Edmodo: An Online Portal Software in Teaching English as a Second Language

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

With the value of technology in this generation in both academic and leisure time, students' exposure to technology is part of the 21st-century education approach. They have the time and opportunity to communicate, collaborate, and socialize with the means of different media. Thus, the learning styles of the students are anchored in technology. As supported by the study of Roskos and Neuman (2014), digital learning environment is a motivational factor for millennials and for low performing students as seen in the feedback in e-books and applications in cell phones that constitute to the important role for staying engaged and motivated (Grinshaw, Dungworth, McKnight, & Morris, 2007; Zucker, Moody, & McKenna, 2009).

METHODS

The study discussed the in-depth discovering views in an online portal software in teaching English as a Second Language and implementing Edmodo as a language classroom or teaching tool. Thus, this study is a qualitative research design using non-direct interview, observation, and online forum or learner corpus-based analysis since it aims to describe, explore, and analyze the conventional teaching tool suitable for the learning environment.RESULTSTeaching requires innovation that will always suit the learning styles of the learners. Communication and collaboration tools that the learners fund it fun and enjoyable. Indeed, with features in Edmodo, the functional buttons change the tradition of paper and pencil tests (Mokhtar, 2016). As concluded by Wallace (2014), "Edmodo exposes some ontological changes with respect to the use of digital technologies within education. Therefore, the learners' real contextualization and experiences in using the Edmodo in connection to ESL in particular in the five-macro skills configured the understatement and relationship to the teaching tool of the teacher. Every session, the teacher employs student-centered teaching and integration of Edmodo. Indeed, it motivates learners and helps as an intervention program.

DISCUSSIONS

According to the Learning in the 21st Century: Teaching Today's Students on Their Terms, one of the characteristics of the 21stcentury student is the practice or the use of digital technology to ensure their learning and do what they need it to do. In sum, Edmodo helps the learners to create and develop his or her own learning. Thus, Edmodo as an online portal software or teaching tool in ESL is suitable to our learners today, for the millennial learners, or in the 21st-century learners (Mokhtar, 2016).