Using “Kahoot!” to Promote Higher Order Thinking
SCI 621
Drury University
Janessa Jennings
June 16, 2018
Abstract
Technology is ever-changing, especially in our world today. Many people even feel that they are addicted to technology or specifically their handheld devices. As teachers we have to equip our students to live in this kind of world. According to Sousa, “…children who spend their early years in front of screens will eventually have adult brains that are hardwired to process information at a frantic pace” (Sousa, 679). Technology has many positive aspects, but often gets a bad rap. According to Wedlock & Growe, “The problem is that technological innovations need to be transformed from tools of obsession into tools of education” …show more content…
According to Vandebilt University’s Center for Teaching, “In 1956, Benjamin Bloom with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl published a framework for categorizing educational goals: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Familiarly known as Bloom’s Taxonomy, this framework has been applied by generations of K-12 teachers and college instructors in their teaching” (Armstrong). Within the framework, six groupings could be found, including knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. As mentioned before, the original taxonomy was published in 1956, but it was also revised in 2001 (not by Bloom himself). It was revised to use action words, such as remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create, to better relate with our fast-paced world. These categories range from lower order thinking skills to higher order thinking skills, respectively. Teachers learn about this early on in their teacher education programs. They use this revised framework to guide their planning and preparation, and to help them differentiate instruction. In my opinion, there’s a very slim chance that a teacher anywhere in the United States has not heard of “Bloom’s Taxonomy”, so for the sake of our example, let’s say Mrs. Jenkins is familiar with the framework. If she chose to give her students a paper and pencil, multiple choice quiz or pretest, she would be assessing a lower order thinking skill, such as “remember”. If there were short answer questions she may be assessing the “understand”, or “apply” components, but would probably not assess the highest order thinking skills. However, Mrs. Jenkins could easily take this lesson and/or quiz to the next level using technology, or more specifically, something called “Kahoot!”. Using this resource, teachers (or students, parents, etc.) can create fun, interactive
SCI 621
Drury University
Janessa Jennings
June 16, 2018
Abstract
Technology is ever-changing, especially in our world today. Many people even feel that they are addicted to technology or specifically their handheld devices. As teachers we have to equip our students to live in this kind of world. According to Sousa, “…children who spend their early years in front of screens will eventually have adult brains that are hardwired to process information at a frantic pace” (Sousa, 679). Technology has many positive aspects, but often gets a bad rap. According to Wedlock & Growe, “The problem is that technological innovations need to be transformed from tools of obsession into tools of education” …show more content…
According to Vandebilt University’s Center for Teaching, “In 1956, Benjamin Bloom with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl published a framework for categorizing educational goals: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Familiarly known as Bloom’s Taxonomy, this framework has been applied by generations of K-12 teachers and college instructors in their teaching” (Armstrong). Within the framework, six groupings could be found, including knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. As mentioned before, the original taxonomy was published in 1956, but it was also revised in 2001 (not by Bloom himself). It was revised to use action words, such as remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create, to better relate with our fast-paced world. These categories range from lower order thinking skills to higher order thinking skills, respectively. Teachers learn about this early on in their teacher education programs. They use this revised framework to guide their planning and preparation, and to help them differentiate instruction. In my opinion, there’s a very slim chance that a teacher anywhere in the United States has not heard of “Bloom’s Taxonomy”, so for the sake of our example, let’s say Mrs. Jenkins is familiar with the framework. If she chose to give her students a paper and pencil, multiple choice quiz or pretest, she would be assessing a lower order thinking skill, such as “remember”. If there were short answer questions she may be assessing the “understand”, or “apply” components, but would probably not assess the highest order thinking skills. However, Mrs. Jenkins could easily take this lesson and/or quiz to the next level using technology, or more specifically, something called “Kahoot!”. Using this resource, teachers (or students, parents, etc.) can create fun, interactive