Kahoot!

Kahoot (https://kahoot.com/welcomeback/) is a free online tool that allows individuals to create simple multiple choice quizzes or learning games.  Users can add video, images or diagrams for a wide variety of quiz offerings.  Kahoot can be accessed on any mobile device via a unique game PIN or through an internet connection on a desk or laptop.  Users can easily sign up for an account using a Gmail account or other email address.  The tool requires little to no training and is very intuiative to use.  Users can create a new quiz or access an existing quiz.  Once you are creating a new quiz, you add questions and at least two possible answers for the multiple choice quiz.  You also have the option of creating discussions, surveys or Jumbles (their newest game option).  

Pros: 

• No login or sign up is required for participants
• Kahoots can be assigned as homework to reinforce learning materials
• Students can create flash cards for themselves as a memory aide

Cons:

• Potential copyright concerns when sharing content, such as: images, videos or diagrams.  Instructors need to be cognizant of what they can legally share online and what content would be best avoided.  Caveat - there is a copyright open text field on the opening screen of the quiz for instructors to note which content is protected by copyright.  
• Instructors often assume that all participants will have access to a smartphone or a tablet and want to use it for classroom activity.  This may not be the case.  Instructors need to be aware that they may be putting an unnecessary barrier between learning and the activity, for these students.

Both a pro and a con, there are only two access settings available for the quiz; everyone can see it or only me.  It is a global testing tool and can be played in real time by players from 180 countries.  There may be individuals who do not wish to share their quizzes globally.  And there be students who are hesitant to participate in this type of social activity.

The advantage of using this tool is the simplistic access mechanism to join the game, as opposed to Poll Everywhere which is a bit more involved.  The site itself is colourful and appealing and there is a sense that the quiz will be fun and engaging (as much as that is possible).  The quiz that I set up for demonstration purposes below was easy to do.  I did not have to consult any training materials and the process was not complicated in any way.  I tested it on my daughter and husband.  Despite their lack of APA knowledge they were easily able to join my quiz and had fun testing out the tool.  I can see using this tool in the future as a quick assessment at the end of my library session.

Further reading that might be useful to you: 

Boitshwarelo, B., Reedy, A., & Billany, T. (2017). Envisioning the use of online tests in assessing twenty-first century learning: A literature review. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(1), 1-16.

Harter, Cynthia, & Harter, John. (2004). Teaching with technology: Does access to computer technology increase student achievement? Eastern Economic Journal, 30(4), 507-514.

Test your APA knowledge: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/60516291-fea4-45ab-8194-87c264a7d344

I have learned (part 2)

That when you paraphrase in APA you do not need to include page numbers.   And that you can use footnotes and endnotes to explain text that would be extraneous in the body of the article but are necessary for understanding the content / context.  They are not recommended as they are costly publish, but you can use them.

Two more reasons why peer reviewing can be a huge benefit to your professional development.

I have learned

I have learned through reviewing chapters that I have been using in-text citations incorrectly.  And that no one has caught me!

According to APA you only need the full in-text citation the first time in the paragraph.  So:
Maddison (2015) states "blah, blah, blah" (p. 15). OR "blah, blah, blah" (Maddison, 2015, p. 15) and then within the rest of the paragraph, just the page number, accepting of course that you are not citing more than one of my articles in the same document.

I also learned that I have been citing page numbers wrong.  I have always used (pg. 15) and not (p. 15).

Nothing like editing a book to discover your own errors.  Also, points to the wonderful fact that I am always learning!!!  And hopefully improving.

reference question requires creativity

On Wednesday I had a student ask me how to cite standards within an article being submitted for publication in the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering.  This site provides excellent guidelines for authors including examples of many types of citation for this particular publisher, unfortunately they do not include an example or instructions for citing a standard. 

After exhausting several other resources, I thought to myself, why don't I just go open the journal and see if I can find an example of this type of citation (perhaps this is an obvious solution!).  Well as luck would have it, I did indeed find an example!  I have included it here:

CSA.  2001.  Limit states design of steel structures.  Standard CAN/CSA-S16-01.  Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, Ont.

I have to say what has surprised me the most in the past 3 weeks working as an "actual librarian" is the amount of times that I find myself using the creative side of my brain.  That is something I would have never expected, especially working in an Engineering Library!