What’s the hoot about Kahoot?
Kahoot is Norwegian game-based classroom response application aiming to allow teacher to engage students in a fun, interactive and innovative way. The application allows users to create quizzes, discussions and surveys in real time that students can access on any web browser.
From gameshow to lecture quiz
Kahoot was conceptualized by Norwegian University of Science and Technology professor Alf Inge Wang whose interest in videogames, and social games prompted him to develop the first prototypes of ‘gameshow type quiz’. After beginning his career as an academic Wang became added a more educational element to his invention, by conceptualizing a product called ‘ Lecture Quiz’ which he found was highly effective in engaging students.
Kahoot has so far proved popular with both teachers and students. Students enjoy the fun, interactive game-like interface of Kahoot. Furthermore students seem to be motivated by Kahoot’s leaderboard, where the top five students and scores of a particular quiz are published. Teachers have found the use of Kahoot has correlated with higher tests scores and more engagement.
Kahoot is based around the idea of loop based learning. It aims to transform learners to leaders by encouraging student to participate not only by doing assigned quizzes but by making their own quizzed based own learnings and research.
For the moment Kahoot is free for use. Kahoot is hoping to earn revenues on value-added services such as data reports or more advanced creator and editor tools. The team are continuing to refine the application to optimise learning outcomes.
“Rethinking the way the classroom is structured is one of the most important issues at the moment. We call it bringing the playground inside and it’s about optimising the environment for what you need to teach. It’s different teaching maths and teaching music – technology can make the classroom space much more dynamic. We see ourselves as being beyond the classroom, but we’re classroom-first because that’s where there is a bigger need.”-Johan Brand, CEO and co-founder of Kahoot.
