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Control Alt Achieve: Create Cloze Reading Activities with Google Sheets and Other Tools

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Control Alt Achieve: Create Cloze Reading Activities with Google Sheets and Other Tools

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A " Cloze Test" is a reading activity where a student is given a reading passage with certain words removed. Sometimes the student is also provided with a word bank, listing the missing words, while other times they are not. The task is for the student to fill in the missing words.

This is a great activity to help the student develop reading comprehension skills. It is necessary for the student to read the passage carefully and consider the context to try to determine what words would best fill in the blanks. This also helps develop and assess the student's understanding of parts of speech and vocabulary.

There are a lot of pre-made cloze activities and worksheets to be found, but what can be really useful is the ability to create these yourself. This will allow you to select your own reading passages that may be a better match for your students' reading levels and interests.

Thankfully there are several free online tools you can use to generate your own cloze activities. These include websites, and even a Google Sheets template. See below for details on these tools and how to use them.

Option #1 - Cloze Test Website

Website - http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.html

The first option is a very simple website that lets you paste in a passage of text, choose how you want words removed, and then generates your cloze test, with an optional word bank. The cloze test created can simply be copied and pasted into your own document, or you can choose the interactive option where the student can complete it online.

Here's how to use this tool:

Go to the website at http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.html

Paste in the reading passage text you want to use.

Choose how you want words removed. This can include "every nth word" or "prepositions" or "links words" or such.

Choose if you want the test to be "Text only" (so you can copy and paste it into your own document) or "Interactive" (so the student can complete it online).

Choose "Clues" if you want the bank of missing words included, or "No clues" if you just want the cloze test with no word bank.

Click "Submit" when done.

If you selected "T ext only" you will now get the cloze test which you can copy and paste to use however you like, such as putting the text into a Google Doc for the student to complete.

Tech Tip: Use " Ctrl" (or " Command" on a Mac) and " Shift" and " V" to paste without formatting to get just the text and not all the extra formatting that will come from copying from a webpage.

If you selected " Interactive" you will now get a live version of the cloze test. The user can type in words for the blanks and will get a score at the bottom to indicate if the answers are correct.

Option #2 - Analyze My Writing Website

Website - http://www.analyzemywriting.com/

Another tool to generate cloze activities is the "Analyze My Writing" website. This site does much more than just cloze activities, including analysis of student writing which can be very helpful for self-editing. For this blog post though we are just going to look at the cloze generation option.

Here's how to use this tool:

Go to the website at http://www.analyzemywriting.com/

Click the button for "Cloze Test" on the right side of the page.

Paste in the reading passage text you want to use.

Choose how you want words removed. This can include "Remove Every nth Word" or "Remove Words of Your Choice" or "Randomly Remove n% of Words".

Click "Analyze Text!" button when done.

You will now get a cloze test generated based on your choices. You can copy and paste the text into a Google Document or Microsoft Word or whatever tool you want to use it in. You can also click the " Show Answers" button if you would like to display an answer key.

Tech Tip: Use " Ctrl" (or " Command" on a Mac) and " Shift" and " V" to paste without formatting to get just the text and not all the extra formatting that will come from copying from a webpage.

Option #3 - Google Sheets Template

Cloze Test Generator Template - Google Sheets link

A third tool for creating a cloze test is actually a Google Sheets template. Although the websites listed above do a great job of creating cloze activities, sometimes websites go away or stop working, so it is always good to have an alternative. Because of this I created a free Google Sheets template that can be used to create a cloze test from a reading passage you paste in.

Here's how to use this tool:

Get a copy of the Cloze Test Generator Template - Google Sheets link

Type a number in the cell to the right of "Position of words to remove". This will set which words to remove in the passage, such as every 8th word or every 10th word or such.

Next click in the cell below "Original Reading Passage" to select it (but do NOT paste your text here).

With that cell selected, click in the formula bar (fx bar) at the top of the spreadsheet and paste your reading passage in the formula bar (this is necessary to make sure the text is properly entered into the spreadsheet).

You will now get a cloze test generated in the cell below " Cloze Test". You can copy and paste the text into a Google Document or Microsoft Word or whatever tool you want to use it in.

You will also get the word bank (in alphabetical order) of words that were removed in the cell below " Word Bank". If you want to use these, you can copy and paste the text into a Google Document or Microsoft Word or whatever tool you want to use it in.

Tech Tip: Use " Ctrl" (or " Command" on a Mac) and " Shift" and " V" to paste without formatting to get just the text and not all the extra formatting that will come from copying from a Google Sheet.

Note: My template does not always handle punctuation well, so you may need to do some clean up after copying and pasting the results into your Google Doc or other tool. That is, you may need to add a period or comma back into the reading passage, or may need to remove some punctuation from the word bank.

Cloze tests are a popular method for practicing or assessing reading comprehension, context clues, parts of speech, and vocabulary. With the tools listed above you can generate your own cloze activities to match your students' reading levels and interests.

If you have _______ suggestions for other tools or ideas _______ use, please feel free _______ share in the comments _______ below.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Create Cloze Reading Activities with Google Sheets and Other Tools

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A " Cloze Test" is a reading activity where a student is given a reading passage with certain words removed. Sometimes the student is also provided with a word bank, listing the missing words, while other times they are not. The task is for the student to fill in the missing words.

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Control Alt Achieve: Write Right with Google Tools

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Control Alt Achieve: Write Right with Google Tools

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Writing is a skill that crosses all subject areas and all grade levels. No matter what you teach, it is critical for your students to be able to express their ideas clearly when writing.

There are a multitude of ways for students to improve their writing, including many technology tools that come from Google or that work with G Suite. With these technology tools, the writing process can be improved at all stages from planning to writing to self editing to peer editing to assessment to revising to publishing.

Over the years I have done many blog posts on tech tools for the various stages of the writing process. To make it more convenient, I have pulled together all of those different resources into this one post. See below for an overview of Google tools that can be used to help students and teachers through the writing process.

For each portion of the writing process I have listed some key resources and ideas, but have also linked to my earlier blog posts for each. Be sure to click the links for the related blog posts in each section to get all of the directions, examples, and resources for each.

The Writing Process

For this collection of resources, I have organized the information into eight stages of writing:

Stage #1 - Inspiration

Stage #2 - Planning

Stage #3 - Writing Tools

Stage #4 - Self-editing

Stage #5 - Peer and Teacher Feedback

Stage #6 - Revising

Stage #7 - Assessing

Stage #8 - Publishing

Session Resources Document (for training) - Google Doc link
The first step in writing is coming up with an idea to write about. For stories, poems, or journal entries, Google Sheets can be used as a fun way to generate random writing prompts. See below for my templates and directions for random writing prompt generators using words or emoji images.

Blog post - "Emoji Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets" - Website link

Spreadsheet Template - "Emoji Writing Prompt Generator" - Google Sheets link

Blog post - "Random Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets" - Website link

Spreadsheet Template - "Random Writing Prompt Generator" - Google Sheets link

Before students write the first word of their report or essay or story, it helps to begin with a plan. One way to do this is to have students use a graphic organizer to collect and arrange their ideas. There are many digital tools for creating graphic organizers, however, an excellent option from the Google suite is Google Drawings. With Drawings you can provide pre-made templates for students to fill in, or the students can create their own graphic organizers.

See below for access to my graphic organizers templates you can copy, as well as additional resources and directions for creating your own.

Blog post - "30 Free Google Drawings Graphic Organizers" - Website link

Blog post - "Language Arts Graphic Organizers with Google Drawings" - Website link

Help Guide - "Google Drawings for Graphic Organizers" - Google Document link

Training video - "Google Drawings for Graphic Organizers" - YouTube Video

Stage #3 - Writing Tools

Once a student begins their actual writing, there are several tools they can use to help get their words on the page.

With this tool students can simply speak to Google Docs and what they say will be converted into text.

This can be a fantastic way to help students get all their thoughts out, especially for those who are still learning to type, or struggle with spelling.

To use this tool in Google Docs click "Tools" then "Voice typing".

Click on the microphone button to dictate to Docs!

For more details on Voice Typing, see the first part of my post on "Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing" - Website link

Explore Tool

This tool can be used to search for information from within a Google Document.

The student can search for websites, images, and more.

Information found can then be added to their writing in Google Docs, including citations for the source.

To access this tool in Google Docs click "Tools" then "Explore".

Rhyme Finder Add-on

If the student is working on poetry, The Rhyme Finder Add-on for Google Docs can be a helpful tool.

This add-on provides a list of rhyming words for any word you select in a Google Document.

You can install the Rhyme Finder Add-on here: Google Docs Add-on link

Stage #4 - Self-editing

After students have started their writing, they will want to review what they have written and make improvements. There are loads of useful tools that can help students to self-edit their writing, including text-to-speech, grammar checkers, dictionaries, and more. With these resources students can take ownership of the editing process to improve their writing.

See below for directions and resources for student self-editing.

Blog post - "Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs" - Website link

Slideshow - "Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs" - Google Slides link

Text-to-Speech

With the text-to-speech feature of the Read&Write extension, students can have their writing read back aloud to them.

Having a text-to-speech tool read the document aloud provides an accurate rendition of what was really written, helping the student catch incorrect terms, accidentally repeated words, and sections that do not flow well.

Read&Write for Google Chrome - Chrome Web Store link

Grammar and Style Checkers
Thesaurus Tools

Google Docs "Define" feature - Select a word, click "Tools" then "Define"

Writefull Thesaurus add-on: Google Docs Add-on link

Stage #5 - Peer and Teacher Feedback

In addition to self-editing, students can benefit greatly from feedback from their peers and teachers. With Google Docs there are many ways for others to view student works and provide helpful input, including text, voice, video, and handwritten feedback.

See below for resources and directions for different feedback options.

Blog post - "Four Fantastic Feedback Tools for Google Docs" - Website link

Training video - "Fantastic Feedback Tools for Google Docs" - YouTube Video

Slideshow - "Feedback Tools for Google Docs" - Google Slides link

Sharing for Feedback

To allow others to leave feedback on a Google Doc, the file needs to be shared properly.

Sharing with "Can comment" rights - This allows peer review and teacher feedback on writing

Sharing with "Can edit" rights - This allows student group work, as well as detailed feedback from teachers

For more details on sharing see my post "Sharing and Collaborating with Google Drive" - Website link

Text Feedback

Simple text feedback can be provided with the Insert Comment feature

You can use the Voice Typing feature to speak your text comments by saying "Insert Comment" followed by the comment

You can use Google Keep integration to insert text comments from comment lists - Website link

Sample comment banks - Website link

Sample Docs Stickers - Website link

You can use the "Checkmark" extension to insert frequently used text comments quickly - Extension link

Voice Feedback

The Read&Write for Google Chrome web extension can be used to record voice comments and insert them into a Google Doc. This can be a great way to provide personalized feedback to students on their work.

Read&Write Chrome extension - Chrome web store link

Register as a teacher to get the full version at no cost - Website link

Use the Voice Note feature to record your voice and insert into the document.

Video Feedback

The Screencastify Chrome web extension can be used to make a video recording of your screen so you can record video and audio feedback of the student's work, such as their Google Document.

You can record 10 minutes at a time for free, the recorded video is saved to your drive, and the link to the video can easily be shared with the student for them to watch.

Screencastify Chrome extension: Chrome web store link

Blog post - "Super Screencasting Activities for Students" - Website link

Handwritten Feedback

The mobile version of the Classroom app allows teachers and students to handwrite annotated notes on top of documents. This is a great way to provide more natural written feedback to students on their work.

Android App - Mobile app link

Open the student's Google Doc.

Click the pencil icon in the top right corner to switch to annotation mode.

Click the save icon in the top right when done

Stage #6 - Revising

As students edit and improve their writing, it can be very useful to be able to see what changes they have made over time. There are several tools available to help provide you with this insight into the student's writing process.

Version History

With Google Docs (and Slides, Sheets, Drawings) you can view the version history to see all the changes ever made to the document as well as who made the change. This can be valuable information for the writing and revision process.

Blog post - "6 awesome uses for Revision History" - Website link

Blog post - "Using Named Versions in Docs to Track Writing Drafts" - Website link

Draftback

This extension allows you to view the revision history of a document like a movie, so you can see the order in which the document was written and edited.

Draftback Chrome Extension - Chrome web store link

Revision History Analytics

This tool collects all of the Revision History data and then creates pie charts and tables showing data for each person who edited the Doc.

These include totals for each person's interactions, edits, comments, and words.

It is a simple way to get a visual and numeric representation of how much each person contributed to the work.

Revision History Analytics - Google Doc Add-on link

Stage #7 - Assessing

One part of the writing process is providing an assessment of the product. Rather than just giving a simple grade, a rubric can be used to give detailed feedback to students on their writing. There are several tools you can use to grade Google Documents with rubrics.

See below for directions on how to use several different rubric tools.

Rubric Tools:

Stage #8 - Publishing

Rather than have the student writing process end with their grade, we can extend it by sharing their writing with a broader, authentic audience. This provides motivation for students to write their best and to continue to revise and improve their work.

Because Google Docs are digital, it is easy for student writing to be shared with family, community, others students, and people around the world.

Documents can be shared as a link, and then the link can be posted on websites, blogs, social media, emails, newsletters, and more.

Documents can be exported into other formats including PDF's and EPUB to be shared through other services.

For details on how to share student writing online see my blog post linked below:

Blog Post - "Why and How to Share Student Writing with the World" - Website link

Conclusion
Writing is a complex process made of many parts, not just the act of putting words on a page. All along this process there are many technology tools that can help students and teachers to improve the writing.

I am sure you know other technology tools to add to this list, and I would love to hear your suggestions in the comment section. Hopefully though you have picked up some new ideas and inspiration from the resources above.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Writing is a skill that crosses all subject areas and all grade levels. No matter what you teach, it is critical for your students to be able to express their ideas clearly when writing. There are a multitude of ways for students to improve their writing, including many technology tools that come from Google or that work with G Suite.

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Format pages using the OpenDyslexic font and low contrast help.

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Looking for a previous month or post about #EpicPals, click here

The current year's EpicPals Padlet boards and Google documents will remain active and accessible from Sept to June so feel free to go back and grab any of the Google docs from the current school year for your students to access at anytime. The Google docs will be closed at some point in July to be updated for the upcoming school year.

Here's what you need to know....

First, decide how you want to use the project with your class. Many have used this project as a way to challenge their higher level readers or as part of a guided reading group, or even as a weekly whole group read-aloud and then have students leave their own comments on the Padlet.
Next, print off the Google doc with the book choices and QR codes. You can also access the books on Epic by searching for the month's EpicPals collection by typing in "EpicPals" in the search bar. Click on the current month's collection to make a copy and assign it to your students. There is a separate collection for both the primary and intermediate collection so you can assign them to specific students.
Spend a little bit of time modeling how to use the QR codes to get to the Padlet boards and how to leave a quality response. (Remind your students to only leave their first names and state abbreviation on their Padlet posts.)

To access the month's Google Doc click on the #EpicPals image at the top of this page. Y ou will be able to choose from a primary or an intermediate version depending on the reading abilities of your kiddos. Both are located on the same Google doc. Print off the version(s) that works best for your classroom.

When students are done reading the book selection, they will scan the coordinating QR code on their sheet which will take them to a Padlet board specific for the book they read. If you'd rather push this sheet out to your students on your blog, Google Classroom, etc, the url's shown are clickable and linked to the boards as well so please make a copy of the doc before sending it out to your kiddos if you go this route.

If using iPads, download a QR reader app. I've found I-nigma to be the best one out there. It's free and does not contain any ads AND when your students scan the codes it takes them directly to the Padlet boards instead of accessing through the QR app.

As your students begin to post on the Padlet boards, please don't be overly concerned about spelling. This is meant to be a place where kiddos can read and respond to text authentically. I do check the boards about once a week to double check content and any questionable phonetic spelling. (The links to these boards are not public or searchable- you must have the link to access them). Emojis are all the rage with our youngers right now and while I don't mind emojis on the posts, please have a discussion with your students about using them sparingly and in context of their post not just for the sake of seeing how many they can use. Poop emojis will be deleted from posts.

How students should respond on the boards?

That's really up to you. What's best for your learners? Are you learning about text-to-self connections, character traits, retelling, summarizing or simply writing complete sentences to share your favorite part? Be creative, utilize the boards to match your learning objectives. Feel free to have your students include images or screenshots or create and upload video reflections- the sky's the limit. Most important, have fun with this! I will at times put a question on the Padlet for students to think about but these are simply springboards if needed and are NOT required.

If you have access to any of the books in another format, feel free to utilize it. Books do not have to be read on Epic although I will say my class is so completely engaged when using Epic now that they have the ability to also earn badges for reading (using iOs devices). Gamification is a wonderful motivator and engagement factor!

Do we have to do all of the books and do we have to do them in order?

No, you can do any or all of the books and there is no particular order. Let your students' interest gauge where they start. Again, make this fit your schedule and your learners.

Have fun! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
You can email me at sjmalchow@pulaskischools.org

*You can also contact Bobbie Hopkins with any questions regarding the intermediate version. You can reach her on Twitter as well @bhopteacher

If you've not used Epic Kids Books, it is for educators- so run, don't walk, to check it out!! If you're interested in learning how to set up individual student accounts, click here to access some screen shots that will help you through the process.

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Looking for a previous month or post about #EpicPals, click here The current year's EpicPals Padlet boards and Google documents will remain active and accessible from Sept to June so feel free to go back and grab any of the Google docs from the current school year for your students to access at anytime.

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America’s reading comprehension crisis.

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Stackup – Get Credit for Reading Online. Build your Personal Learning Profile. Join challenges, win prizes.

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Stackup – Get Credit for Reading Online. Build your Personal Learning Profile. Join challenges, win prizes.

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Measure Online Learning Make Better EdTech Decisions Increase Reading Outcomes Uncover Students' Passions Transform Online Learning Get

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ReadTheory | Reading Comprehension Exercises

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Reading comprehension exercises — online, free, & adaptive. Fits K-12, ESL and adult students. Easily track progress for the entire class.

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I am an administrator I am a teacher

CONTENT

Texts (and videos!) for ELA, Science, and Social Studies with scaffolds and higher-order questions

READING

The best features to
support, engage, and build stamina

ASSESSMENT

Data you need;
Feedback your students act on

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Engage every student in every lesson with Actively Learn's award-winning ELA, science, and social studies curriculum platform.

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The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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The Tech Edvocate's List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

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Spread the loveInternet and cell phone cultures have brought a whole new meaning to American slang. Not only are kids these days speaking informally, but now those relaxed rules of grammar are sneaking into written words too. A report released by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills found that over 26 percent of college graduates have deficient writing skills.

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How Blogging is Being Used in the Classroom Today: Research Results — Emerging Education Technologies

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How Blogging is Being Used in the Classroom Today: Research Results — Emerging Education Technologies

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Blogs Seeing More Academic Use as ePortfolio Platform, and for Collaboration, Discussion, & Resource Sharing

In 2013, PBS.org reported that 74 percent of teachers agree that technology in the classroom helps motivate students to learn and allows teachers to reinforce learning concepts. Furthermore, 68 percent expressed an interest in having more technology in the classroom.

So where have the last two years taken us? Classrooms are becoming more and more technology focused. Online class enrollment, for instance, increased by 4.68 percent from 2013 to 2014. Previous research projected that at least 25 million students would be taking an online course by 2015.

With the rise of technology in the classroom, students are interacting with computers, tablets, and video chat software more than ever before, but there's still one technology concept that is still working its way into the everyday classroom: Blogging. Read on to learn more about the state of blogging in the classroom in 2015.

About The Edublogger Research

If you sought definitive feedback on how many classrooms, teachers, and students currently use blogging, the question would probably yield few well researched statistics. The concept continues to emerge and not a lot of research has been done on the subject. Edublogs, a leading educational-oriented blogging platform, however, is one institution that has researched the topic.

Each year Edublogs surveys educators and students to learn more about those who are using blogging in the classroom. The 2015 survey has yet to be reported on, but 2014 research findings have something to say about the state of blogging in the classroom today.

In this research, The Edublogger team surveyed 587 respondents. Sixty-four percent were teachers, 11 percent were students, and the remaining percent were a mixture of educators such as principals and coaches. The majority of respondents (71 percent) were in the public school system. Additionally, 37 percent were at the elementary level and 24 percent were at the high school level.
Key findings showed that:

Universities are using blogging and websites more and more.

More schools are using blogs as an ePortfolio platform.

Additional research showed the benefits of blogging in the classroom, how blogs are being used, and what platforms educators are using.

Benefits of Blogging in the Classroom

Blogging in the classroom can have numerous benefits depending on how you use your blog. Just some include that:

Instructors can create a blog about class happenings so parents can stay up-to-date and students can access announcements from anywhere

Teachers can use their blogs to store lessons online or provide supplemental learning materials to students

Instructors can use blogs to organize assignments, such as posting them online for absent students or listing due dates so all students have access to the course materials from anywhere

Teachers can post previous students' work as examples or publish current students' work so they can show parents and family who live far away

Educators can open the comment sections on blog posts to get feedback from parents and the community as well as to create discussion between students

Student blogs teach children about writing techniques, online publishing, and proper Internet etiquette, which most students will use in future careers

How Blogs Are Being Used

"Blogging in the classroom" may bring up this idea that there's one way to present blogging to your students, but there are a myriad of ways educators can use blogs. Just some options include:

Personal blogs for teachers

Student blogs

ePortfolios

Platforms for assignments, homework, and announcements

Classroom blogs for collaboration and discussion

What Platforms are Used?

In The Edublogger's survey, they found that 60 percent of respondents used Edublogs to host their blog. However, it's worth noting that Edublogs is part of The Edublogger's services, so the survey likely reached a greater percentage of this audience opposed to representing the full landscape of these platforms used.

Following the Edublogs platform, educators report using Blogger and WordPress most often. Other platforms available include Weebly, Tumblr, and KidBlog.

What platform should you use? That depends on what your goals are, how much money you're willing to invest (if any), and what platform you want to teach your students about.

A good choice to start with is WordPress. For one, it's one of the most popular blogging platforms today, and many students are likely to use it at a later point, whether for personal blogging or in their careers. Plus, there are numerous tools that allow you to expand the function of the blog and make it perfect for blogging in the classroom.

For instance, you can set up forums for online discussion with the bbPress plugin, or go ahead and create quizzes online with countless quiz tools. WordPress also allows you to add users, such as students and parents, and to password protect your blog or hide it from search engines to keep the class happenings private.

Blogging Tips

Before you dive too deep into blogging in the classroom, consider these few tips that will help you get the most out of educational blogging in 2015:

Keep in mind that parents, students, or other faculty members may have concerns about student privacy. Consider creating a private blog or having parents sign a consent form so you can show student projects, pictures, and names online.

Remember that you're representing your school. Quality counts!

Don't jump into blogging too quickly. Really think about why you're doing it and what platform will serve your classroom's needs best.

Start small. You don't want to bite off more than you can chew, so begin your first year with a single classroom blog so you can learn the platform first before beginning student blogs.

Be sure to set up your blog with the proper tools, such as spam monitoring systems for your comment section.

Research before you begin. Take a look at what other teachers are doing, and don't be afraid to tackle tutorials on blogging and the platform you've chosen.

Challenges of Blogging in the Classroom

As The Edublogger tells us, one of the biggest challenges of blogging in the classroom is that many educators aren't sure what a blog is, how to set it up, and how to use it in the classroom. If you're thinking about implementing blogging into your curriculum, check out this tutorial to get you started with setting up and navigating your classroom's WordPress blog.
Ready to get started blogging in your classroom? How will you use blogging for education in 2015?

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How Blogging is Being Used in the Classroom Today: Research Results

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In 2013, PBS.org reported that 74 percent of teachers agree that technology in the classroom helps motivate students to learn and allows teachers to reinforce learning concepts. Furthermore, 68 percent expressed an interest in having more technology in the classroom. So where have the last two years taken us?

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14 Essential Academic Writing Tools for the New School Year — Emerging Education Technologies

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14 Essential Academic Writing Tools for the New School Year — Emerging Education Technologies

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These (Mostly Free) Tools Make a Great Addition to Every Student's Writing Resource 'Tool Kit'

The new school year is almost upon us! Whether you are just entering a new grade, or starting in a new high school or college, this can be an overwhelming and stressful time for most students. Each new year of school brings with it new challenges and stresses. Whether you're looking for a little help with spelling and grammar, or more in-depth help with writing, the tools are out there. We've compiled a list of some of the most helpful resources to make your academic years a little more manageable.
Docear
If you've got a lot on your plate, it's essential to stay organized. Docear is the tool to help you do this. It's a free and open source program that allows you to organize, create and organize academic literature. This unique solution for staying organized will help you manage your workload.
Active Scholar
Research papers require a ton of information compiled from articles, theses, books and other sources. Gathering this information and keeping it organized is a job unto itself. But, with Research Writer, you can cut your work time down by 25%-50%, by allowing you to manage your research quickly and easily. Designed by and for academics, it's a complete system for research writing management.
SpellCheckPlus
After hours in front of the computer screen, it can be difficult to see typos and other errors in your writing. This instant and free spelling and grammar checker points out any potential errors for your review. You can also tailor your check whether you're a native English speaker or a non-native speaker, to receive more informative and helpful feedback.
LanguageTool
If you need proofreading done in English, French, German, Polish, or more than 20 other languages, look no further than the open source program, LanguageTool. It is able to point out many mistakes that basic spell checkers just can't find. It'll also find several grammatical errors in your writing.
WriteWords Phrase Frequency Counter
A community of friendly and constructive members, WriteWords has been offering helpful critiques of written work for more than 10 years. Chat with other members and receive feedback on a wide array of writing styles, from essays to poetry. Members range from beginners to published authors, and everyone in between.
Bibme
Creating a bibliography in proper format can be a tedious and time consuming effort. But, with BibMe, you can quickly build your works cited page. Generate your citations in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian styles, and more. And, the best part is that you can use this automatic bibliography maker for free.
EssayRoo
Based in Australia, Essayroo writing company suggests personalized assistance and tutoring service for students. The consulting is provided by a team of professionals, educated and well versed in the field in which they're assigned to write. If you've got writer's block or are just swamped with work, you can rely on the services of Essayroo to help you get through.
Instagrok
Interactive concept maps are a great way to organize and share information visually. With Instagrok, you can customize your fully interactive maps and easily share them with colleagues. Highlight key facts, while linking each point to the original source of information, add notes with the integrated journals and convey information easily through the interactive visual interface.
Cite This For Me
Another great bibliography creator, Cite This For Me lets you whip together your works cited page in 60 seconds or less. Simply add your reference and select your formatting style. Pro features allow you to proofread, check spelling and more. Create Harvard, APA and MLA citations for your bibliography, among other styles.
MindMup
Open source and free, MindMup helps you put together vertical mind maps and hierarchical structures. Organize and manage your information in a visual format, to help you get through your big projects more easily.. Share your creation easily, with a simple click and collaborate live with colleagues. You'll have access to your maps anytime and anywhere, as the information is stored in the cloud.
Scvisuais.com
Offering an array of video, web, audiovisual and multimedia projects, SC + V provide freelance services to meet the specific needs of each project. Their team of professionals has over 10 years of field experience and can provide highly effective and economical project creation services.
iA Writer
Simple and clean, iA Writer was designed to be an easy to use plain text editor. Described as both "clever" and "beautiful and simple," it offers a straightforward, uncomplicated writing environment. It doesn't concern itself with features and frills. Rather, it seeks to achieve one simple goal - provide a space that makes writing an enjoyable pursuit. Download to your computer or mobile device for free.
StoryBird
One of the largest storytelling communities, Storybird can add visuals to your stories in seconds. Because they curate artwork from artists around the world, they are able to provide illustrations and animations to enhance and inspire storytelling.
Writing A-Z
Writing A-Z is a creative and engaging online resource for teachers and students alike. For kids, it allows them to work on improving their writing skills through a variety of portals and workshops. As a teacher's tool, it provides you with the resources to assign each student with a developmentally appropriate writing level, create assignments and publish student writing to share with the rest of the class.

The stresses that accompany academic pursuits can be an overwhelming weight on your shoulders. The tools available at your disposal are there to lighten the load and make your college years more manageable. Take advantage of these tools and make most of the benefits they provide.

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14 Essential Academic Writing Tools for the New School Year

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The new school year is almost upon us! Whether you are just entering a new grade, or starting in a new high school or college, this can be an overwhelming and stressful time for most students. Each new year of school brings with it new challenges and stresses.