OTAN News

Tech Tools to Help Students Improve Their Writing

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Summer is a great time to explore resources that we never have time for during the busy school year. As teachers plan for back-to-school and the start of a new school year, take a look at some of these websites that teachers use to help students become better writers. Also consider adding these resources to a class website or in your online course so students can frequently consult them to improve their writing:

• Kaizena – Teachers use Kaizena (which is meant to be paired with Google Docs) to provide feedback on student writing, and they also use this tool to create lessons and complete rubrics. A nice feature is that there are suggestions on how to use Kaizena depending on your teaching methodology (for example, blended or flipped classroom, project-based learning, station rotation, writer’s workshop, and others).

• NoRedInk – Teachers use NoRedInk to connect students with high-interest curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment that test students on skills they have been developing as they work on their writing. Please take a look at this previous OTAN web-based article that goes into depth on the features in NoRedInk.

• Hemingway – Students can use Hemingway as an online editor that focuses on writing errors and readability. Hemingway color-codes errors and readability issues so students can understand the different items to work on and how often these issues arise, helping the teacher provide targeted instruction to correct student mistakes. 

• American Wordspeller – Students can use this phonetic dictionary to help learn the spelling of difficult words and everyday words that are generally confusing (for example, said, enough). There is also a version available for Spanish speakers.

• Cliché Finder – Students can use this tool to help identify clichés in their writing, prompting them to consider other ways to express themselves instead of using tired old phrases.

• Word Counter – In addition to letting students know how many words and characters they have typed, Word Counter helps students identify errors and improve word choice, along with other features, in a handy chart on the right side of the screen.

• Grammar Check – One of the nice features of this website are the many grammar and usage infographics that can be shared with students – these are nice alternatives to a text-based description of information that students need to know.

We hope these tech tools will help your students improve their writing and help lighten some of the load when it comes to your instruction. Use technology as a teaching assistant to reach all students!

Article: 5 digital tools to enhance the writing skills of your students from Ask a Tech Teacher

Article: Tools to Help Students with Their Writing from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning