Kahoot! It's a great tool.

Do you ever get so enthused about a teaching tool that you just have to tell others about it?  That's where I am today. 

I teach intermediate ESL with open enrollment, multi-level classes as large as 35 and have started using Kahoot! twice a week.  I love it.  My students are very enthused and determined to get on the Internet and play the quiz games (Kahoots) I create.  If most of your students have a Smart Phone or tablet, I really encourage you to explore the getkahoot.com website and create a quiz.  Essentially, you write multiple-choice quiz questions and answers (as you would on paper), type them into a Kahoot template, indicate which answer is correct and plan the game into your lesson.  (Okay.  You can make them fancy, add music or videos, but simple ones are perfect for my purposes at this point.) 

As for students, they need a Smart Phone or tablet (I loan out my iPhone, iPad and husband's Kindle in class to students who don't have one.).  They also need a willingness to learn how to use their phone to get on the internet.  Other than a few of my oldest students (late sixties to mid-seventies), all of my other students have been very enthusiastic to learn and play the quiz games.   Once they are on the kahoot.it website, I launch the game (from getkahoot.com) which displays a game PIN from the class computer..  They enter the PIN, create a nickname and the game begins.  (I use the overhead projector to display the game on the whiteboard.)  The first quiz question is projected; students answer it by tapping their answer on their phone or tablet.  The potential quiz answers, enclosed in colored shapes, are the only part of the quiz that students have on their phones once the game begins.  It is very easy to play but most importantly students are excited about the learning.  They remember their mistakes.  I can't say enough about the enthusiasm part of it.  The tough part is getting students to not shout out the answers. 

Here at REEP in Arlington, we have Wi-Fi at the community center where my classes meet so using the internet is free.  I teach and re-teach the process of accessing the Wi-Fi to new students with each class.  Plus, their tablemates are often eager to help teach the process.  If they want to use it, they just have to learn how to access the network (95% of them didn't know we had Wi-Fi in the building until I started teaching the technology just last week).

I give Kahoot! 5 stars and thumbs up for learning potential and enjoyment.

Ellen

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Ellen Clore-Patron, Volunteer teacher with REEP (Arlington Employment and Refugee Program) in Arlington, VA

and Hamline University graduate student in their MA ESL program.