Category: EdTech Inquiry

Game-based learning can be very beneficial to a child’s development as it allows students to learn from a new and exciting perspective that encourages hands-on learning experiences.

Here are some benefits of Game-Based Learning:

• Can improve memory
  • if the game uses memorization, children can begin to think critically and build upon their memory capacity.
• Builds technological literacy
  • If  game revolves around technology (as in Kahoot!), children can build their knowledge in technology, their respect online and their online citizenship,
• Encourages children to think logically and critically
  •  allows children to develop the ability to think strategically, think ahead, and explore ideas outside of the box.
• Develop hand-eye coordination
  • often children can develop a better ability in hand-eye coordination, especially in technological games where they are expected to complete objectives using a keyboard or mouse while looking at a screen.
• Skill – Building
  • Lots of games require different skills in order to achieve a certain goal. Children can learn skills in finance (monopoly), map -reading (Ticket to Ride), mathematical skills (Dino Math Tracks), reading and writing skills (Scategories), social skills (Charades), etc.
• Game-based learning can also help students develop a stronger understanding of concepts by allowing them to apply their ideas to real-life situations. This can also help motivate the students into learning the concepts and help them personalize their learning. 

Enjoy this video: The Effective Use of Game-Based Learning.

Information Retrieved from:

https://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-basic-benefits-of-game-based-learning/

By Kate and Holly

Kahoot is a wonderful tool for solidifying a student’s learning. When teachers use food within the classroom students are able to go over previously learned material and are able to understand and explore new perspectives. They are also able to expand beyond what they already know and dive into new materials. Sometimes students can feel motivated to even study beforehand if they know there is going to be a Kahoot the next day furthering their learning and memorization capacity. Kahoot allows students to review key concepts and topics covered in class and allow students to see these concepts in a brief and precise format which helps students develop a clear understanding. Through a study done on the benefits of Kahoot, it was discovered that students are more likely to retain information if it was delivered through a Kahoot. Students also reported that they were in favour of the quick and basic reminders within a Kahoot that allowed them to refresh their memories. Further, when a question is presented within a Kahoot it opens the door for the class conversation to discuss why certain answers were correct and some were not.

By Kate and Holly

Kahoot! It provides many benefits for the learning environment that range from student engagement to the enjoyment of learning. Here are some of the Pros for Kahoot!

• It provokes attention amongst the students in the class. 
  • Motivates students to pay attention during instructional periods in order to prepare for future Kahoot! Games
• Allows students a break period from structured learning
  • Can be used to break up subjects or as an educational transition activity
• Promotes student Interaction and Participation
  • Promotes engagement as students answer questions within the game.
  • Gives introverted students the chance to share their ideas and thoughts without needing to speak or fearing judgement.
• Friendly competition becomes a motivator for students
  • Students compete to gain the most points and find themselves on the leaderboard
  • Creates a positive and active classroom environment where energy levels may rise and students can become motivated to think critically and creatively.
• Anonymity
  • Students can remain anonymous if they wish which provides them with some safety and privacy
  • Gives introverted children the chance to share their ideas while feeling safe and unjudged for their choice in answers.
• Knowledge Retention
  • Allows students to review past material and uncover new material
  • Students may even feel motivated to study beforehand if they know a Kahoot! is coming up
  • Covers key concepts and topics
• It’s FUN!!!!

By Kate and Holly

There are very few cons about the app and game Kahoot, here are some listed below

• One answer: The one issue with Kahoot is that there can only be one answer for multiple-choice questions and true or false questions. This can be difficult when creating a Kahoot because there could be more than one answer to the multiple-choice question. There are options to do an open-ended question in Kahoot.
• Technology issues: There are some problems that can happen when playing Kahoot in your classroom, depending on the school you’re working at they might now have enough or any tablets or computers available for the students to use. There can also be an issue with wifi if the school has bad wifi the connection can create a problem when doing the quiz, that some students devices might lag and this makes it unfair
• Usernames: This causes an issue because students can create their own usernames which can lead to inappropriate names that are displayed for the whole class to see.
• Speed: Kahoot is all about getting points and the way to get points for answering correctly is how fast you answer the question. This is not always the best way to get students engaged.

By Holly and Kate

Kahoot uses a game-based student response system (GSRS), which refers to a game-based system in which the teacher will present interactive elements within the regular delivery of the lesson. The students then use their own mobile devices or school-provided technology to relay their responses during the presentation. These games are awarded points for each correct answer, on a streak (multiple answers correct in a row), and timing (how fast you answer the question). These points are a way to encourage student participation and promote unknown learning. The students will thrive to be at the top of the leader board and therefore this creates individual but class supported competition. Using games to support learning within an academic setting and a range of subjects is very beneficial to the student learning experience. Within them, they can access their previous knowledge, reflect on their own academic improvement and expand into further critical thinking. Further, games influence improvement in problem-solving and critical thinking. Overall game-based learning is used to promote positive student engagement in the classroom and create a positive emotional climate through healthy student competition and individual motivation. Furthermore, the game-based approach is helpful for those students participating in a full-class discussion, as it gives them an outlet for their thinking.

By Kate and Holly

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1524/4ecd307ab706cbb394cb5e4ccd045b3c2d6f.pdf

Kahoot within a classroom can be many ways by students and teachers alike. Teachers can create various styled quizzes to promote understanding of different subjects and content areas. In our previous post about how to create a Kahoot, there are multiple different styles of quizzes that you can create. Teachers can also use this as a fun tool to engage students in expanded learning as well as fun brain breaks to get students back on track and away from traditional activities. Kahoot further allows students to use their own devices which may allow them to feel more personal connection with their learning. Students can also use Kahoot! to conduct research, review content, create engaging presentations, and recognize their own improvement through saved scores under their profiles (Bharti, 2014).

Furthermore, Kahoot! can be used within the classroom to assist teachers with formative assessment. As the application is able to save student’s scores and data under their profiles, teachers are able to check-in and assess where students are being clearly understood as well as where they may be struggling. Kahoot! can be used as a pre-assessment tool to see what students may already know and to introduce new content. It can be used throughout a unit to measure the accumulation of understanding from students (Mendoza, 2018).

Research retrieved from: 

https://edtechreview.in/news/1490-how-kahoot-can-help-teachers-to-engage-students EdTech Review, How Kahoot can Help Teachers to Engage Students, Written by Prasanna Bharti, 15 September 2014

https://learnsafe.com/using-kahoot-in-the-classroom/ LearnSafe, Using Kahoot! In the Classroom, Written by Jonathan Mendoza, 27 September 2018.

By Kate and Holly