Its five sections have been carefully designed to engage the Internet-savvy youngsters of today. These students are naturally curious about what their peers are thinking and feeling right now, and expect to receive a timely response or immediate gratification in whatever they do.

Happy Town’s five sections consist of:

1. “My Views” - a popular section that encourages students to pen their thoughts in a journal or blog style. Without imposing a fixed topic, the subject matter discussed here is as varied as the individual contributors.

2. “Question & Answer” - this is similar to an online forum, where responses are uploaded in real time. In addition to the questions posted every month - such as “Why does a rainbow have seven colours?” or “Why do people not have wings?” - students are free to send in their own new questions or provide answers to the posted questions.

3. “Discussion Topic” - a more structured section aimed at helping students improve their use of Chinese, as well as to promote thinking skills. Teachers encourage their wards to visit this section to discuss interesting topics. For example, in July 2007, the thought-provoking topic, “What are the pros and cons of making friends via the Internet?” was posted; in August, it was “Inner beauty versus outer beauty - which is more important?”.

4. “My Comments” - a thematic section that corresponds with important events. Students are encouraged to read the featured story of the month and share their personal reflections. For instance, in August, as Singapore celebrated its 42nd birthday, there was an overview of National Day. Students were asked to share their thoughts about related subjects like the significance of the national flag, how they intended to celebrate the day, and how they could demonstrate their love for the country.

5. “Photoshare” - extremely popular with students, this section allows them to submit pictures of everything from pets and food, to school activities and buildings. Every participant gets a dedicated page for his/her works, so it’s easy for casual visitors (such as parents) to head straight to their favourite photographer and browse their works.

As for older students who find Happy Town a little too simple for them, they can turn to the site called Culture Bridge, which is targeted at students from upper secondary levels.

With such diverse content, it’s no surprise that teachers and parents are finding Happy Town a useful tool for motivation and learning, while students are all for it. After all, with the easy-to-use “post a comment” and “e-post to a friend” buttons, sharing a joke or a comment has become much more convenient and efficient, bringing a sense of immediacy and fun to Chinese language learning.

Read Schoolbag's previous feature on Nadi, MOE's Malay language website and look out for an upcoming feature on the Tamil language website, Namnaadi.