Based on my own learning experience, I found that some online communication apps or tools like Messager (Facebook) and WeChat are useful and effective for learners to use to interact with each other, share ideas with each other, and engage in active learning experience. The functions of Messager and WeChat are very similar, but they are popular for different groups of people. Compared with using Facebook, most Chinese learners prefer to use WeChat as their daily communication and digital learning tool.

In my opinion, the kinds of digital communication and learning tools are important and useful because they provides a quiet and privacy platform for users to communicate, discuss questions, and share ideas with their peers, instructors, and other people in the world. From the “user interface”, I felt that some functions of the tools are quite useful for people to use in their learning.

First is about setting up different chatting/study groups. When learners need to do a group project, they can add their group members’ accounts and create different chatting/study groups with different group members in the kinds of digital tools. The only way that other people can join in the study group is being invited by people who have already in the group. Also, all people in the same chatting group can share their own experience, ideas, and different multimedia like images, videos, and files with others. Second, the kinds of digital tools allow learners to have Voice or Video Call. This function is very convenient for learners to not only interact with each other and communicate with each other, but also save time on texting. Third, the tools also allow users to turn on message notifications for different chatting groups on personal setting. This is effective because it can remind us to interact with our peers.

Overall, I believe that the online communication tools like Facebook and WeChat are very flexible, useful, and convenient for learners to communicate with other members, interact with group study, and share ideas with other people, especially for online learning.