Wicked Problem Project: Part D - Findings and Implications

The goal of my project is to develop students' writing skill in mandarin, nurture their interests in literacy in a foreign language as well as form a community of collaboration in my 8th grade class by using Edmodo. The project achieved my goals. First, all my students were very engaged in the whole process of writing. They feel convenient to write with computer also, it is a useful skill to type Chinese characters. They had an easy time adapting to Edmodo and finding valuable materials there. They think Edmodo is easy to use. Also, they felt cool when they edited their peers' writing online. Since we use to read books or contents printed on paper, this is something novel and fun. When they provide feedback to their peers, the sense of responsibility is developed. They can also learn new things from their peers' writing. When they finally submit the edited version of writing, they can definitely see how much they have grown, which gave them a sense of achievement. I am really glad that I chose to work on this project. I will keep it as an activity that we do regularly. For me, the most important thing that teacher needs to do for this activity is to give students enough reference online to help with their writing as well as a meticulous guidance on how to use Edmodo as well as how to install the Chinese typing keyboard. Teachers also need to explain to students about the purpose of this activity. In the future, I would ask my students to brainstorm the topic of their writing assignment according to what we have learned and the objectives of what we are learning. I wish that this activity help my students to see how far they have went in Mandarin learning as well as motivated in the coming days!