Game Based Assessments - Classroom Blog Reviews

Teaching in 2021 took a lot of learning on the educators part. This year has been made easier by other educators that have been willing to share all the knowledge they have on topics that they knew would get others through this crazy year. One tool I have been using in my classroom prior to Covid has been game-based learning. The following blogs are great resources to understanding game based websites.

Kahoot! Blog

Kahoot! is a game based learning website where teachers can create fun, interactive games for the students to learn. Quizzes are created to use in the classroom and works seamlessly with remote learning. Kahoot! is free for both teachers and students. Teachers can review results and run analytics from game reports for formative assessments. Kahoot! aligns with the ISTE Standard of the empowered student and help the student feel more motivated to control their learning. In the blog post, "How to Use Kahoot! Slides to Teach in Any Learning Environment" Daria Golubeva describes how this gamification of learning can be used in slides in between quiz questions. This adds an extra layer of learning to the environment. Slides can be used to review the answer to the previous question or offer more insight to the next question. The slides can become more engaging for the students with features like adding images or videos. Kahoot! is an app that I have used in the class to review for assessments and a tool that I will continue to use in the future. By being able to add slides I am confident my student engagement will increase significantly.

TechNotes Blog

TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) is an organization that wants to ensure teaching and learning advance through technology. They run a blog called TechNotes. Not only are there blog posts, but TechNotes provides podcasts. The blog provides great information when looking into adding technology into your classroom. The blog provides resources aligned to supporting educators in the quest for reliable tech in the classroom. Another form of game based learning I frequently use in my class is a tool called Blooket. Just like Kahoot!, Blooket aligns to the ISTE standard of Empowered Leaner, having the student become more engaged in their own learning. In the blog post, "Assessment-Based Feedback Tool: Blooket" Miguel Guhlin goes over the scientifically-based research surrounding game base learning and two key concepts: practice testing and assessment-based feedback. in Blooket both students and teachers have the ability to review data. Guhlin describes the basics of Blooket before diving into features that Blooket offers. He also offers videos to go over before leaping into the platform. Guhlin gives a great window into the game based world of Blooket and how it aligns to research-based learning.

Edutopia

Edutopia is a foundation created by the filmmaker George Lucas. Edutopia is focused on showing educators what works in the classroom through best practices. The posts in Edutopia are related to project-based learning, social and emotional learning, and access to new technology. The blog post, "Assessing Students as They Play" dives into game based learning and assessing students. Rebecca Rufo-Tepper discusses how these platforms allow educators to use tools to measure student learning and collect and organize data. Rufo-Tepper mentions "walking around and questioning individual students and groups about their choices is a great way to find out what they're learning or struggling with," while most think that the assessment is happening inside the game this is an example of when Rufo-Tepper mentions that learning happens around the game. Being able to discuss their learning empowers the student. The author also describes strategies to turn assessments into game play when not using tools like Kahoot! or Blooket which were previously mentioned. Game based learning is used very often in my own class and I take pride in knowing my students are learning and are engaged while having fun.

Works Cited

Golubeva, Daria. “How to Use Kahoot! Slides to Teach in Any Learning Environment.” Kahoot! Blog, Kahoot!, 9 Mar. 2021, kahoot.com/blog/2021/03/09/teach-engage-slides-kahoot-teachers-students/.

Guhlin, Miguel. “Assessment-Based Feedback Tool: Blooket.” TechNotes Blog, TCEA, 15 Feb. 2021, blog.tcea.org/assessment-based-feedback-tool-blooket/.

Rufo-Tepper, Rebecca. “Assessing Students as They Play.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 17 June 2015, www.edutopia.org/blog/using-games-for-assessment-rebecca-rufo-tepper.