Common Sense Media Review of Blooket

Common Sense Media's review of Blooket reflects their mission to provide trusted, unbiased evaluations that help families and educators navigate the digital world. As a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and families, Common Sense aims to empower users with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions about media and technology. Their mission encompasses three key pillars: rate, educate, and advocate. They strive to review media for age-appropriateness, educate through digital literacy initiatives, and advocate for better policies to create a safer, more enriching digital environment for children​

By analyzing Blooket, Common Sense highlights its strengths in engaging students through game-based learning while also addressing areas where it could better align with deeper educational and privacy needs, resonating with their commitment to equipping educators and families with actionable insights for success in today's media-driven world.In the modern classroom, digital tools that gamify learning are increasingly popular for their ability to engage students and enhance teaching.

Blooket, an interactive game-based learning platform, has gained attention for its competitive and visually appealing design. Common Sense Education, a trusted resource for educators, provides an insightful review of Blooket. In this blog, we analyze their assessment, highlighting the strengths and potential limitations of the platform as reported by Common Sense.

Overview of Common Sense's ReviewThe Common Sense review of Blooket evaluates the platform across three dimensions: Engagement, Pedagogy, and Support. Scoring relatively high on engagement, the review acknowledges Blooket’s ability to captivate students with its game-like interface and competitive mechanics. However, the pedagogical value receives a mixed assessment, primarily due to its focus on multiple-choice questions, which limits deeper conceptual understanding. The review also highlights concerns about support tools and privacy, areas where the platform could improve to better meet teacher and student needs. Its worth noting the review was last updated in November 2020 so its likely there are changes.

Key Insights

1. Engagement: Flashy, Fun, and Competitive. Common Sense rates Blooket highly for engagement, noting its "flashy, fun, and competitive gameplay" as a major draw for students. Game modes like “Gold Quest” and “Crypto Hack” introduce elements of chance and strategy that make learning feel like play. Teachers report that even reluctant learners are motivated to participate, which is a significant advantage in diverse classrooms.

   However, the review points out that some game modes can be distracting due to their busy interfaces and over-reliance on competition. While these elements excite students, they may detract from meaningful learning experiences, especially when players focus on winning rather than grasping the underlying educational content.

2. Pedagogy: Surface-Level Learning with Potential for More. The pedagogical dimension of Blooket garners a moderate score in the Common Sense review. It acknowledges the platform’s ability to provide instant feedback to students, which is beneficial for reinforcing basic concepts. However, the review highlights a key limitation: multiple-choice questions are the sole format available.

   This design inherently restricts opportunities for critical thinking, creativity, and deeper learning. Games in Blooket tend to focus on recall and repetition, making it more suitable for reviewing facts than for exploring complex ideas. Teachers looking to cultivate higher-order thinking skills might find the platform lacking.

3. Support and Usability: Room for Improvement. In terms of support, Blooket’s tools are described as functional but minimal. Teachers have access to basic FAQs, a chat window, and tutorials, but the platform does not provide extensive resources for troubleshooting or customization. The review notes that more robust feedback dashboards and support mechanisms would enhance the user experience.

   Privacy is another area of concern. While Blooket does not engage in targeted advertising or sell user data, the review identifies ambiguities around its data collection practices. For instance, it is unclear whether third-party analytics services collect personal data beyond what is strictly necessary. Transparency in this area is essential, especially given the platform’s use in K-12 settings where student privacy is a priority.

Strengths Highlighted in the Review

• Versatility: Blooket’s game modes can be adapted to different subjects and grade levels, from vocabulary quizzes to math fluency practice.

• Ease of Use: Teachers can set up games in minutes, and students can join easily without creating accounts.

• Engagement: Students are drawn to the gamified elements, from colorful avatars to competitive leaderboards.

Areas for Improvement

Common Sense offers constructive criticism that aligns with the concerns raised by some educators. To enhance its utility, Blooket should:

1. Introduce additional question types to foster critical thinking.

2. Address privacy concerns by providing clearer data usage policies.

3. Expand its support features, including detailed analytics and training resources.

4. Reduce reliance on competition in some game modes to cater to collaborative learning styles.

The review of Blooket provides a balanced perspective on the platform’s strengths and weaknesses. While Blooket shines in engagement and accessibility, its pedagogical value and support features leave room for improvement. Teachers seeking a tool for fact-based reviews will likely find Blooket effective, but those looking to promote deeper learning may need to supplement it with other resources.

As gamified learning tools continue to evolve, platforms like Blooket should strive to balance fun with meaningful educational outcomes. By addressing the feedback in reviews like this one, Blooket has the potential to become a more comprehensive and impactful tool for classrooms worldwide.

For deeper insight into the gaming modes Blooket provides have a read of our blog titled "blooket-best-gaming-mode-in-2024-for-teachers"