Writing Platforms and Communities
Writing A-Z
Abundant, thorough resources help both teachers and students
Bottom Line: This full-service program can help teachers easily weave writing into their curriculum.
Night Zookeeper
Subscription-based ELA gaming platform offers individual feedback
Bottom Line: There’s a nice balance of lessons, challenges, and gameplay that will inspire both proficient and reluctant writers.
Quill
Let students do the writing to make grammar lessons more meaningful
Bottom Line: This tool offers excellent opportunities for grammar and writing practice, well-tailored to students' abilities and needs.
BoomWriter
Collaborative writing platform has the potential to motivate
Bottom Line: There's creativity possibility in this tool's unique brand of collaborative and competitive writing, but teachers should take care to keep things positive.
Edublogs
Encourage student expression and maintain digital portfolios with easy-to-use blog creator
Bottom Line: Edublogs is a fantastic platform for any teacher committed to providing consistent opportunities for creation and reflection.
StoriumEdu
Collaborative writing game inspires purposeful storytelling
Bottom Line: With some planning and customization, this unique card game can motivate thoughtful and sustained creative writing in your classroom.
ThinkCERCA
Structured literacy program inspires deep analysis, thoughtful writing
Bottom Line: This is an expertly scaffolded and pedagogically sound resource for developing critical reading and writing skills.
Writable
Stellar program scaffolds the writing process with targeted feedback
Bottom Line: This is an intelligently structured tool for teaching writing and review that focuses on process as much as product.
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
Wildly engaging contest turns students into novelists in 30 days
Bottom Line: A thoughtful adaptation of the famous and fun grown-up novel writing contest, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is brimming with advice and encouragement as well as classroom support.
Storytelling and Book Makers
Tell About This
Photo and word prompts inspire storytelling; app records the results
Bottom Line: Versatile tool can be used as a pre-writing or publishing activity.
My Story School eBook Maker
Sleek platform is a great artistic tool, intro to digital storytelling
Bottom Line: This is a good, accessible way to get kids creating, but teachers will need to create wraparound lessons on story structure.
Book Creator
Magically easy way to create and publish digital books and multimedia
Bottom Line: This is a top-quality creation tool that lets students of many ages and abilities publish their own digital books.
Elementari
Storybook creation tool offers cool blend of ELA, art, and coding
Bottom Line: This is a great storytelling tool for younger kids that also offers an entry point into coding and computational thinking.
Storybird
Social storytelling site helps kids create, publish storybooks
Bottom Line: A great fit for teachers looking to develop students' writing and digital citizenship skills through storybook creation.
Me: A Kid's Diary
Unique take on self-exploration relies on prompts to guide reflection
Bottom Line: With plenty of ways to express and document their thoughts and more, this app can help students learn something new about themselves.
Shadow Puppet Edu
Resource-rich video slideshow maker a gem for a variety of classrooms
Bottom Line: Easy-to-use free tool is a must-have for elementary classrooms; just keep an eye on sharing and privacy.
StoryJumper
Free storybook creation site has great support for classrooms
Bottom Line: Reliable storytelling tool gives students solid tools to create, collaborate, and share work including real, printed books.
For Special Needs Students
Read&Write
Useful text-to-speech extension unlocks the written word
Bottom Line: This handy set of accessibility tools helps students get the access they need when they need it, promoting independence and building confidence.
Pictello
Fabulous tool can help kids create social stories
Bottom Line: Pictello is a great way for kids to create social stories that can help them find their unique voice and prepare for internal and external struggles.
CAST UDL Book Builder
Sensitively designed so any student can write and share books
Bottom Line: CAST UDL Book Builder is an excellent resource to get kids started on digital content creation; it's simple and straightforward and caters to a variety of learning styles.