Kahoot!

How do you create a quiz for your class?

Instructions for teachers

Sign up, and create a new kahoot! You have three options: quiz, discussion and survey. The former is the only one which awards points for correct answers. So, click on ‘quiz,’ then give it a name and press go! Next, type in the question you wish to ask, decide whether it’s a ‘points question’ and on the ‘time limit’ (5 seconds – 120 seconds) you wish to give your students. You can also drag and drop an image to make the quiz look more aesthetically pleasing, but this isn't mandatory. Finally, you need to enter at least 2 answers into the 4 boxes provided, with at least 1 answer being correct! Then you can press ‘+Add question’ and repeat this procedure.

Not all of the questions have to contain only 1 right answer. In fact, for lower level/younger learners you may wish to ask a question early doors where all 4 answers are correct in order to build confidence and make students feel at ease.

Once you've finished creating your questions, press 'save & continue.' This will take you to the next screen where you can reorder your questions by dragging and dropping them into the desired order. The site will ask if you'd like to give more information regarding the quiz, where you can add information about the language, privacy settings, primary audience, description, difficulty level and tags...but once again press 'save & continue' to proceed! Finally you'll get to the last page where you can give your quiz a cover image, but this is also optional, so press 'done' to complete the procedure. Press 'play now' and 'launch' the quiz.

A new screen will appear detailing where your students can access the quiz, and what the Game PIN is. Inform students that they must use their mobile devices and not laptops to take part. Students will need to keep an eye on both the screen in the classroom and their own device. Once all of your students have joined by entering their details, press start and let the games begin!

Why Kahoot!?

This is perfect for the classroom because:

• It encourages friendly competition between learners of all levels and ages. The top 5 points scorers are displayed on the screen at the end of every question. Although it would be nice for all students to appear on the screen (but not if you’re dead last!), I think it acts as a good motivational tool to try and get on the leader board, and then make sure you stay on there!
• Moreover, these top 5 point scorers at the end of the game can be downloaded as an excel file so this could be used for trying to encourage learners to do better next time. However, it would be more useful to have the option of viewing every students’ performance so you can help those that most need it.
• It's useful at the start of a class as a warmer, or at the end of a class to consolidate knowledge.
• It's colourful and vibrant so it will most definitely engage younger or lower level learners.
• It has a quirky soundtrack so it brings an element of fun to the classroom. But teachers have to be mindful of the fact that the pedagogy behind the questions, and the activity, is useful and worthwhile.
• It allows teachers to give feedback to students after each question. This is integral if the majority got it wrong therefore teachers should stay switched on and give thorough explanations when required.
• It's really simple to follow. Although the answers don’t appear on your smart phone, they’re on your screen so this promotes quick thinking and multi-tasking…two things that are needed in authentic settings, therefore it’s good for preparing students for the outside world.
• It can be used to test individual understanding by asking students to use their own devices by themselves. Or alternatively you could put students into teams, create difficult questions, increase the time limit, and encourage collaborative learning.
• You can make the questions and answers as difficult/easy as you like. For younger or lower level learners it might be worth picking your first question as one with all 4 answers as correct to build up their self-esteem and confidence. Then with higher level learners you could get them to choose their answer, but then get them to write down their justifications on a piece of paper before class feedback.
• There are so many possibilities with this tool so head to https://getkahoot.com/ and get kahooting!

Review

Larry Ferlazzo's Blog

Initial Reaction

At first glance there seems to be a lot going on; it's a bit busy, and bursting at the seams. The large, landscape picture greets its visitor, along with the set of eyes on the front cover of the second book from the left.

Digging Deeper

However the more you scroll down, the more you realise that there's method to Larry's madness. Below the picture, from left to right, everything is compartmentalised into four columns: date stamp, blog post, miscellaneous and self promotion. The latter appears to be a continuous theme throughout, which seems to imply that, to a certain extent, Larry is using this blog as a platform to showcase his achievements and to advertise his success stories within ELT.

Aesthetics and Navigation

The white background makes everything else seem more prominent, and the colour scheme is extremely easy on the eye. He uses pages at the top to good effect, and everything appears to be very well signposted. Moreover, the archives and categories (gadgets) appear in the far right column, along with an email subscription which makes life simple for its visitor.

Content

There is an abundance of content within the blog, as it covers topics and stories, since 2007, from both inside and outside the ELT hemisphere. Therefore the search function comes in very handy indeed! In the lead up to Martin Luther King Day, Larry has commemorated the great man by posting various things such as the jovial song above. Furthermore, he also provides links to authentic materials that could be used in classrooms around the world. There really is something for everyone in this blog as Larry's very active, often posting more than thrice a day. Although there are links to his other social media platforms, this seems to be the lynchpin of his online life.