We know that playing games in class to help master content is very beneficial and fun! What about our students in asynchronous online classes? How can they play games, master the material, and have fun?
Through their study, Watson-Huggins& Trotman (2019) discovered that students expressed increased motivation and engagement with the subject they were practicing when gamification was used. Currently, many different online games are utilized in any classroom to help students master the material they are learning about (Korkmaz & Öz, 2021). Korkmaz & Öz used Kahoot as one of the games and an effective way to motivate their students to learn new material. In today's digital age, where Wi-Fi and hotspots are easily found and identified, it is only beneficial for students to access apps on the go, such as Kahoot, Quizlet, or Quizizz. Throughout teaching history, teachers have used games to engage students and help them practice newly studied material. The difference is that nowadays, those games can be played online. Such competitions allow students to compete against teams and each other and self-assess their skills.
Today's technology offers many benefits to learners. Many digital programs and games impact learning and success for learners. According to Reinders and Wattana (2015), "games are motivating, lower affective barriers in learning, and encourage foreign or second language (L2) interaction" (p. 38). Therefore, the data regarding gamified approaches when teaching target languages suggest that instructors could employ many different hybrid technologies to help students guide their learning (Abrams & Walsh, 2014). In addition, according to Lang (2014), many college students lack interest in face-to-face college learning based on the lecture-based approach. Thus, gaming allows students to motivate students and enhance the learning lexicon as a vehicle for communication in Spanish classes and other foreign language classes (Abrams & Walsh, 2014).
Hence, technology integration provides a smooth transition for students after school and during school hours. Teachers must use technology to positively impact students and allow them to develop their skills in second language acquisition. Current technologies positively influence teaching and learning (Brill & Galloway, 2007). They also credit the Internet as one of many opportunities for education and learning at any level. Even though technology and different gadgets fail, there are more advantages to using them in a classroom to enhance student learning. According to instructors' technology helps to facilitate the elaborate presentation of information to students. It also allows students to present information creatively that meets their learning preferences (Brill & Galloway).