Every student just wants to hear those eight little words. “Get out your computers and go to Kahoot,” a teacher would say in a perfect situation.
Kahoot is great, but many people don’t realize that the internet is home to tons of similar programs. Several of them are, in fact, even better than Kahoot.
This is exactly what Hastings Senior High teachers Darci Karr and Tom Johnsen presented to a room of over 50 people on April 21.
The two, along with other HHS teachers Ann Mays and Carla Hedstrom, attended the Nebraska Educators Technology Association convention in Omaha. The three day convention is a time for teachers across Nebraska to get together and explore the up and coming technology that can be utilized in the classroom.
Karr and Johnsen had a unique spin on things. Technology often times isn’t free, so the two presented their breakout session on specifically free websites for student involvement in class. They titled it, “That’s Free!” and every site they demonstrated held true to the name of the presentation. Johnsen presented seven free engagement websites – all similar to Kahoot – and three video screen tracking sites.
Both teachers were extremely excited to have the opportunity to share their findings with other teachers who also value technology.
“I have eight to ten years of experience with some of these sites, so I have a pretty firm grasp of it,” Johnsen said.
Even though he knew the material very well, the concept of speaking in front of a literally overflowing room was a little nerve wracking for Johnsen.
“I’m not the greatest public speaker, so I know I’ll stumble,” Johnsen said prior to the session.
After most teachers had settled in and the noise died down, Johnsen began his presentation in a very effective way.
“I will never pay for anything,” he said.
He went on to describe and demonstrate sites for student engagement throughout the hour. Johnsen explained how to use Symbaloo, Polleverywhere, Plickers, Kahoot, Socrative, Quizlet Live, Quizzizz, Nearpod, Screencastify, and UStream.tv. The best part for most, however, is the fact that none of them cost a dime.
A crowd favorite was the “Plickers” tool. Johnsen passed out ten cards with codes resembling a QR code that he printed. Each way the card is turned, either A, B, C, or D will appear at the top of the card.
When he asked the crowd a question and provided four answers, each person was supposed to hold whatever letter he or she believed was correct at the top.
Then, with the Plickers app he downloaded on his phone, Johnsen took a panoramic shot of the room. He made sure to include everyone’s card. And because technology is magical, each card showed up on the screen with the answer each person selected. It showed whether it was right or wrong.
Johnsen especially appreciates simple and innovative activities like this that require students to be involved.
“Eventually the world is going to be computerized. If they know about this technology, they’ll be better off,” Johnsen said.
He hopes that more teachers at Hastings High will start to take advantage of one website, decide they love it, and utilize even more of them. Karr agrees with Johnsen.
“We just need to get more teachers from our school out here and learning,” Karr said.
When such a great opportunity arises, it’s important to embrace it like Karr and Johnsen did.
