Mobile Culture
Mobile culture has led to an immense shift in students' behaviours, learning patterns, and attention spans. Having unlimited access to information, receiving immediate responses from friends, watching an unprecedented amount of content every day, and using social media whenever they want has made it very challenging for educators to design applications that mimic the same design that would attract these students but also not distract them from the task.
Example: Kahoot!
Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that works well on both laptops and mobile devices (Langreo, 2023). Students and teachers can use it to either design their own multiple-choice quizzes or attempt those already available on the application, created by others. It is very popular with students of all ages because of the competitive environment it creates, similar to playing a game with friends. The question can be displayed on a big screen in the classroom, and students can answer on their devices. Whoever answers correctly in the least amount of time gets the most points.
There are many arguments for and against the use of Kahoot in classrooms. A literature review of about 93 studies mentions an overall positive effect of using Kahoot; however, students do mention struggles such as getting left behind because of one wrong answer or not being able to read quickly enough (Wang & Tahir, 2020). As attention spans get shorter due to the popularity of short-form content, Kahoot can play a major role in engaging students with quick memory and recall questions. Students may find reading longer questions tedious, and doing small quizzes with immediate results can positively affect their self-esteem and confidence. As addiction to mobile devices continues to grow, these small quizzes can help students prepare for a quiz without making it boring for them.