Background

"KaHooTZ s a product of the Australian Children's Television Foundation. 'Originally set up to foster quality television programs, the ACTF has extended into the online area' with KaHooTZ (Cope & Mason, 2002). It empowers students with the skills and tools to create their own media and connect them to a diverse, engaged audience. Kahootz is a powerful set of 3D multimedia tools that allows students and teachers to be creators, designers, inventors and storytellers. Kahootz is also an active, online community." (see [])

Kahootz is an online and digital multimedia experience with an emphasis on empowering young kids (between the age of 7 and 15) to become their own storytellers. The program features an entirely 3D and interactive world which is shaped by students.

The Australian Children's Television foundation developed the project (for primary and secondary school students) to increase visual and media literacy skills and to strengthen technical comprehension.

The program claims to enhance:
 * (i) creative skills
 * (ii) visual literacy skills
 * (iii) collaborative learning
 * (iv) maths and science skills
 * (v) science and technology skills

(see [])

A study cited by the Australian Children's Television Foundation reveals that children tend to respond better to videos/material than to each other. The program has link to 'adult,' new and social media sotware like second life, machinima and youtube. By getting young children to engage with these sort of world-building and narrative activities earlier the program claims to be shaping a new generation of 'prosumers.'[]

The Australian Children's Television Foundation has just released a third version of the program. It features sound editing software (similar to pro-tools, garageband or adobe audition), media importing capabilities, new objects and worlds, personalisation of characters with photos and other game/narrative building software which is designed to increase the authorship that students have over the media.

In addition to the multimedia world, Kahootz offers an online forum and exhibition space for discourse between students across the country and to publish work and films created in 'Kahootz.'

(see [])

In terms of support for both students and teachers there is an extensive network of technical and teachning guides available on the Kahootz website: [] (see section: 'How did they do that? []). An edition of the education newsletter published by the ACFT in 2007 explains that teaching guides not only dissect the techniques of multimedia building in Kahootz but also promotes skill development (ACTF, March 2007) The support guides on the Kahootz website also focus on this sense of media-building as community by demonstrating both to teachers and students how students in other classrooms are using the technology []

LINKS

 * (back Case Study 1: Kahootz)
 * (see Interview with Peter Maggs: Head Strategist of Kahootz)
 * Kahootz Website []
 * More Kahootz information [])