BYOD Part II Is Quizizz better than Kahoot?

Quizizz is similar to Kahoot. Both involve students using a smartphone, computer or tablet. Both are visual and help the repetition aspect of memorization. Both are colorful. Quizizz is potentially competitive, whereas Kahoot is inherently competitive. I use both in my classroom.

The main differences are 1. With Quizizz, the students see the answers to the multiple choice questions on their phones. 2. Quizizz is student-paced rather than teacher-paced. That means students go on to the next question without waiting for everyone else. The questions and answer choices are randomized to minimize cheating. Another interesting thing about using Quizizz for assessments is that it's much faster than a traditional bubble sheet. Filling in ovals with a pencil takes time. I just gave my students a 72 question final and they finished it very quickly. That means I can make the tests longer or I can allow them to retake the test immediately to use their time. Quizizz is much easier to create with. After you start to create a quiz you can search other teachers' quizzes and "borrow" questions from them. With Kahoot, you have to "borrow" the whole quiz and alter it. Another advantage quizizz has over Kahoot is the homework feature. Students can now be given a code where they can take the quiz on their own time. Certainly this can be a problem if you have students who would cheat, but my students don't care enough to do something like that. (One advantage of teaching inner city!) Quizizz stores data on its website for you so you don't have to remember to save it right then and there during class. There is no need for a projector since everything the students need is on their device. So which is better? That depends if you want a class activity or an independent activity. I use both in my class. I use Kahoot as a minor quiz grade and Quizizz as a major test grade. While Kahoot is like a game, I turn off the competitive feature of Quizizz. I always make sure to uncheck the feature where it displays all the answers at the end of the quiz. I don't want students doing a screenshot of all the answers. Often, I turn off the feature where it displays the answer after they select theirs. Sometimes I leave it on if I want them to learn from their mistakes.

BYOD Bring Your Own Device! Kahoot is cool!

Two wonderful tools for teachers have become available for classrooms in the last year. They are useful for students because they involve repetition, visuals and instant feedback. They are not the same. Both employ the use of student-owned technology, primarily cell phones. Kahoot has replaced my use of jeopardy in the classroom. With Kahoot, the teacher creates a multiple choice question for the student. The question is projected onto the screen for the classroom to view. The students will use their cell phone or tablet or computer to answer the question. All the student sees on his or her phone are four colors. The student presses the color that corresponds to the correct answer.

A few things about Kahoot: 1. It's competitive. That adds a fun element for some students. I know it works in some of my classes because the kids groan and cheer during the "game." At times, the guys will try to touch their friend's cell phones to push the wrong answer on their phone. That doesn't sound good but it works out in my class just fine. It shows passion and engagement! Remind the students that they don't have to be competitive if they don't want to be; they can just focus on accuracy. Students receive more points for quicker answers. I do usually take a grade for Kahoot. However, since it's a bit competitive, I let them miss a couple before I start taking off points from their grade. 2. It allows repetition of important concepts you want your students to remember. The brain works by learning a concept, then sleep, then learn it again the next day. 3. It is teacher-directed. After every questions, Kahoot indicates how many students chose each answer. At that point, you can discuss why the wrong answers are wrong. That's data-driven instruction! It's also instant feedback for the students and teacher. 3. It's visual; you can put pictures and animations into the question. Visuals are especially good for ESL.