This morning we started off experimenting with Kahoot. It is such a cool program where you can create your own multiple choice games for students to complete. It sets a competitive, yet engaging, atmosphere for students to show what they know. It would be a really fun way to end a unit, or to poll a class on a certain topic. It could also be fun to use in a professional development session! The really cool thing is that you can access Kahoot on any device, whether it be a tablet, phone or computer, which makes it incredibly accessible for all. Check it out @ Kahoot!
We took some time following this to create our own Bitsboards. Tim & I created a Bitsboard on provincial flags. After the Bitsboards are created, you can use them for a variety of activities. EAL students could have the province names read to them, the pictures could be made into puzzles and a ton of other mini-games. Click on the following link to have a look: http://bitsboard.com/
Here's an example of the Bitsboard that Tim & I created.
Following this, we used the program Explain Everything to explain a topic of our choice. I thought this program was really easy & straight-forward to use. I think with a little more time to play around with the app, that I could really make some interesting videos that would be fun and interactive for my class. Tim & I created our Explain Everything video to help people learn the 9 times table trick.
I also really enjoyed using Kahoot! I have used it with my class, but also in staff meetings. Both times it has been well received by the audience. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed working with the Bitsboard app. We created a Bitsboard on vegetables. We didn't have as much luck as you guys did with Explain Everything, though! Great video that explains the 9 times table finger trick!
I too, appreciate that Kahoot works equally well on any device. There is limited access to technology at my school but we do have excellent wifi access for both students and staff. The majority of my students come with devices (I teach in senior high) so for those reasons Kahoot would be a really easy platform for me to use. For my students without devices, well it's always easy for me to find an old laptop or two kicking around either here in the school or things that friends no longer want so I could fill in the gaps with those since you access Kahoot over the web. I'm thinking of using it in September to create a get to know you activity with my incoming classes.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Kahoot! and Bitsboard but struggled with Explain Everything (as you remember my groups epic fail with it). I think it is an app that you would need to play around with to become comfortable working with.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how I forgot to mention Bitsboard and Explain Everything in my blog post! I think both of those apps would be well worth having in the classroom. The aspect of Bitsboard that impressed me the most was how, after you create the flashcards, there is a ton of games already created! So many different ways to target different skills all in one app. I may have to go back and add those to my blog entry.
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