Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

If You Give a Teacher a Day Off

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Hello, friends! Happy Sunday! I hope your week is off to a great start and you’re getting ready to tackle the week ahead. Last Friday, I did something I rarely do as a teacher – I took a day off. Yes, I took a mental health day, as we sometimes call the days that we take off when no one is sick, no one has a doctor appointment, we’re not going to a conference/workshop/meeting. I just took a day off. When I was a first and second-year teacher, I NEVER took a day off, partly because I was scared to look weak or undedicated to my career, but also because I didn’t want to leave my classroom in the hands of a stranger – check out this month’s Mystery Post for more information about my control freak nature 😀 After my husband and I had kids, my days off were only to be used for maternity leave, sick kids, or doctor appointments for our girls. So … I rarely take a day off, but sometimes it’s needed. Here’s a fun glimpse into why I took a day off, didn’t feel guilty about it, and why teachers must practice self-care to be the best we can be for our students.

If you give a teacher a day off … she’ll probably sleep in
Yes, I slept in later on Friday morning. That’s right. I slept in LATER – not late by any means because I still had to get my daughters (and husband!) up and ready for school. Friday was Grandparents Day at my daughters’ school and my mom always delivers the chapel message for the day, so I always at least go to that service 🙂 A downside of teaching in a different town than where we live is that I rarely get to take my daughters to school. I have to leave the house at the same time my daughters and husband do in order to get to work at the required time. So, in addition to sleeping in a bit on Friday, I got to take my daughters to school. It may seem like such a small thing, but it’s one of those “mom” things that I love and do as much as I can because they won’t always want me to do that!

If you let a teacher sleep in … she’ll probably be a tad more rested
I saw a meme the other day on Pinterest that said something along the lines of … teachers make more minute-by-minute decisions throughout the day than a brain surgeon, which is why we’re so tired at the end of the day. I don’t know about the accuracy of this claim, but I agree with it. As a teacher, I make TONS of decisions throughout the day that I really don’t even think about. Let me explain, as teachers, we have to make tons of decisions in our lesson plans, on the fly, etc., and we do this every day … so we may not recognize the sheer amount of thoughts, plans, and things we do on a daily basis. Even though some people outside the realm of education haven’t (and probably never will) realize, we have a pretty darn important job. Inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and shaping the future – no big deal, right? 😉

If you let a teacher get some rest … she’ll probably be more present with her family 
I don’t know about you, but I suffer from some pretty major “mom guilt” from time to time. My daughters are both in school and participate in almost a dozen afterschool activities between them, and I volunteer/participate as much as I possibly can while balancing my teaching career, the online college classes that I teach, my blog, my book, speaking engagements, conferences, keeping up with homework, and keeping our house in some semblance of order (it’s a wreck most of the time!). So, when I have a day, or a few hours to chill and be Mommy instead of Mrs. Petty, it helps everyone. Friday was Homecoming for my high school and I was able to walk with my daughters’ school float in the Homecoming Parade – super fun and I got some exercise! Happy Bethany!

I mentioned earlier that Friday was Grandparents Day at my daughters’ school. My mom still teaches at their school and isn’t able to have a sub in her class on this super fun day. My dad always comes to Grandparents Day and has an absolute ball hanging out with his two favorite girls (my sister and I have been demoted) during the day. My father-in-law wasn’t able to attend the Grandparents Day festivities this year, and we lost my mother-in-law to flu complications last year. Therefore, I spent the day with my daughters as their surrogate grandparent, alternating classes with my dad so both kids could have fun with Papa, but not be left alone when Papa was with the other kid.

I LOVED spending time with my daughters in their classrooms, watching them beam with pride as they showed me their classroom, what they’re learning, projects they’ve made, etc.

If a teacher is more present with her family … she’ll probably be recharged in her classroom
This is extremely true. When I push pause on my busy life from time to time and focus on being more present with my family, I feel like I’m floating on my back in the ocean. instead of trying to tread water. When I feel like I have a good grasp on my family and personal life, I’m a better teacher. Taking a day off helps me (temporarily at least) feel like my ducks are all in a row. When my ducks are in a row, I feel mentally more prepared to take on the noble challenges that come with being a teacher – the best job in the world.

So … if you give a teacher a day off … she’ll be more recharged, focused, and excited to be the best teacher she can be for her students. Take a day off, teacher friends. You deserve it, and so do your students.

Thanks for reading 🙂

October Mystery Post – Teaching with Technology

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Hello, all! Welcome to the first installment of the monthly “Mystery Post” from Teaching with Technology! October seemed like a great time to debut this new feature of my newsletter, with Halloween and all things spooky popping out this month.

The Mystery Post for this month isn’t a single post, but a collection of posts on one of my favorite topics, flipping the classroom. I began my flip a few years ago when my district adopted a 1:1 technology initiative, and I’ve changed an aspect of my flip almost every year since then.

Before I share the posts with you, here’s a quick rundown of things I love about my flip, as well as features of my flip that freak me out:

I LOVE …
–> the freedom my flip provides me with. I’m not tied to lecture with my flip and am instead able to share content with my students through instructional video, monitor their progress and provide effective feedback, all while working with my students in a one on one or small group learning atmosphere.

–> the flexibility I’ve gained as a teacher as a result of my flip. My flip has allowed me to gain valuable instructional time with my students by cutting down on the amount of time I spend in the front of the classroom, talking at my students. My flip has given me the opportunity to relax a bit when it comes to “getting through” content, and instead focus more on providing my students with choices for how they demonstrate what they’ve learned.

–> the freedom my students have with our flip. I was talking with a group of students yesterday and was soliciting feedback on how they feel they’re learning the content in our class. One student said, “I like the videos because I feel like I can get what I need and rewatch if I have to, then as you questions if I need it.” This student completely described the “why” behind my in-class flip. Students work through content more at their own pace and ask me or members of their class if they need help. YASSSSS!!!!!

I FREAK ABOUT …
–> relinquishing the reins a bit. Yes, I’ll admit it. My name is Bethany, and I’m a control freak. I don’t like to ride in the car with anyone because (in addition to getting carsick) my anxiety is through the roof because I’m not in control. While I was pregnant with both of our daughters, my doctor would wait until the end of my appointment to check my blood pressure because it was always high when I entered his office. Why, you ask? Simply because my husband drove the hour and a half from our hometown to the doctor’s office and Mrs. Control Freak Bethany couldn’t just chill. So yes, allowing my students to work through the material at their own pace has the potential to freak me out. However, I’m doing better. After all, it’s not about me in my classroom; it’s about providing my students with an engaging and effective learning environment.

And now, it’s time for the main event! —DRUMROLL— the Mystery Post! Click here to access all of my posts about the flipped classroom and be sure to head over to Edutopia to read my post about great technology for the flipped classroom. If you’d like to learn more about how I flipped my flip, you’ll LOVE Chapter 1 of Illuminate!

I hope you’re having a fabulous week! Thanks for reading 🙂

Flexible Seating Reflections

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Hello, friends! It’s been quite some time since my last post — but, I’m still here! I’ve been absolutely swamped this week, and I’m sure you feel my pain. I’ve hit the point in the semester, where I almost constantly feel like I’m behind on evaluating work and providing feedback, entering grades, averaging test scores … I’ll get it together soon, though! Today, I’m sharing some initial reflections from the first few weeks of offering a flexible seating environment in my classroom, and what I’m hoping to use in the future.

Just before the school year started, I was approved to purchase 6 “bungee chairs” for my classroom to provide a flexible seating option for my students. I was TOTALLY excited! The chairs arrived the day before school started and I came in on my optional workday to assemble the chairs and rearrange my classroom – I typically do not come to my classroom on that optional workday, and instead focus on mentally preparing myself for the upcoming school year, with rest, the TODAY Show, my recliner, and a latte. So … the fact that I willingly came into my classroom on that day is a testament to the level of PUMPED I was to have these chairs!

When students entered the classroom on the first day, I was standing outside my door (like I do every day) to greet them and totally expected to enter my classroom to an argument about who was going to sit in the chairs. Much to my surprise, all of my students were sitting in a chair at a table. As I began to explain our activity for that morning, I asked the students why they avoided sitting in the “comfies.” The overwhelming response was, “oh, we can use those?” I assumed that 1) my students would immediately know that the chairs were first come, first served, and 2) that they would all want to sit in the chairs!

Both of those assumptions were wrong. My students thought that the chairs were for something special – maybe they had to earn bonus points or reach a specific grade on an assessment before they could use the new chairs. I also thought that they would all love them. Many of my students, to my surprise, prefer to sit at a table in a traditional chair.

Another surprise about the comfy chairs – I haven’t had any discipline issues such as students falling asleep in the chairs because they’re so comfortable (seriously, I sat in one earlier today and could have taken a nap – that could be because I’m totally exhausted, but you get my point), or not focusing on their work.

All-in-all, I’m totally pumped about the flexible seating option and hope to offer additional opportunities for my students to learn in different seating areas. For example, over the next few years, I hope to add:

My 2nd-grade daughter is learning wonderfully in a flexible seating environment. She loves that she gets to pick where she sits each day and is learning that for some activities, she works better at a desk while during other lessons (or reading time) she’d rather be on a lounger or an exercise ball.

One concept about flexible seating, and about offering students choice in their learning in general, is that students can take more ownership and control over not only how they’re learning, but where they’re learning.

Do you use flexible seating in your classroom? I’d love to hear your examples and experience!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Cell Phones in the Classroom – My Policy

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Happy Friday! The whirlwind of the back-to-school season has almost calmed in the Petty household. We’re almost settled into our crazy weekday routine of laying out clothes the night before, setting cell phone reminders, packing backpacks and lunches, ensuring that all dance, soccer, and piano requirements are ready to go, enjoying a nighttime read, and finding some time to rest and recharge as a family. Thank you, Lord, for coffee!!!

I’m entering my 11th year teaching and it blows my mind how many things have changed in education during my relatively short tenure. For example, during my first few years in the classroom, earbuds/headphones were not only banned, but teachers were required to confiscate them if they were seen. Now … earbuds/headphones are a REQUIREMENT for my class! In years past, students were not allowed to have their cell phones visible while at school and now, students frequently use their cell phones in the hallways, the cafeteria, and sometimes the classroom.

How do you tackle personal devices in the classroom? Do you ban them completely? Do you allow them for school purposes? Are your students allowed to use their phones to listen to music? Can they text in class? Step out to make a phone call?

In my building, teachers are able to set their own classroom procedures for cell phone usage. When we discussed cell phone usage, I saw many eyes pop open when I said, “we’ll use your phones in class. Sometimes I’ll ask you to locate resources with your cell phone, submit projects with your cell phone, use your phone to view trending topics on social media, etc.”

Crazy how things have changed over a short time!

I also broke the news to my students that there would be days in our class that they would not be able to use their phones. For example, when we’re taking summative or state standardized tests. I post these images on the “Important Info” board in the front of my room so students know what to expect each day in regard to cell phone usage.

When I first started teaching, I saw cell phones only as a classroom distraction that I couldn’t and wouldn’t tolerate. Now, I welcome cell phones and respectful use in my classroom. Here’s a quick rundown of our classroom norms for cell phone usage:

  • Please put your phones in “courtesy mode” when your classmates or Mrs. Petty are talking (courtesy mode = cell phones facedown, earbuds out)
  • Finish your work before you use your phone unless you’re using your phone to work
  • Don’t answer a phone call during class – yup, I’ve had to address that
  • Be respectful and responsible with your phone

I see my job as a teacher not only as a designer of learning experiences that encourage my students to think critically, collaborate, communicate, and create as they learn, but also as someone who should model appropriate cell phone usage in the classroom. Cell phones aren’t going anywhere, friends. I hope I’m able to help them learn and practice respectful use of their personal devices, which will hopefully continue long after they leave my classroom.

I’d love to hear your classroom cell phone policy!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Google Classroom September 2018

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Hello, and happy Friday! When I opened Google Classroom today, I wasn’t expecting anything special. But – that’s typically how things go with Google and their updates to Classroom. You open the site and get ready to share announcements or post an assignment and ~BAM!~ Google tosses an early Christmas present your way, and it makes your day!

Google recently unveiled a new and improved Classroom. It’s much cleaner – easier for teachers and students to navigate with a separate section for announcements and assignments.

However, many teachers, myself included, desperately missed the traditional “About” section of Classroom. While “About” is still available on the updated version of Classroom, it doesn’t offer the ability for teachers to post content.

NOW … teachers can add “Materials” to the classwork section of Classroom AND, using topics, post the materials with other assignments for each unit. WOOHOO!

The newest update also provides teachers with the option to add a classwork stream to any Classroom sections they created prior to the recent changes.

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Back-to-School Giveaway – Teaching with Technology

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Hello, and happy Sunday! Here in the US, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and back-to-school season for many teachers and students. We’ve been back at it for about three weeks and I ALMOST feel like I’m back “in the swing” of getting up to an alarm, missing my afternoon nap, and teaching hard all day. September 1 also marks a very important season – in addition to the return to Hogwarts (yes, I’m a Harry Potter FREAK), it’s also the first day of my birthday month! Even though I’ll be 33 in a few short days, I still – to my husband’s amusement – celebrate my birthday during the entire month of September (insert hair-flip here 😀 ) What better way to celebrate my birthday month with some reflection and a giveaway from Teaching with Technology!

For the past few years when my birthday rolls around, basically since I hit the big 3-0, I get a tad reflective. I’m so incredibly thankful for the gift of getting older because so many don’t have the privilege of doing so. At the same time, I’m getting older! I have more gray hair, a stronger coffee addiction (didn’t think that one was possible), and an increasing number of “oh crap” moments as a high school teacher. For example, our library celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter with House themed cupcakes – I’m Ravenclaw of course – and one of my wonderful students brought me one at the beginning of class. As I was daintily eating (let’s be honest, devouring) the cupcake, I told my students that I was in 7th grade when the first book was released and I was immediately a fan. One student, clearly doing some quick mental math said, “Mrs. Petty. You were in 7th grade 20 years ago?” I kindly and skeptically replied, “yes…” Her response, “wow! My parents hadn’t even met each other then!” Thanks, kid. Thanks a lot.

I could go on and on about how teaching high schoolers makes me feel old on a daily basis – try teaching a lesson on the terror attacks of 9/11. I was a sophomore in high school on that day while most of my students weren’t even born. YEESH. But, on to the giveaway and the reason for this post!

I’m beyond grateful for the blessings of this past year and want to share them with you. As we all get “back in the swing” of teacher life, I’d like to share some of my favorite teacher things with you – don’t get too excited, I’m not Oprah so no one is getting a car 😀

To enter this giveaway, follow the directions on the embed below. Enter daily and share this giveaway with your friends! The winner will receive 1 signed copy of Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning, 1 $5 Starbucks gift card (have a latte on me!), 1 $5 Amazon gift card, and 1 $5 Target gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday month, and as always, thanks for reading 🙂

Back-to-School with Educational Technology

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Hello, all and happy Wednesday! If you’re back to school like me, I hope your school year is off to a fantastic start! I’m still struggling to settle into a routine that includes 3 ballet classes, two jazz/tap classes, 3 soccer practices, piano lessons, working out, making lunches, fixing (and eating) supper, teaching three online classes, teaching all day … I could go on, but you get the idea! We all have hectic lives, and so do our students. Sometimes I wonder if we as teachers remember what it was like to be a student. In my case, I had ten classes in high school, which were complete with ten sets of rules and expectations, homework, projects, and different learning environments. I was a good student but still found this overwhelming. In addition to having multiple classes and classroom expectations to master, my students also experience quite a different teaching strategy when they enter my flipped, blended, and gamified classroom. We use the available educational technology tools at our disposal daily and heavily in our classroom to enhance learning, quite possibly in ways they’ve not yet experienced.

Understanding the Why 
In my Government classes, my students progress through units of instruction in the form of HyperDocs. Our HyperDocs are housed in the form of a Google Site, and include “Engage,” “Explore,” “Explain,” “Apply,” “Reflect/Share,” and “Extend” components. Students begin with the engage and explore sections to become, well – for lack of a better term, engaged in the content they’re learning and establish background knowledge about the subject. The explain component requires students to view and interact with instructional videos through one of my favorite educational technology tools, Edpuzzle. The apply section requires students to choose a product to create that demonstrates their understanding of a variety of concepts addressed in the unit. I also include a rubric that students can use not only to understand the requirements of the project but also to self-assess and make adjustments before submitting their product. (Check out my unit HyperDocs here!) Even though this process is a huge shift for my students, I want them to understand the “why” behind what we’re doing and the educational technology tools that we’re using. Why am I asking them to create a representation of their understanding that requires them to include not just a definition of a term, but also (and more importantly) a thorough explanation of the concept? Why do I ask them to assume that their audience (me and others we may share their work with) has no idea about the concepts they’re learning and it’s their job to offer a complete presentation of that information? Because I want them to demonstrate their understanding of a concept … not whether or not they can copy/paste from the Internet or from their peers!

Do. Not. Panic! 
When we experience something new, one of our first responses is to FREAK OUT because we don’t know what to expect, we’re scared, or we just want to continue doing what we’ve always done. When students encounter something new or different, they’re likely to have the same response. This is OK! I’ve stressed over the last week and a half the process that we will follow throughout the duration of our course, the building blocks of knowledge that we acquire and use as we proceed through our units, and what my students are expected to do with what they’ve learned. Clarity of expectations and processes are key in any classroom, but especially when we’re asking our students to do something much different than they’re accustomed to.

I’m here to help 
As I’ve said here and in my book, one of my favorite features of my flipped/blended/gamified classroom is that I feel like I’m able to actually help my students on an individual level. When a student or group of students is struggling with the systems of government, I can re-teach that concept for those students. When a group of students is ready to be challenged and extend they’re learning, I can do that by offering them activities that encourage them to go above and beyond, and am there to help them if they need it. I feel like I’m really able to be there for each of my students. Even though the first few weeks or the first unit can be challenging, it’s so worth it!

I hope you’re excited about the new school year and the knowledge that we get to have such a huge impact on the future through our classrooms!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Technology in the Classroom: Teacher Goals 2018-2019 Edition

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Hello, and happy Wednesday! Today was an emotional day for me – our daughters went back to school, and we now have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener. Ohhhhh the emotions! I made it worse last night by looking through my girls’ baby pictures, watching videos of when they learned to walk and talk … the waterworks were in full force! However, I did NOT cry today as we walked them to their classroom and both girls had an amazing first day of school. We’re going to have an awesome year! My school year officially starts tomorrow – I don’t really count the before school meetings as “back to school” because my students aren’t there – and I’m experiencing the same feelings I have the night before school starts that I have every year since I started teaching. I’m nervous and excited to start year ELEVEN – that doesn’t seem possible – and am excited to share some of my teacher goals with you for this school year!

Intentional Tech Integration 
As you all know, I am a HUGE proponent of intentional and purposeful technology integration in the classroom to enhance learning – hence the name of my blog and the focus of my book 😀 As I emphasize in Illuminate, tech integration should be intentional and meaningful, and the focus should be on how tech can enhance learning. I’m constantly searching for new ways to incorporate technology to enhance learning, and am excited to use InsertLearning this year to encourage my students to connect more with resources and information that we use in class.

Flexible Seating 
I’ve excited about and interested in flexible seating for YEARS but am finally making some strides in that direction. I’m fortunate enough to have 6 bungee chairs in my classroom this year and I am PUMPED! I hope to eventually have a few tall, round bar-height tables and bar height chairs, maybe a couch, a rug, and a few tables to provide my students with more options and choice for where their learning takes place. Fingers crossed!!

 

Make it AWESOME 
This year, I want to continue to focus on creating a learning environment that students actually want to enter, and where they feel like they can learn safely and effectively. I want our classroom to be an inviting space where everyone feels like they’re a valued part of our community and my students know that I’m there for them – to help them learn, to challenge them to understand and apply a concept at a deeper level and to encourage and motivate them to be successful.

Thanks for reading 🙂

P.S. –> I’m adding a new option to my Hashtags through History extension activities! Download your copy of “If we had Twitter when …” today!

Back to School Planning Series: Google Classroom Updates

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Hello, and happy Tuesday! In case you missed it, Google announced today that they’ve made some great improvements to Classroom, hopefully making it more user-friendly and efficient for teachers and students! Let’s dive right into the updates to Google Classroom.

Separate Stream and Classwork Tabs
Do you ever look at an update from a tool that you love using in your classroom and think, “YAASSS! This is going to be so much better!” That’s exactly the response I had when I noticed this change in Classroom. One of the chief complaints that my students have while working in Classroom is that everything is too “smushed” or “jumbled” because assignments, announcements, questions, etc., are all in the same spot. And, prior to this update, I totally agreed with them. Yes, I used the “topics” feature to make locating resources, assignments, etc., easier, but the fact that everything was on the Stream was just a bit too much. Now, Stream and a new tab “Classwork” are two separate entities within the Classroom section, allowing for teachers to create assignments (and soon, locked quizzes!), questions, and topics (used for units) on the Coursework tab and announcements on the Stream tab. Woohoo!

New and Improved Grading/Feedback
Perhaps my favorite update to Classroom is the grading feature. Teachers can now open student work through Classroom and toggle back and forth between student submissions without opening new windows for each individual student submission. As you can see in this article from Google, teachers will be able to open a student submission, add comments (and even quickly add often-used comments!), and move to another student’s work without opening a new tab. WOOHOO!!!

Topics 
Ok, so I know I just said that the grading/feedback option was my favorite, but the new Topics option is a close second … maybe tied for the favorite spot. The Topics feature has been around for quite some time in Google Classroom and has done wonders for “cleaning up” the sometimes messy Stream. NOW teachers can use Topics to create units in the Classwork section – almost like folders where students can easily access all of their work and information for a given unit. WOWZERS! Check out this GIF for more details.

Long story short – I am PUMPED about the new features that have been added to Google Classroom. Soon, teachers will also be able to assign a Google Form as a quiz through Classroom (on managed Chromebooks) in “locked” mode – I can’t wait to see how this works!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Back to School Planning: Kahoot Update

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Happy Sunday, all! I’m continuing today with my back to school planning series, and focusing on one of my favorite tools – I know I say that a lot! – Kahoot! The great people at Kahoot introduced a new game option on Twitter last week, and teachers around the world will love it!

 

When launching a Kahoot activity, teachers have the option to use “classic” or “team mode” as well as the following:

You’ll notice that “enable 2-step join” is listed as a game option. Turning this feature on will require students to jump through an extra hoop when they join a Kahoot game which will prevent (or at least drastically reduce the chances) random people from popping in your class activity!

I’m not saying that my students have suddenly appeared in another Kahoot game by typing random numbers as a game pin, and I’m not saying that they haven’t 🙂

As for the other game options – here’s a quick rundown of the features we use in my classroom:

–> Answer Streak Bonus — use it and love it!
–> Name Generator — we tried it once and my students much prefer to enter their own gamer tags (Check out Chapter 8 of Illuminate for more info on gamer tags!)
–> Podium — yup!
–> Randomize order of questions — we definitely use this option because we review content frequently in my classroom, and I don’t recreate a Kahoot every time we review that content!
–> Randomize order of answers — same as above 🙂 The point of reviewing the content we learn frequently is not to determine whether or not students can memorize which color goes with each answer option!
–> Enable 2-step join — super pumped about this one!
–> Display game pin throughout — most definitely! This is especially helpful for students who have wifi difficulty or come to class late
–> Show minimized intro instructions — nah. My students are QUITE familiar with the ins and outs of Kahoot
–> Automatically move through questions — nope. I do not use this feature because, depending on the responses from my students, I may spend more time discussing the content of specific questions to ensure understanding before we proceed.
–> Require players to rejoin after each Kahoot — nope. I’d rather not focus on “hey what was the pin again?” as we proceed through the class period!

What Kahoot game options do you use in your classroom?

Thanks for reading 🙂