Gimkit

Gimkit is a classroom game-show platform where students compete by answering questions on their electronic devices. Instead of earning points, students earn virtual currency, which they can "invest" during the game to boost their score. Games can be played live or can be assigned as independent practice. Students connect via game codes or through a classroom account and can play in a web browser on any internet-connected device. They can compete against each other or collaborate in teams or as a whole class. When teachers launch the game, they choose from a variety of play modes and set in-game parameters. In KitCollab mode, students help build the game by submitting questions before play begins. Teachers can view and download detailed student reports after every game.

For those familiar with other game show apps, Gimkit feels really familiar, yet unique at the same time. At first glance, it's a pretty typical quiz platform, but with a little exploration some unique features come to the fore. Perhaps, the most interesting to students will be the money and power-ups. Students earn (and lose) money as they play, which they can choose to "invest" in power-ups and upgrades. Power-ups include options like second chances or upgrading earning potential to earn more money per correct answer. You can turn off power-ups if they're distracting, but they also make gameplay more random and engaging. Gimkit was created by a high school student, and though it's a product designed for teachers, the experience is very student-centered.

Gimkit features many different game modes, some of which are available only for a limited time. Classic and Team modes are very basic, but others are inspired by popular games such as “The Floor is Lava”, “Humans Vs Zombies”, and “Trust No One.” Certain game modes may better support your learning goals than others and finding the right balance may require some trial and error. However, if the games within the game become too distracting, utilize the set-up options to turn on/off features and customize the platform for your classroom. Keep in mind that there are two sets of results in the post-game report -- how the students fared in the game and how well they answered the questions. Due to random events in certain game modes, students can perform poorly in gameplay, but demonstrate excellent understanding of the academic content.