Kahoot!

Let's face it: students love to play games. As long as they're learning something, there's nothing wrong with that at all! In fact, it's a great way to get them to learn since it instantly ups their excitement and engagement.

Kahoot! is a really easy-to-use tool for creating quiz games, discussions, or surveys. The teacher displays the Kahoot for the class, and each student logs in using their own devices. It works on any device with a browser -- computers, tablets, or smartphones! My students will be accessing it using their iPads, which will cut down on the potential issues that would go along with them taking out their cell phones in order to use it. Good news on the classroom management front!

All the students have to do is go to http://kahoot.it, type the pin they see on the teacher's screen, and they'll be able to enter the game:

If it's a quiz format, as students answer questions, Kahoot will display the leaders on the scoreboard, sparking a little bit of competition in the class!

You'll need to register for an account to get started.

Once you've registered, watch this quick video for a brief look at how it works. After that, you can either create your own Kahoot or check out some of the public Kahoots that are available to "play."

Some cool aspects for the classroom:

• Teachers (or "quiz masters") can download the results after the Kahoot is complete, making it a great formative assessment tool in addition to a fun activity for students.
• Students can also write questions of their own. They'll have to do the research and then design good questions and answer choices. 

Coming soon: more details and ideas about using Kahoot in your classroom!