Tools for Better Writing
Learning to write is relatively easy; learning to write well is a considerably more formidable task. It’s widely documented that technology can improve students’ writing skills, and applications for the classroom are constantly evolving. Here are two free and simple tools that have the potential to strengthen your students’ ability to write effectively.
BookHooks Style Guide
BookHooks is perhaps best known as a book reporting toolkit for young readers. Their Style Guide, however, is an invaluable resource for annotating student work in the middle and upper grades. Using their Word template, teachers can easily mark a document and add comments for 30 common writing errors. Each annotation includes a hyperlink to a tutorial on the BookHooks site.
Installing and using the Word template isn’t difficult, but does require some knowledge of Word Add-Ins. Unfortunately, the BookHooks site does not provide directions, but these two steps should get Windows users up and running:
- Download the Word template (right-click, save as) and save it here: C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP
- When you open Word again, the Style Guide should appear as an Add-Ins tab. If that doesn’t work, you may have to enable it using the Word Options –> Add-Ins.
Once configured, the Style Guide enables teachers to provide clear, detailed, and instructive feedback. Faster, better assessment make this resource well worth a look.
PaperRater
There is no substitute for careful proofreading and peer review, but students wanting an objective review of their work before turning it in should consider submitting it to PaperRater. This free online service, developed and maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students, provides instantaneous feedback on a paper’s originality, spelling, grammar, word choice, style, and overall use of vocabulary.
Although PaperRater’s artificial intelligence is quite impressive, it is an imperfect instrument. It alleged that I had plagiarized a recent blog post, and students unfamiliar with the finer points of grammar may not fully benefit from its detailed feedback. Nonetheless, for those looking to improve their writing, it’s well worth the brief investment of time.
