CRITICAL READING 9

REVIEW OF JOURNAL entitled ‘THE USE OF EDMODO IN TEACHING WRITING IN A BLENDED LEARNING SETTING’ by Pupung Purnawarman, Susilawati, Wachyu Sundayana  (2016), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia 

 

The advancement of technology provides education with varioussolutions to create new learning environments. Edmodo as a learning platform is believed to offera solution in the teaching of English, particularly for teaching writing. This research was aimed to investigate how Edmodo as a learning platform,in a blended learning setting, was implemented in teaching writing in its combination with Genre-based Approach, how Edmodo facilitated students’ engagement, and how students perceived the use of Edmodo in teaching and learning activities. This research employed a qualitative approach with case study design. The research involved 17 participants from the eleventh grade of a senior high school in Bandung, Indonesia. The data were collected through observations, document analysis, interviews, and questionnaires. The results showed that in teaching writing, it was possible to integrate Edmodo into GBA writing cycles. Edmodo also facilitated students’ engagement cognitively during classroom sessions. The students showed various responses towards the use of Edmodo based on the Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) framework. Some issues on the use of Edmodo identified in this research were bandwidth, confusion in using Edmodo, incompatibility of smartphone applications, and students’ lack responsibilities for learning. The suggestions for the authority and areas of further research are presented.

Apart from the findings of the research, there are a number of matters have not been covered by the present research. First, the implementation of Edmodo in teaching writing is limited to only one single month. Therefore, to get more reliable data, longer research is suggested  performing. Second, the effectiveness of using blended learning integrated into writing approach has not been investigated frequently in Indonesian context, specifically in remote areas in which technology is regarded as new. Third, another domain of engagement, behavioral or emotional, is also worth researching to see how students completely engage themselves in blended learning environment.

There are number of considerations are suggested. First, to create a stable blended learning environment, bandwidth and compatible devices come as utmost factors; providing students with sufficient internet facilities is an absolute prerequisite. Second, it is a challenge for teachers to implement Edmodo in teaching writing collaboratively (group works) since the students apparently rely on each other to upload the writing drafts; therefore trying out individual works in Edmodo is suggested. Third, to avoid confusion in using Edmodo, introducing Edmodo pleadingly is suggested. Finally, the students’ engagement should be more enhanced by the use of Edmodo in blended learning classes. Improving the students’ motivation to engage and take full responsibility in blended learning will be a key point in implementing a successful blended learning.