Kahoot!
{{short description|Norwegian online educational quiz game}}
{{Distinguish|cahoot}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Kahoot!
| logo = Kahoot Logo.svg
| screenshot = File:Kahoot web screenshot.png
| collapsible = y
| caption = The homepage of the Kahoot! website
| url = Main website: {{URL|https://kahoot.com}}
Game: {{URL|https://kahoot.it}}
| commercial = Yes
| registration = None for quiz participation; required for quiz creation
| language = English, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Chinese
| language_count = 17
| num_users = 7 billion non-unique players as of 2022{{cite web | last=Takahashi | first=Dean | title=Eilert Hanoa interview: Why the kids education market is booming | website=VentureBeat | date=March 13, 2022 | url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/13/eilert-hanoa-interview-why-the-kids-education-market-is-booming/ | access-date=April 1, 2022}}
| country_of_origin = Norway
| owner = Kahoot! ASA
| launch_date = September 2013
}}
Kahoot! is a Norwegian online game-based learning platform. It has learning games, also known as "kahoots", which are user-generated multiple-choice quizzes that can be accessed via a web browser or the Kahoot! app.{{Cite news|url=https://cit.duke.edu/blog/2015/07/kahoot-as-formative-assessment/|title=Kahoot! as Formative Assessment - Center for Instructional Technology|date=2015-07-02|work=Center for Instructional Technology|access-date=2017-08-09|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201123005/https://cit.duke.edu/blog/2015/07/kahoot-as-formative-assessment/|archive-date=2017-02-01|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://tomorrowslearners.com/why-kahoot-is-one-of-my-favourite-classroom-tools/|title=Why Kahoot is one of my favourite classroom tools — Tomorrow's Learners|access-date=2017-08-09|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810012336/http://tomorrowslearners.com/why-kahoot-is-one-of-my-favourite-classroom-tools/|archive-date=2017-08-10|url-status=live}}
History
= Prototypes and development =
The game concept used in Kahoot! originated in a series of prototypes called "Lecture Quiz" that were developed by Alf Inge Wang at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2006.{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Alf Inge |last2=Tahir |first2=Rabail |year=2020 |title=The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review |journal=Computers & Education |publisher=Elsevier |volume=149 |pages=103818 |doi=10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=11250/2646041}} Lecture Quiz 1.0 was developed in 2006. The server was implemented in Java and MySQL, integrated with an Apache Web server. The teacher client was implemented as a Java application, in combination with OpenGL for graphics, while the student clients were implemented on Java 2 Micro Edition. This made it possible to run the client on both mobile phones and laptops.{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Alf Inge |last2=Øfsdahl |first2=Terje |last3=Mørch-Storstein |first3=Ole Kristian |year=2007 |title=Lecture quiz-a mobile game concept for lectures |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=1%2C5&q=%22Lecture+quiz-a+mobile+game+concept+for+lectures%22&btnG= |journal=International Conference on Software Engineering and Application |publisher=IASTED |volume=11 |pages=305–310 |via=Google Scholar}}
Lecture Quiz 2.0, developed in 2011, was the first prototype where both teacher and student clients had web-interfaces.{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Bian |last2=Wang |first2=Alf Inge |last3=Børresen |first3=Erling Andreas |last4=Tidemann |first4=Knut Andre |year=2011 |title=Improvement of a Lecture Game Concept - Implementing Lecture Quiz 2.0. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221130592 |journal=International Conference on Computer Supported Education |volume=3 |pages=26–35 |via=ResearchGate}} The last version of Lecture Quiz was version 3.0 in 2012, with improved user-interface implemented using HTML 5 and CSS3, avatars, and multiple game/team modes.{{Cite web |date=2012-06-15 |title=Dataspel i timen testar elevane – NRK Viten – Nyheter innen vitenskap og forskning |url=https://www.nrk.no/viten/dataspel-i-timen-testar-elevane-1.8196102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426224011/https://www.nrk.no/viten/dataspel-i-timen-testar-elevane-1.8196102 |archive-date=2019-04-26 |access-date=2019-04-26}}
= Company history =
Kahoot! was founded as a company in 2012 by Morten Versvik, one of Wang's students. Johan Brand, Jamie Brooker and Asmund Furuseth later joined the company as cofounders to develop its user interface and design.{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=2018-01-18 |title=Education quiz app Kahoot says it's now used by 50% of all US K-12 students, 70M users overall |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/18/education-quiz-app-kahoot-says-its-now-used-in-50-of-all-us-classrooms-70m-users-overall/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} A beta version of the platform was launched in September 2013.{{Cite web |last=Newcomb |first=Tim |date=2016-11-30 |title=Gamify the Classroom: Kahoot! Software Boosts Learning, and Teamwork, Through Quizzes |url=https://www.the74million.org/article/gamify-the-classroom-kahoot-software-boosts-learning-and-teamwork-through-quizzes/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |language=en-US}}
In March 2017, Kahoot! reached one billion cumulative participating players.{{Cite news |title=Norwegian edtech company Kahoot! reaches 1 billion players |url=http://tech.eu/brief/kahoot-1-billion-players/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013852/http://tech.eu/brief/kahoot-1-billion-players/ |archive-date=2017-11-07 |access-date=2017-11-01 |work=Tech.eu |language=en-US}} In September 2017, Kahoot! launched a mobile application for homework.{{Cite web |title=Homework Game Changer Kahoot! Launches Mobile App -- THE Journal |url=https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/09/14/homework-game-changer-kahoot-launches-mobile-app.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013172936/https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/09/14/homework-game-changer-kahoot-launches-mobile-app.aspx |archive-date=2017-10-13 |access-date=2017-10-13 |website=THE Journal |language=en}}
In 2019, Kahoot! acquired the Scandinavian education company Poio.{{cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=May 15, 2019 |title=Kahoot acquires reading app Poio to expand its learning platform |url=https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/14/kahoot-acquires-reading-app-poio-to-expand-its-learning-platform/ |access-date=September 23, 2021 |website=VentureBeat}} It also acquired DragonBox, an educational games developer, for $18 million.{{cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=May 8, 2019 |title=Educational gaming platform Kahoot acquires math app maker DragonBox for $18M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/08/educational-gaming-platform-kahoot-acquires-math-app-maker-dragonbox-for-18m/ |access-date=January 19, 2022 |website=TechCrunch}}
In 2020, Kahoot! was valued at $1.5 billion and achieved unicorn status.{{Cite web|title=Norwegian! edtech! unicorn! Kahoot! secures! $28 million! in! new! equity!|url=https://tech.eu/brief/kahoot-funding-2/|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Tech.eu|date=11 June 2020 |language=en-US}} As of 2021, the company was valued at USD$7 billion.{{cite web | last1=Ramnarayan | first1=Abhinav | last2=Schuetze | first2=Arno | title=SoftBank-backed Kahoot plans $7 billion Oslo listing in coming weeks: sources | website=Reuters | date=February 10, 2021 | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kahoot-ipo-idUSKBN2AA2DV | access-date=September 23, 2021}}
In 2020 acquired Drops, which was focused on teaching languages, for $50 million.{{cite web | last=Lunden | first=Ingrid | title=Kahoot drops $50M on Drops to add language learning to its gamified education stable | website=TechCrunch | date=November 24, 2020 | url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/24/kahoot-drops-50m-on-drops-to-add-language-learning-to-its-gamified-education-stable/ | access-date=September 23, 2021}} This was followed by Whiteboard.fi, which develops software for digital, online whiteboards.{{cite web | title=Norwegian education start-up Kahoot targets Asian expansion | website=Financial Times | date=March 11, 2021 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/c2762d34-fc69-4801-a207-71f8d4bda0b4 | access-date=September 23, 2021}} Kahoot! also acquired the Danish startup Actimo, which developed employee training software, for $33 million. It was acquired to expand Kahoot's features for business users.{{cite web | last=Lunden | first=Ingrid | title=User-generated e-learning site Kahoot acquires Actimo for up to $33M to double down on corporate sector | website=TechCrunch | date=September 16, 2020 | url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/16/user-generated-e-learning-site-kahoot-acquires-actimo-for-up-to-33m-to-double-down-on-corporate-sector/ | access-date=September 23, 2021}} In March 2021, the company went public on the Oslo stock exchange.{{Cite web |last=Ramnarayan |first=Abhinav |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Norway's Kahoot to explore secondary U.S. listing: CEO |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/europe/norways-kahoot-to-explore-secondary-us-listing-ceo-idUSKBN2BA1H3/ |website=Reuters}} In April 2021, Kahoot! acquired Motimate, a corporate learning company based in Norway, for $25 million.{{cite news|title=Oslo-based employee engagement and learning platform Motimate acquired by Kahoot!|url=https://tech.eu/brief/oslo-based-employee-engagement-and-learning-platform-motimate-acquired-by-kahoot/|date=April 7, 2021|first=Dan |last=Taylor}} In 2021, Kahoot! announced that it would acquire SSO digital learning platform Clever, Inc. for $500 million.{{cite web |url=https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/ed-tech-company-kahoot-acquires-clever-for-500m|title=Ed Tech Company Kahoot! Acquires Clever for $500M |author=| date= 14 May 2021 |website=Government Technology |access-date= 21 May 2021}}
In 2023, Kahoot was acquired by a group of investors included Goldman Sachs Asset Management for $1.72 billion in cash.{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=2023-07-14 |title=Gamified e-learning platform Kahoot gets acquired in a $1.7B deal led by Goldman Sachs, Lego and more |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/14/kahoot-acquired/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}
Research
In 2016, an evaluation of Kahoot!'s pedagogical quality by Education Alliance Finland (formerly Kokoa Standard) suggested that Kahoot!'s educational value was highest when students are creating quizzes of relevant topics themselves, because it uses creativity and practices 21st-century skills.{{cite web |last1=Education Alliance Finland |title=Catalog of certified products |date=28 November 2017 |url=https://educationalliancefinland.com/products/kahoot |access-date=11 May 2020}}
A literature review containing 93 studies on the effect of using Kahoot! for learning was published in the journal Computers & Education in 2020, it found that using the platform had an overall positive effect on classroom dynamics, learning and anxiety.