Abstract:

The use of smartphones in the classroom as an educational tool can be considered a helpful instrument or a harmful distraction. However, we consider that the benefits of using smartphones at certain times of the lecture can overcome the disadvantages related to the loss of attention.

Smartphones can be a powerful ally for teachers insofar as they help giving access to information resources, incorporating digital material, and also providing guidance in terms of time management and organization. One of the advantages of using smartphones in the classroom is the possibility to download educational applications, such as Kahoot (a game-based learning platform), which are really helpful as a less formal way of quickly assessing and reinforcing concepts and theories previously explained in the classroom.

In this teaching experience we combine the learning process of certain economic and financial concepts -studied in Spanish as part of the subject of Macroeconomics in the Business Administration and Management Degree- and the teaching of their equivalents in English using one of Kahoot's functions, such as the reproduction of short video clips. Watching fragments (2 to 5 minutes) of interviews, press conferences, documentaries or films whose content includes economic vocabulary will provide a current context to the topics covered in the subject. The content of these audio-visual archives will be displayed at the end of the classes, when the attention of the students decreases due to the effect of fatigue. This is the right moment to change to a dynamic and interactive activity, which combines watching an audio-visual fragment and using mobile phones; this will help to catch the attention of the students and to end the lesson with a visual backup of the main ideas presented in the classroom. Once the video has been visualized, a review of the concepts will be carried out through the multiple-choice questionnaires (test type) using the Kahoot application.

As conclusions of the experience we can point out that this type of activities has a positive impact on:
- Promoting the interest for using audio-visual materials and new technologies by teachers and students in the classroom.
- Increasing interest in the topic currently studied since the combination of both new technologies and gamification allows a closer approach and a better understanding of the theoretical models and economic policies with regard to reality.
- Developing linguistic abilities and skills in English and getting the students used to working with materials in a foreign language. This also helps to strengthen the skills of English as a specialized language.

Keywords:

Smartphone, Kahoot, teaching experience, economics, languages.