The land of writing has advanced far beyond pen and paper (and typewriter thankfully). Rather than countless inkblots and misplaced notes, technology has revolutionized how writers approach their craft. Search notes you took months ago. Research ideas instantly. Craft word choice through exploring related terms. While good old-fashioned pen and paper aren’t the new stone and chisel, there’s a whole new world available for writers.
But what does that mean for your student?
Some students adamantly protest that every writing assignment is the equivalent of a jail sentence. Getting those students to write ranks right there with getting your wisdom teeth pulled. Others sit at the edge of their seat waiting for the next prompt. And a rare few take up the charge by crafting their own novels. For parents who don’t have a zeal for writing, helping children pursue their passion becomes an obstacle.
Luckily, as the saying goes, “There’s an app for that.”
No matter which style student writer you have, here are 5 apps to add spark to their writing:
Write Room
Computers can be distracting. We’re guilty as well. The email tab calls our name. We need to see who is playing that song we’re jamming too. Let’s not even bring up social media.
And for our students, the distractions are even more tempting. Block them out.
The Write Room App creates a distraction-free writing environment. This app takes over your screen, funneling all energy into writing. Let students’ creativity breathe away from the clutter. What comes out will be remarkable.
A few other notable features include live word count, reading time and ability to log writing sessions to a spreadsheet.
Dragon Dictation (Free)
No writing needed! This handy little tool transcribes everything you are saying. The accuracy is top notch and the speed laser like. It’s five times faster than typing. The ability to log ideas while on the go makes this productivity tool good for everyone.
It’s even better for young ambitious writers. Sometimes they can’t seem to type all their ideas fast enough. They just spill out. Capture it all in record time. On the reverse, if your student needs a little help getting the ball rolling, have them talk through a brainstorming session. The Dragon will log it all for you. No idea is lost with this app.
Popplet
Make mind mapping easier. This fascinating tool develops visual thinkers by creating relationships between facts, thoughts and images. Build different idea trees to help ideas fully form. Allow your students to bounce seamlessly from concept to concept until they find the right fit. Then, they can dig in to expand their ideas.
This interactive, yet easy-to-use, platform gives concepts shape. The true beauty lies in the ability to drop ideas onto a board. Once on the board, students can move them around. Connect new ideas to old ideas. This will help put together a bigger picture.
And it works for group projects too! The real time collaborative features make working on a team simpler than ever.
Chapters Notebook for Writing
Take journaling to a digital level. With Chapters your student can create a journal, a digital diary or even start their own novel. Better yet, they can do all of those in one spot.
Physical journals don’t quite cut it anymore. Notebooks get lost. Pens have a knack for disappearing. With the help of Chapters, your student will have all of their writing tools at their fingertips. The organizational features separate this app from others like it. Before you know it, your student might even become more organized.
Bonus features: passcode protected notebooks, bulleted lists, word count, photo storage, exporting, ability to create a PDF and backup options.
iSourceMLA
Although we all wish we could escape it, MLA is a big piece of high school and college life. That doesn’t make it any easier to execute. At least that was true until iSourceMLA came along. Your student’s bibliography has never been simpler.
First, have them choose which type of resource they are citing. Enter in all the basics (title, author, web address). Then, this handy app configures the formatting. All they need to do is copy and paste. Just like that, a complete bibliography. If your student is in the initial researching phase, store the sources. Once they are ready, pull up the perfectly cited citation list in alphabetical order. Don’t you wish you had this while in school?
Conclusion
Once you start diving into digital writing tools, you will find countless support systems. Tackling writer’s block has never been easier than now. The versatility on the tools available is astounding. Grammar Apps. Organization tools. Cursive Prompts. The list is endless.
Here at Coronado Pathways Charter School, we are creating tailored educational experiences through implementing technology-based solutions. Our online curriculum is combined with support from site-based, highly qualified, credentialed teachers. This creates a higher level of engagement, increased learning and opens the door for more possibilities.
Learn more about how a custom pathway can put your student on a direct path to success.
