The challenge
Before AhaSlides, Joanne delivered science shows in school halls to audiences of around 180 children. When lockdowns hit, she faced a new reality: how to engage thousands of kids remotely while maintaining that same interactive, hands-on learning experience?
"We started writing shows we could beam into people's homes... but I didn't want it to just be me talking."
Joanne needed a tool that could handle massive audiences without expensive yearly contracts. After researching options including Kahoot, she chose AhaSlides for its scalability and flexible monthly pricing.
The solution
Joanne uses AhaSlides to turn each science show into a choose-your-own-adventure experience. Students vote on critical mission decisions like which rocket to launch or who should step on the moon first (spoiler: they usually vote for her dog, Luna).
"I used the voting feature on AhaSlides for the children to vote on what's going to happen next — it's really good."
The engagement goes beyond voting. Kids go wild with emoji reactions — hearts, thumbs up, and celebration emojis getting pressed thousands of times per session.
The result
70,000 students engaged in a single live session with real-time voting, emoji reactions, and audience-driven storylines.
"One of the shows I did last January on AhaSlides had about 70,000 children involved. They get to choose... And when the one they voted for is the one that everybody wants, they all cheer."
"It helps them retain information and keeps them entertained and engaged... they love pressing the heart and thumbs up buttons — in one presentation the emojis got pressed thousands of times."
Key outcomes:
- Scaled from 180 to 70,000+ participants per session
- Seamless teacher adoption via QR codes and mobile devices
- Maintained high engagement in remote learning environments
- Flexible pricing model that adapts to varying presentation schedules
