Prodigy

What is Prodigy?

Prodigy is a free, online, curriculum-aligned math game for grades 1-8. Currently over 20 million teachers, students, and parents are using this online resource. Prodigy provides content from all major topics covering grades 1-8 to help ensure students are ready for standardized  testing. Prodigy provides diagnostic testing to place students in the correct grade, embedded assessments, and automatic differentiation. The site focuses on ensuring that each student succeeds at their own pace. Everything the students work on in Prodigy is reported back to the teacher. Which allows for the teacher to quickly see which skills their students have mastered, and where they may need some additional support.

How Does it Work?

To use the site, is completely free. You can register as a teacher, student, or parent and from there all you need to do is provide your name and email. I signed up as a teacher. From there, you have the option to select the state and standards that you want to follow as well as the school that you are working with (if any). Then (if you signed up as a teacher), you can create "your classroom" which will help organize your class to make it easier to view their progress. You can decide to group the students by class or by learning level. Once the class is created, as a teacher you will be taken to your "dashboard". On the dashboard, there's an option to add students to the class. The student's will be given a code to connect to your class whether they already have an account or not. Once the student's are added, Prodigy will send a "placement test game" to help assign the students to the right level of learning and as the teacher, you will get a notification when that's complete. On the right side of the dashboard, there's a planner tab. This is where the teacher can align their math content and instruction with the Prodigy assignments and games. Also on the right side is the reports tab. The reports tab will give the teacher reports on each student's progress, comprehension, usage, weekly activity, placement test, topic coverage, and curriculum coverage. 

When playing the game, whoever is playing gets the option to choose their character and edit them. Then the player will have the option to choose "the world" that they want to play in. The game is designed in scenes. The player follows their character along and makes decisions for them. The game also narrates the scene and what the player needs to know for that part of the game. During the game, the character will encounter obstacles and in order to get past the obstacles, the player must answer a math question. For example when I played, the first question I was asked was "how many sides does a square have?" If you miss the question, you have the option to try again or see the answer. The math problem also has little clues that helps further explain information that the character may not know. 

Using Prodigy in the Classroom
Prodigy is a helpful resource when it comes to teachers creating a personalized learning environment in their classroom. In personalized learning, teachers focus on the student's individual needs and abilities. Justin Raudys mentions on Prodigy's blog page, 7 strategies to implement personalized learning.

1. Train teachers how to assess students and customize their experience accordingly.
2. Use Ed-Tech to create a personalized learning environment (like the Prodigy game).
3. Allow students to have part in their learning experience.
4. Give student's multiple opportunities to show their knowledge.
5. Build personalized learning playlists.
6. Make the classroom flexible.
7. Flip instruction so students can learn at their own pace. 

For more specific ways to use Prodigy in the classroom, it depends on teacher and their classroom environment. Teachers can use the site game as a learning station. Teachers can also use the game as an entering or exit ticket. The teacher can create a plan for the day on Prodigy for the students to do the align with what they will be learning that day, addressing past knowledge, or "testing" them at the end of the day on the content learned that day. Assigning Prodigy for homework is another great way to use it, especially if the teacher is interested in using a flipped classroom. The student's can play the game as a way of homework to reinforce old skills or help teach new skills they are about to learn. This won't seem like homework to the student's because it's a game, so they will be more engaged than an assigned worksheet. 

Why Should You Use Prodigy?

In an article called Using Prodigy in the Classroom, they stated, "Without a doubt, Prodigy’s greatest strength is its ability to engage students. Because it presents itself like a real video game (rather than a math game website that’s obviously purely for learning), students are drawn into the world that Prodigy presents and are highly motivated to answer the math questions and progress through the game". The students liked the aspect of the challenge and getting more powerful spells and equipment, much like the appeal of an ordinary video game of that genre. Schools that use Prodigy are continuing to outperform others in their standardized assessments. More than 75% of students using Prodigy reach pass levels on their assessments and 40% of students reach the highest levels. Prodigy also offers comprehensive reports to educator allowing them to access data that shows growth, performance and engagement. The site also gives a versatile delivery of learning content. Along with all of that, the site is engaging to students, and students will often play because it's fun not because they are assigned to.

Resources

Mrhassen05, A. (2017, January 29). Using Prodigy in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://wealllearn2gether.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/first-blog-post/

Educreations

What is Educreations?
Educreations is an interactive whiteboard and screening tool that can be downloaded as an app. The app can only be downloaded free on an iPad or iPhone for the use of creating your own lessons but an iPad or iPhone isn't required to view other lessons others created. The app is free but there are other options with more resources that require payments. Educreations is currently being used by 50,000 schools, 5 million people, and 140 countries. On the app you can annotate, animate, and narrate nearly any type of content as you explain any concept. Teachers can create short instructional videos and share them instantly with students, or ask students to show what they know and help friends learn something new. The app allows you to create your ideas, share instantly, and replay anytime. 

How Does it Work?
First, you will need to download it onto a device with iOS, I downloaded the app on my iPad. Once it's downloaded, you're ready to get started with your lesson creation. You will see a white screen (your whiteboard) that you can start drawing, adding narration, and whatever else you'd like to do. At the top there are a few color options that you can choose from to write or draw with, as well as an eraser to fix any problems. At the very top right hand corner, there is tab that looks like lined paper. This allows you change the white board background (lined paper, graph paper, or coordinate grid). To the right of the color options is a plus button. This button allows you to add text that can also be changed in size and color. You can move the text anywhere on the screen just by using your finger. Also within the plus button is the option to add pictures. You can upload pictures from your photo library, drop box, google drive, and you can search for an image. You can move the picture as well as make is smaller or bigger by also using your finger. You can add as many pages as you'd like to your lesson, just by clicking the small arrow on the bottom right of the screen. The red microphone to the left of the colors, is where you can record voice and screen recordings as well as play it back to make sure you like the way it sounded. When you preview the video, you have the option to trim and make any edits to the video. 

Once you have finished your lesson creation, you can export your lesson by clicked the box with the arrow on the top left side of the screen. When you save the video, you will need to give it a title and address the subject and grade. This is also where you can make the lesson public or private. Once you select save, if you don't already have an account, this when you will sign up to make an account. At first thought it was strange that the app didn't ask me from the beginning to sign up, but then I thought that I actually liked that I was allowed to test out the app before having to create an account. When creating an account, you can select either as a teacher or student. From there, you just add the normal information like name, email, and password. After your account is created, your new lesson will be on the home screen. On the left side of the screen, there's the option to create a class, so that way student's can assess all lessons created for your class. Also on the left side is a star image. Clicking on the star will bring you to featured lessons that you can use as well. 

Using Educreations in the Classroom.
Educreations is also best known for teachers using it for a flipped classroom. In a flipped classroom, the students typically learn the content on their own outside of the classroom and then the teacher uses the classroom time to help the students further understand and practice the content they just learned. This app allows you to create interactive lessons that students can watch and follow along easily outside of the classroom. The students also have the ability to replay and watch the instruction as many times as the need to. By using educreations for outside engagement, the parents of the students also get to be involved in what their student is learning and get to know your teaching style. Along with using this app for a flipped classroom, teachers can also use their creations for differentiated instruction in the classroom. Instead of teaching new content with simple lecture or writing on their own whiteboard, educreations allows for the content to still be taught but in a more engaging way. Adam Renfro stated "Let students learn from your own video as you navigate through the room acting as the facilitator to your own instruction, keeping students on task and providing live support where needed. They way teachers move about the classroom has been describe as a well choreographed dance, and that dance has changed with the introduction of technology into the classroom that allows students to work at their own pace and rate" (Getting Smart).

On the website All about apps in YOUR classroom!, Karen Foerch discusses the different ways Educreations can be used in the classroom that are specific to students. Educreations allows for students to get creative, assemble construct, design, develop, formulate, and write. With this app students can creative their own movie poster, make an advertisement, or even write and construct their own story or elaborate on a familiar one. The app can also be used for understanding information." Using Educreation in the science class, when given a picture of the solar system, students can identify the planets. When given a picture of a plant, they can identify the parts of a plant. Students can explain the steps to the scientific process. Using pictures, students can explain the life cycle of an animal, the rock cycle or the water cycle". 

Why Use Educreations?
Teachers have the opportunity to capture their ideas. You can record your voice and iPad screen to create dynamic video that students and colleges can access anytime needed.  Teachers also are able to use their own content by importing documents and pictures from your photo library, dropbox and google drive. You can also display a custom map, insert any webpage, snap a photo, or search the web for the perfect image, right within the app. The app also allows for you to share instantly not only within the app for other users to see but you can also share it to youtube, save to your google drive or camera roll, or even embed it into a website. Educreations allows for teachers to share video lessons to students in a safe and private classroom environment.

Resources
Renfro, A. (2013, April 11). Educreations: Adding Value to the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2013/03/educreations-adding-value-to-the-classroom/

Educreations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.appsinclass.com/educreations.html

Crazy About ClassDojo

What is ClassDojo?
ClassDojo is an app designed for teachers, students, and parents to connect with one another during the school day. Today, millions of teacher from over 180 countries are using ClassDojo in their classroom. Teachers can share pictures, videos and messages throughout the day so everyone can work together to bring ideas to the classroom and home. ClassDojo creates a positive culture by giving teachers the ability to encourage students on any skill or value. It also allows for the students to showcase and share their learning by adding photos and videos to their own portfolios. ClassDojo is a safe and free app, that can downloaded on iOS, android, Kindle Fire, and any computer. 

How Does it Work?
When you sign up, you have the option to sign up as a teacher, student, parent, or school leader. The signing up process is pretty simple, asking for just your name, email and a password. Once you're signed up you have the option to select the school you're working with. From there you will be taken to a dashboard where you can select a new class to get your class started or selected the "demo class" option to practice the site before creating your own class. In order for the class to be created, the teacher must invite the students as well as the teachers. Students can get connected by retrieving a class QR code, a text code, or google sign in. To invite the parents, the teacher can either print off a parent invite with instructions given by the site, or invite by email or phone number. Whichever way the teacher decides to invite the parents, they will also receive a code to get into the classroom. 

Each student in the class will have their own character with their name. Each character as well as a "whole class" option will be shown when you first open your classroom on the site. At the top of your page you will see classroom (which is where the students characters are), portfolios, class story, and messages. Portfolios is where the teacher can assign activities for students to do own their own devices, as well as this where the student's work can be added after the teacher has approved it. The students and their parents have access to view their portfolio. The class story option works similar to social media sites, where you can post a message, photos, and files for anyone in the class to see. The messages tab is where any messages from parents to the teacher can be seen and communicated. For each student's character as well as "whole class", the teacher has the option to give positive points or take points away by "needs work". The teacher sees the different options by selecting the character. The teacher can edit the skills to whatever they want to match their class expectations. When you add or take away points, the teacher also has the option to write a post about it or message the students parents on the reason for the point. There is also an option to add your students characters into groups. At the bottom on the class screen there are other resources: toolkit, attendance select multiple, random, timer, and big ideas. Within the toolkit the teacher can access a timer, random shuffle, group maker, noise meter, directions, think pair share, today, and music. The big ideas tab provides ClassDojo created activities addressing social and emotional learning, ways to use ClassDojo, and creativity. 

Why Use ClassDojo in the Classroom?

Classroom management is a major component of having an effective classroom. When specifically trying to manage behavior in the classroom, it can be difficult to make sure the class isn't interrupted of their learning when a the teacher wants or needs to acknowledge positive or negative behavior. Tara, a third grade teacher described some ways that ClassDojo changed her class behavior management for the better. 

• "I can add and remove points without disturbing the whole class. If a student earns or loses a point, I can just quietly tell him or her why the point was added or removed".
•   "I can control behavior with one sound. When I’m meeting with a small group, I turn the volume on my computer up. That way, when I add or subtract points, the class hears a sound and knows I’m watching. One point added or removed gets the class back on task. In the beginning of the year, the kids stop and look for the sound, but they quickly realize they can’t see who earned or lost a point". 
•   "I can choose the behaviors students have to display to earn and lose points. This year, my school is using 4 rules – be kind, be responsible, be respectful, and be ready to learn. My students earn points when they are displaying those behaviors".

  ClassDojo is also useful when it comes to sharing and obtaining data. The site keeps track of behavior points, attendance, and activities. The teacher can also decide to create reports that can be emailed to parents daily or weekly. The report is designed in a donut that shows the percentage of clicked behaviors and underneath a written version of the data for each day. This data can all be accumulated into end-of-year reports. Another teacher, Lisa, stated, "The parents of my students enjoy receiving the reports because it keeps them in the loop". ClassDojo also has a resource called trendspotter  which gives teachers trends of their students' behavior. This is great for teachers to use so that way they can see if certain days or certain times of the day, behavior is overall negative, the teacher can assess their classroom management and make changes accordingly. This is also great to take notice too if a student is acting negatively, the teacher may recognize if there are some environmental  factors playing a role, and the teacher can then work with the student to create more positivity. ClassDojo has many amount of resources that are beneficial to the teacher's management, the student's success, and the parent's involvement which overall can create a lasting positive classroom environment. 

Resources
Mims, L. (n.d.). Classroom Behavior? There's an App for That. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-behavior-classdojo-app-lisa-mims

DuskoTara, T., Hanna, & Dusko, T. (2018, August 12). How to Use Class Dojo for Classroom Management. Retrieved from https://teachwithouttears.com/how-to-use-class-dojo-for-classroom-management/

Facebook for Learning

What is Facebook?

Facebook has been on of social media's most popular sites for a little over 10 years now, so if you haven't heard of it, I would be shocked. The purpose of Facebook is to post and see you friends posts about what is going on in their lives. These posts can consist of just a sentence or can include photos and videos. From when it was originally created in 2004 to now, the website has really expanded into a key social media network. I started using Facebook in middle school. Now when I use Facebook it's just to catch up on people that I am distant from and stay up to date with anything happening in the world. I also use Facebook as a way to network with organizations I am involved in like what is happening on my college campus or keeping what with important things involving my sorority. Facebook created these things called pages, which can consist of whatever you would want it to be as well as can as private as you want it to be. These pages I have either liked or been invited to have been my main resource for any information for anything I am involved in. Almost every organization I am involved in has a Facebook page to stay connected. The pages are where most educators use Facebook for teaching purposes. In high school I had multiple teachers who created Facebook pages that we were required to join. The pages often had reminders and assignments as well information that is just fun for the class. Facebook is easy and free to join. Anyone who is 13 years old or older can join which is why it has become the most popular social media resource. It can also be easily accessed online as well as a downloaded app.

Why Should You Use Facebook in Your Classroom?
The first and most obvious answer is because almost everyone is connected to Facebook. Many educators are skeptical about using Facebook in the classroom because of privacy between them and their students but Facebook has created ways to where you can still connect with your students without having to be Facebook friends with them. Using technology and networking skills is becoming a bigger teaching concept in schools today. Kelly Walsh who works at the College of Westchester reviewed research on social media and retention rates and came to the conclusion social media is a useful tool for engaging students and reducing retention (The Innovative Instructor Blog). Facebook allows your students to learn from you by using social media. Who knew social media is great source for learning?

Not only is Facebook a useful source for your students to be using their social media skills for learning purposes but it also is better way to communicate with your students, parents, and have them communicate with each other. I know many educators when they leave the school day, are shut out of the school world until they have to go back to teach the next. While it would be nice if that actually was true every time you left the school for the day, it most likely isn't. Facebook makes it easier for you to answer simple questions regarding assignments or content information without having to email or make phone calls outside of school. Especially when you use the app, it's a great portable way to communicate outside of school.

Ways to Use Facebook in the Classroom
There are endless ways to use Facebook specially for your class as well as communicating with other educators. One is that teachers can follow along with other lectures as well as your students following along with yours. Facebook has this great feature called Facebook live which allows you to record yourself on a live stream. Teachers can provide this for days where there is no school or follow along other educators lectures to increase their own knowledge. Teachers can also use Facebook as a way for their students to get personal use of content being taught at the time, for example, politics. while this most likely won't be a reliable example until high school, it is important for the younger generations to stay up to date on local news. I know for myself, I do no watch local news stations, but social media, like Facebook, has allowed be to be informed on pressing issues happening in our world today. As a teacher you can gather informational articles and place them on your class page, to spark your students interests. Another way, which could be a useful reason to use Facebook in the elementary classroom, is documenting growth. For the elementary students, the parents would obviously be the ones seeing the page, but can show their kids. an example of documenting growth would be when the class is studying the stages of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The teacher can posts pictures of the progress as well as keep a live video of the process going on their page at all times.

Facebook is great to use in the classroom because it allows you to connect to your students, their parents, and other educators in an easy way. Students also will love connecting their knowledge of social media networking and applying it to your class. This makes it easier for the students to get involved in your class as well easier way for create engagement for your classroom.

References
100 Ways to Use Facebook in the Classroom. (2017, June 27). Retrieved from https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/05/21/100-ways-you-should-be-using-facebook-in-your-classroom-updated/


Nations, D. (n.d.). What Is Facebook? Here's What You Should Know. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-facebook-3486391
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://ii.library.jhu.edu/2014/08/07/using-facebook-in-the-classroom/

Making Movements with Go Noodle

What is "Go Noodle"?
As a teacher, you have probably experienced your students becoming restless after only 20 minutes of instruction, yet theres still so much more that need to be taught that day. Go Noodle allows your students to get their energy out in short amount of time, and helps regain their focus on instruction. "Go Noodle is an online source that helps teachers and parents get kids moving with short interactive activities. Desk-side movement helps kids achieve more by keeping them engaged and motivated throughout the day" (About Go Noodle). This online source was designed for the average kindergarten through 5th grade classroom. It is completely free and can used at school, at home, as an app, and on google play. As a teacher, all you need is big enough screen to show these videos and create lots of space in your classroom because you're students will be moving! 

Now you're probably asking, what goes into a Go Noodle video? These videos are catchy instructional videos. They are instructed by real life characters or cartoon characters singing, dancing, and talking with one another. The video lengths vary from 1 minute to typically 3 minutes. There are a wide variety of videos on Go Noodle in order to find what fits best with your class. Below you find an example of a Go Noodle video.

Get Me Started!
When you're ready to sign up, you will get the option to choose whether you're a kid, a parent, or an educator signing up. I signed up as an educator, and the whole process took me less than 5 minutes. Once your account has been created, if you're familiar with social media, your Go Noodle site should look like any other social media site. On the top of the screen you will see "Discover, Categories, Channels, and Plus". Your home screen is your "Discover" page which has all the latest and popular videos. If you click on "Categories", you will find 5 categories: curricular, mindfulness, sensory and motor skills, school life, and movement type. Within these categories are sub categories that will be more specific for what you are looking to show. "Channels", is a variety of networks that has partnered with go noodle and have their own videos within them. The "Plus" tab is section of Go Noodle that you need to pay for in order to unlock other features you may be interested in. You may also notice the heart and magnifying glass at the top right. The heart symbol is where you will find any videos that you have "favorited". This is a handy tool because as you are using Go Noodle with your students, there will be videos you will want to play multiple times so instead of having to search for it every time, you have the option of "favoriting" it, and it will show up in that section. Another neat tool on Go Noodle is on the top left side with the 3 lines. That takes you to your account. Within that, is a tab called "extras". Extras has lots of free downloadable and printable activities to use in other parts of your class. 

Ways to Use Go Noodle in Your Classroom
My first experience with Go Noodle was last year when I was observing a 2nd grade class. I often visited this class during their recess time and on this particular day it was raining outside, so the class and myself were participating with a video from Go Noodle. Using a Go Noodle video on days where there is inside recess, is useful because it still has your students moving which is important since they're no longer getting that outside. It's also useful because it limits the noise in the classroom because the students are following along with the video instead of having multiple side conversations in a small, enclosed area. 

Another way as a teacher you can use Go Noodle in your classroom is to introduce new concepts. A great way to capture your students attention on a new topic you're about to teach, is to show a catchy video. An example of this would be, teaching your students about the water cycle. As a teacher, you can introduce the topic of the water cycle and then show a video about it on Go Noodle. From there, you can expand into your water cycle lesson. Throughout the days that you go over the water cycle, play this video. By the end of the week, the students will have a better understanding of the water cycle and will hopefully have the catchy Go Noodle video memorized so if they are having any difficulty with the topic, they can think back to the video. 
While most of these videos are upbeat and movement songs, Go Noodle also has some more calming videos. These videos are great to use in your classroom to calm down and refocus your students. Standardized tests can be a very stressful time for your students. Some students hide their stress well and some don't but these tests are stressful on any age group. Throughout the school year, as a teacher, you can show these peaceful videos that talk through how to ease and refocus your mind. It may seem silly to your students at first, but the more you incorporate these videos and make it a routine, the more comfortable they will be. These peaceful skills that they can learn from these videos, could be used when they are finally confronted by these standardized tests at the end of the year. Having to do something that familiar to them, like breathing exercises from these videos, will calm them during this unfamiliar time of standardized testing.

Why Use Go Noodle?

Using Go Noodles increases more movement in the everyday classroom. "The US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and adolescents should have 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day, but according to the CDC, only 21.6% attained 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on at least 5 days per week" (CDC). Most schools only have 30 minutes or less for recess and also not attending a P.E. class everyday so it's difficult to ensure that your students are getting 60 minutes of physical activity. Go Noodle gets the students moving while not having to take them out of the classroom!


Go Noodle states that the following are key features in using their site and why.

1. Free: anyone can use Go Noodle to create movement anywhere

1. Research-based Activities: Go Noodle's activities were designed based off exercise science and other top research. The activities are designed to be healthy for body, engaging, and beneficial to the brain.

1. Fast: GoNoodle takes no time to setup and has content of a variety of lengths.

1. Designed for Long-term Engagement: GoNoodle motivate kids to stay active. Each class chooses a "Champ" (a virtual mascot) who grows as the class earns the points needed to advance to the next level. Reward them for engagement by helping them grow their Champ.

1. Multiple Classes: GoNoodle can be easily set up so that each class has their own game progress, Champ, and rewards. Which beneficial for teachers who teach multiple classes.

References
Baumgartel, M., C., B, C., L., S., Laramie, S., & Kearns, S. (2014, May 01). GoNoodle Is Changing Our Classroom. Retrieved from http://fallingintofirst.com/2014/05/gonoodle-is-changing-our-classroom/

How much physical activity do children need? (2015, June 04). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/index.htm

G. (n.d.). About GoNoodle. Retrieved from https://support.gonoodle.com/article/241-what-is-gonoodle


Using Go Noodle in school "improves behavior and attention, betters academic performance, and strengthens classroom cohesion". Go Noodle is also beneficial in the home because it "turns screen time into active time, creates great family fun, and makes your home healthier" (GoNoodle).

Movement and Mindfulness for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gonoodle.com/

When In Doubt, Kahoot! It Out!

What is "Kahoot!"?
Kahoot! is an online game-based learning program. It is a free resource for anyone to use, not just teachers! Kahoot! is used to create multiple choice questions or statements shown on a shared screen for everyone to see with the possible answers provided. The students or whoever is responding, will answer on a separate device. Once the time is up on each question, those playing the game will be told if they got the question/statement right or wrong. Whoever gets it right will get a certain amount of points, which continues to add up after every question which is where the game portion comes in. 
Kahoot! was launched to the public in September of 2013. It was originally created with the intention of using it in the classroom but has expanded beyond that to businesses, sporting and cultural events, and other social gatherings. The Kahoot! company has international teams located in Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States. 

How does "Kahoot!" work?
In order to get the most engaging results from Kahoot! as a teacher, you need to Create, Play, Share, and Reinforce! To Create, you can make a variety of multiple choice questions. The format and number of questions is completely up to you. You can also had pictures, videos, diagrams, etc., to explain further explain questions. For a step by step tutorial on how to set up Kahoot!, watch the short Youtube video provided. To Play, you will typically conduct this a group setting, like your classroom. The questions and answers will be shown on screen for everyone to see and the students answer the questions on a separate device. Each of the answers has a corresponding shape and color; a red triangle, a blue diamond, a yellow circle, and a green square. The students or whoever is playing the game will have a separate device and to answer the question they click on the corresponding shape that matches the answer to the screen. It may sound a little confusing at first but once you get started it's extremely easy to catch on! To Share, encourage your students to create their own game or play different games already created. Also as a teacher, share your own Kahoot! as well as explore others that have been created. Sharing is a great tool to use especially in Kahoot! because it promotes leadership as well as expanding the students knowledge globally because it's a global site! To Reinforce, teachers can revisit Kahoots and implement them for homework. Kahoot is not only a website but an app too, so students can use the challenge feature outside of the classroom to get more practice!

Ways to Use "Kahoot!" in the Classroom
There are many ways to Kahoot! in your classroom but you first need to address what grade level you as a teacher are address. While Kahoot! is a great resource to implement 21st century learning in your classroom, it will probably be most beneficial to students 1st grade and above. In lower level grades, like 1st-5th grade, students most likely will not own smart phones, so teachers will need to make sure that there are class iPads or schedule computer time to play. Around 8th grade through high school, more students own a smart phone, so Kahoot! is a great way for them to be able to get that joy of using their phone in school but in an educational way!

The most popular use of Kahoot! in the classroom is for the teacher to obtain data on where their students are at on the content being taught. It's a great way to see how many of your students are understanding or not understanding the material being questioned. Teachers and the students are able to see how many students put what answer and from there, the teacher can move on to the next question or pause to discuss why the answer was the correct answer. This is also helpful for the students to test themselves because they may think they know the content but when they are being "tested" they actually find out they don't know as much as they thought! I personally have had this happen when I played Kahoot! in the class. I thought I knew the material very well but when I was asked in a different way than normal, I saw that what I needed to focus more on. 

Another way to use Kahoot! as a teacher, is to "break the ice" at the beginning of a new school year. Teachers can create a Kahoot! game with selfies or other pictures with questions regarding fun facts about yourself so your students can get to know you! Not only is this a fun way to introduce Kahoot! in your classroom but it also shows your students that Kahoot! doesn't have to just be used to test or review content. Teachers can also use this on their back to school nights with their prospective students and their parents. This allows the parents to get to know the teacher personally as well as getting the parents involved in resource their kids will be using throughout the school year so parents are more familiar. 

Why Should You Use "Kahoot!"?
"The 6 Reasons To Start Kahoot!'ing" (what-is-kahoot).

1.  It's Flexible
2.  It's Simple
3.  It's Diverse
4.  It's Engaging
5.  It's Global
6.  It's Free

As teachers, we are always looking for new ways to engage our students especially in a 21st century way. Kahoot! is the answer to that. That's why Kahoot! has over 70 million users monthly, with 60% of them in the United States. Kahoot! states, "Our founding principles are Social, Play and Learning. Driven by our mission, we’ve built a game-based platform that creates an emotional, playful, engaging and truly social learning environment. Instead of looking down into their textbooks or devices, learners are encouraged to look up while playing and connect with each other – we call it a ‘campfire moment’". Kahoot! is a great resource that can be used in multiple ways, in and outside the classroom. As a teacher, you have the ability to use this program to change your teaching and bring fun back into learning!


References
National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Play Kahoot. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/play-kahoot/


Advance Education. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2017/08/28/how-kahoot-quickly-hit-one-billion-players-while-helping-advance-education/#736870337393


Learning Games | Make Learning Awesome! (2018, September 21). Retrieved from https://kahoot.com/welcomeback/

Chowdhry, A. (2017, August 28). How Kahoot! Quickly Hit One Billion Players While Helping