Thursday, March 28, 2019

Turn Digital Distractions into Learning Opportunities



Let’s face it, digital devices, whether cell phones, laptops, or tablets, put the world at our fingertips. At the same time, they can be distractions for students in the classroom. Instead of banning digital devices in your classroom, why not turn these potential distractors into learning opportunities. This article discusses Kahoot!, a game-based student response system, found by researchers to foster students’ engagement, enhance classroom dynamics, and improve overall students’ learning experience.

Kahoot! Game-Based Learning Platform
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform used as an educational technology for student responses, typically in a classroom environment. The platform provides game templates for multiple choice questions, jumble questions, discussions, and surveys. The learning games, kahoots, can also include multimedia (videos, images, and diagrams).  Students participate using cell phones, laptops, or tablets. In a classroom environment, questions and responses are displayed on a large screen. The aim of the game is to answer the questions as correctly and quickly as possible (What is Kahoot!?, 2019).

Kahoot! in Action
Licorish, Owen, Daniel, and George (2018), examined students’ experience using Kahoot! in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. The aim of the study was to explore classroom dynamics, students’ engagement, motivation, and learning as a result of using Kahoot!. Kahoot! was used in four different ways during seven different lectures for an average duration of about 30 minutes (2018, p. 8):
  • to quiz students on various topics to understand their competence before tailoring lesson plans,
  • for exploring students’ knowledge of topics after they were delivered in lectures,
  • to help students to validate their comprehension and understanding of topics by having them design their own Kahoot! assessments which were then collectively played, and
  • for fun where the focus was on topics unrelated to the course (e.g. sports).

Over the length of the course, students played seven teaching staff created Kahoot!s and nine student-created Kahoot!s. The researchers observed that Kahoot! provided students with more opportunities to engage with the lecturer, peers, and lecture content. Key findings from the study revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom in regards to classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation, and improved learning experience.  Also, the use of a game-based student response system in the classroom may likely minimize distractions and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Bryant, Correll, and Clarke (2018) developed a content learning activity using the Kahoot! student response system as an innovative method of teaching pharmacology. Prior to laboratory class, students completed interactive online learning tutorials for five medications.  At the beginning of lab class, students gathered in their clinical groups and developed one multiple choice question addressing nursing knowledge for each of five assigned medications.  Students were allowed to use books and drug guides. Students submitted the questions with highlighted corrected answers to the instructors.  Then, the instructors reviewed the items for quality and entered 10 questions and responses into the Kahoot! quiz template. During the second half of the class, students answered the 10 questions (1 question at time) using their own cell phones or devices. After each question, the instructors provided a brief discussion of rationales for correct answers. After class, the 10 questions were posted in the course online platform for students to review in preparation for their graded pharmacology quiz. In evaluating the success of the Kahoot! activity, students reported that generating questions was helpful for learning about medications and they enjoyed the competitive and entertaining features of the game. All students successfully passed the end-of-course 10-question medication pharmacology quiz, which included the five medications covered in the Kahoot! activity.

Conclusion
Although the focus in this article is on Kahoot!, other game-based student response systems exist. The use of a game-based student response system in classroom not only has the potential to address digital distractions, but to also address challenges in student motivation, participation, and performance. So, why not turn student’s distractions with digital technology into learning opportunities in the classroom? Remember to always consider the course learning outcomes before implementing strategies into the classroom.

References
Bryant, S. G., Correll, J. M., & Clarke, B. M. (2018). Fun with pharmacology: Winning students over with kahoot! game-based learning. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(5), 320. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20180420-15

Licorish, S. A., Owen, H. E., Daniel, B., & George, J. L. (2018). Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 13(1). doi:10.1186/s41039-018-0078-8

What is Kahoot!? (2019, March 14). Retrieved from https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/



Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2019, March 28). Turn Digital Distractions into Learning Opportunities [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/