Gimkit’s mission is to create memorable classroom experiences. With Josh Feinsilber (Gibson Ek senior) at the helm, the growing Ed Tech company is positioned to do just that! This year Josh and his advisor, Hillary Nadell, came to one of our Ed Tech meetings to introduce us to Gimkit, a tool that he developed as part of his ongoing Learning Cycle. Soon after this meeting, our Ed Tech team ran into Josh at them Northwest Council for Computer Education Conference where he was both learning and promoting his business.
Gimkit is a gamified learning platform similar to Kahoot!, but with some serious upgrades. The platform gives students money as they complete quizzes to reinvest in upgrades as they play. Profits can purchase themes, power-ups, gifts, insurance for wrong answers. And if the teacher allows it, students can pause another person’s game for a bit of time, essentially freezing them out. But don’t worry, you can select “clean power ups only” for younger kids, or for highly competitive staff meetings. The Gimkit dashboard shows student progress, earnings, and additional formative data. The platform is freemium, meaning it is free to use but also offers a paid version for more features. The game does not require student accounts or emails.
Josh wrote reflected in one of his blog posts, “To Hillary, my school advisor, you’ve made me feel a sense of comfort at school that I’ve never had before. You took the time to understand what was going on with me and Gimkit and find ways to help. You truly listened and pushed me beyond what I would have been able to do myself.” His year in review post shows how Josh has used design thinking to refine his product which is his official post-high plan. Hats off to Josh, Hillary, and the Gibson Ek experience!