Get Kahoot!

I want to share a great website that I've enjoyed using with students and staff recently. It isn't an app, but a website. This is wonderful, because it works on all types of devices, from smartphones to iPads, to Chromebooks to desktop computers. It really gets kids involved in a fun gamey activity.

The teacher begins by getting Kahoot at: https://getkahoot.com/. You will need to create a username and password so that all of your activities will be saved to your account. One of the easiest ways to start is by using a precreated Kahoot. There are tons for you to choose from on a wide range of topics and grade levels.

Having two devices with you is the best way to see what the entire Kahoot looks like. As the teacher you will open your Kahoot, which can be in the form of a quiz, discussion or a survey. This video will give you a better idea of how engaged the students are in the activity:

As you can see the students really get into the activity!

Once you've created your Kahoot it goes into your own list of Kahoots so you can easily find it again. Of course, you also have easy access to the public Kahoots - and you can make yours public, so others can use it, or keep it private.

A positive note about all Kahoots that are public is that anyone can save them as their own and then edit the Kahoot for their own personal use.

When you're ready to launch your Kahoot there are many options to choose from. I recommend displaying the game pin throughout the entire game. It sometimes happens that a student is kicked out, but if they know the game pin they can log right back in and continue playing. Here are the other options:


The students log into Kahoot from an entirely different website - a simple web address that is easy to remember: http://kahoot.it This clean screen displays a spot for students to put in their game pin (which is displayed from your screen and should be projected from your device.)

In a typical game the students are asked to put in their "nickname" (and you should discuss ahead of time if you want students to put in their real first name or if they should use some kind of nickname. Students will try to put in silly or inappropriate nicknames and these can be rather distracting. Plan ahead and tell them what is acceptable.)

As your students enter their names you will see them appear on your device. You will always be able to see how many students are playing along, how many have put in their answer, and what the scores are.

You are in charge of the Kahoot. When all students have put in an answer it will display the correct answer and the amount of points each student has earned. It will display the top students and their points on your device. Once you've done the discussing you'd like to do it is up to you to move on to the next slide (unless you've selected the option to automatically move through each question.

It is important to play Kahoot with a projector so that students can see the answer options, as these are not displayed on their device.

A Kahoot! is a wonderful way to keep your students engaged. Take a look at http://getkahoot.com today!