Kahoot Redefined: Allowing Processing, Collaboration, Discussion Time

Kahoot is a fun game for students play in order to reinforce their learning. With that said, I have a couple issues with the game. First, the game awards the students who have a faster processing time. I would consider myself a smart person, but I am not necessarily the fastest processor. Therefore, I usually don't "perform" well in the rankings. But if I was given time to process the question ahead of time then I would perform better. Second, moving from question to question without discussion time doesn't allow for students who didn't answer it correct see where they went wrong (pun intended). 

This is where Kahoot Redefined comes in. This isn't some prize winning idea, but one that I found teachers haven't thought about. Combining the template below with Kahoot allows for the fun game play, but gives students processing time prior to answering the question on the game. It also allows for there to be a class discussion prior to moving on to the next question. 

The Google Slides Template below can be copied and modified as you see fit. Simply add your Kahoot questions and move the slides around to the order that works best for your class. There are notes below the slides to guide you in how to use each slide. 








Creating Study Sets with Quizlet

Quizlet is a free website that allows the user to create study sets. Teachers and students can both create study sets. Teachers can push the sets out to the students via Quizlet, Google Classroom, link, or embed code. You can add images and audio. 

No time to create a study set, not worries you can find and use other people's. You can also have a student create the study set for you to push it out to the class. 

Here is a quick tutorial on Quizlet:






A nice feature, that I failed to highlight in the video, that it will play the term and definition for the students. You don't have to do the recording, it automatically does text to speech for you. 





Creating & Editing Slideshows in YouTube

Many people don't know that you can easily create a custom slideshow in YouTube, with text, transitions, music, filters, and so much more. 

I recently introduced this to a couple teachers at the middle school I work at part time and they already have some of their students using it to create a PSA. While the students were able to create the slideshows easily, without my assistance of the assistance of the teacher, they ran into an issue when it was the end of class. When you create a slideshow there was no way to save and come back later. You have to create the slideshow video or you lose all of your work. This is where I had to intervene and show them how they could use the video editor to come back next class period and continue editing their work. 

If you have never created a slideshow before, here is the video for you: 




If you have created a slideshow, but want to know how to edit it after it has already been created, here is the video for you: 




20 YouTube Channels for Educators

YouTube has proven to be a go-to place when you want to learn something new. You can find educational videos on how to round numbers, educational experts giving speeches, how to use Google Classroom, and so much more. 

I recently presented YouTube Can Do That?! at the annual TCEA Conference. One of the participants came up to me afterwards to ask where to find good educational channels. That prompted me to create this list of the educational channels I recommend.



Professional Development on Digital Tools 

Focusing on Google for Education tools
  • Google for Education - official channel of Google for Education
  • Google Chrome official YouTube channel for the Chrome browser, OS, Web Store, and Chromebooks
  • The Gooru - great informational resource to learn about Google for Education tools. 
  • Eric Curts - information and tutorials for educational technology resources centered around Google for Education. 

Teaching Strategies
  • Edutopia - highlights the evidence-based teaching strategies, such as project-based learning, STEAM, response to intervention, tech literacy, etc. 
  • Buck Institute for Education - centered around project based learning (PBL). 

Inspirational Videos
  • Ted-Ed - collection of inspiring videos in animation format
  • TedX - videos from TedX talks around the globe
  • Big Think - showcasing videos from educational experts
  • Infinite Thinkingengaging Internet TV show for educators to inspire creativity and innovation

Content Specific
  • Amoeba Sisters - videos focusing on explaining difficult science concepts through animation and humor. 
  • Khan Academy - content based teaching videos
  • Discovery Educationstories and experiences from the world of science, natural history, anthropology, survival, geography, and engineering.
  • National Geographic - videos featuring stories on natural history, wildlife, and so much more
  • SciShowexplores the unexpected of science
  • Mathantics - fun videos centered around math concepts
  • Educator - instructional videos in math & science