Kahoot !

1. Kahoot! Charles Beusse ITEC 7445 Dr. Beeland April 4, 2016 Emerging Technology

2. What is Kahoot!? Kahoot is a free, online learning tool that allows students to actively engage by answering questions via desktop computer, smart phone, or tablet. Kahoot can be used to administer multiple choice quizzes, discussions, or surveys. Teachers can create their own quizzes or choose from thousands of shared quizzes.

3. Kahoot! Video Click the image below to watch a short video on how to use Kahoot! in a classroom:

4. Benefits of Kahoot! Increased student involvement in class participation be cause they can answer questions via a device rather than orally. Teachers can easily monitor individual student achievement and growth. Students can create and share their own Kahoots to deepen concept understanding and mastery.

5. Dawson County Schools Mission Statement “The mission of Dawson County Schools’ Technology Department is to provide support, leadership and direction in an environment where technology is a tool for instruction rather than the focus.  The integration of technology into the curriculum enriches the educational experience.  Student achievement can be maximized when teachers are adequately trained in technology integration and provided with up to date instructional technology equipment.”

6. Technology Vision of Dawson County Schools for Teachers • “Teachers will use technology to support more effective and efficient instruction.  Teachers will use technology in the following ways: • Use resource tools to access information that supports their instructional efforts. • Teach lessons using technology resources that provide for diverse student populations. • Use software that supports their administrative tasks (grade book and instructional materials). • Use adaptive/assistive devices for special needs students. • Model responsible, ethical, and legal uses of technology. • Implement basic troubleshooting techniques.”

7. Technology Vision of Dawson County Schools for Students • “Students will use technology to facilitate learning and improve achievement. Students will use technology in the following ways: • Use resource tools to access information that supports their learning efforts. • Use software that supports their learning tasks. • Use technology resources to help support student achievement of the GPS Standards. • Demonstrate computer literacy skills as outlined in the GPS Technology Integration Standards. • Demonstrate responsible, ethical and legal uses of technology.”

8. School Mission & Vision Correlations Kahoot is a program that directly supports the mission statement for the Dawson County School System Technology Department. The use of Kahoot supports learning tasks and mastery of Georgia Performance Standards through the use of technology. Furthermore, Kahoot supports a global learning community as students from all over the world can participate in a single Kahoot session.

9. Target Population Kahoot requires active teach participation and interaction. Therefore, Kahoot will only be used in classrooms at school. Due to the technological basics required to use the program, this program would most likely be used for middle grades and older.

10. Equipment and Software Needed Some equipment is needed for using Kahoot in the classroom. While not necessary, teacher smart-boards are beneficial as they allow participants to instantly view results. In addition, students will need a technology device to participate. This can be a laptop, smart phone, tablet or desktop computer.

11. Technical Support DCMS has an IT specialist who is always ready to assist teachers with implementing new technology through training and troubleshooting. The Kahoot website offers great technical support. From the homepage, teachers can access a FAQ page with advice on getting started, network set-up, managing accounts, creating Kahoots, and sharing Kahoots. The site also allows teachers to contact Kahoot’s IT support team if they are having difficulty.

12. Limitations with Kahoot! While Kahoot is an amazing teaching tool, there are some limitations with using the program. • Teachers and students must have access to mobile devices with internet access in or to use this in the classroom. If this is not available, scheduling computer lab time would be required. • Students cannot access Kahoot for practice and study sessions unless provided a pin number by their teacher.

13. Cost of Kahoot! Kahoot is a free service! Teachers can easily create and manage free Kahoot accounts. As long as students have access to a mobile device with wifi access, there is no cost to the school when using Kahoot. However, devices would need to be provided for students who don’t have their own device.

14. Potential Funding Sources While Kahoot is a free service, funding sources would possible be needed to provide tablets or computers to students who don’t have their own. The most likely source of this funding would come from the school system. However, with Dawson County Middle School becoming a 1 to 1 school next year with each student receiving an iPad, this is probably not a long term issue that would require special funding.

15. How can Kahoot! be used to meet school learning standards? Kahoot can be adapted to meet school learning standards. Because Kahoot is teacher created, all subject areas can benefit from the use of this program. It would simply be up to the teacher to ensure that the quizzes and discussions facilitated by Kahoot were accurately aligned with school and Georgia Performance Standards.

16. Differentiation When used correctly, Kahoot can be an amazing differentiation tool. The ways that Kahoot can be utilized are almost endless. Kahoot can be used to facilitate individual, paired, whole class, or even school wide learning depending on how teachers implement the program. The differentiation potential for this program is very strong.

17. Collaborative Learning Kahoot is currently one of the best programs available for supporting collaborative learning in the classroom. The program allows students to work in groups or as a whole class to work together toward the mastery of content. Furthermore, the ability to answer via device rather than orally serves to promote participation by all students and increase the collaborative impact of lessons.

18. Research Educational Technology Review Emerging Technology Research on Possible Limitations

19. Professional Learning • While Kahoot is a simple and easy to use program, teachers would likely need to engage in some professional learning prior to the programs implementation. • Teachers should fully explore the Kahoot website and view all instructional videos provided on the site. • I would also suggest that the school IT specialist hold a training for teachers who plan to implement Kahoot. This would allow teachers to not only ask questions in a face to face setting, but also work alongside co-workers to incorporate and utilize the program in their classrooms.

20. Potential Issues There are some potential issues with the use of Kahoot in the classroom. To begin with, student responses are displayed on the smart board screen when students answer. With this, there is always the possibility of a student posting something inappropriate that other students could see. However, this this became an issue, teachers could choose to not display student student answers on the board. Additionally, teachers may opt to number students rather than them answer with their real names. Doing this could eliminate any teasing of lower achieving students by their peers.

21. Reflection on Kahoot! I have used Kahoot in my classroom for the past few months and love it. It has been a great teaching tool for my students, especially for reviewing material. While this research project did open my eyes to some of the limitations of Kahoot, I still believe it to be a great resource for teachers and students and would highly recommend it to other educators.

22. References Kahoot! Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://kahoot.it/. E. (2014). How to Use Kahoot! In the Classroom. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ3Er1-tCMc. Dawson County Schools: A Charter System of Georgia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://www.dawsoncountyschools.org/departments/technology/.