. Including this gamification element into your review lessons is great for intrinsic motivation, class attendance, and gives you timely feedback on students' knowledge and comprehension of complex concepts and technology-supported learning.
Team: This mode lets you organize your class into teams to compete in a game-based student response system. Working and collaborating in teams helps with student motivation and promotes classroom environments where students use deeper learning strategies and gamification techniques for meaningful learning. With team mode, you receive real-time feedback on class participation, class discussion, knowledge retention, and student motivation regarding educational technology.

4. How can Kahoot enrich your student's learning experience?

To find out more information and learn about Kahoot's other features and functions, follow the link here and try it out in your classroom today!