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SOFTWARE
DESCRIPTION:
The
Ultimate Writing and Creativity
Center is a program used
to develop creative writing skills in elementary grade children. The software is highly visual with an easy
to follow format for the development of word processing skills. The program provides suggestions to aid in
brainstorming as well as tips for the five stages of the writing
process. Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center is easy to use, engaging, and
fosters independence. Children are not
only writing, but being taught how to be better writers at the same
time. Prewriting, drafting, revising,
editing, and presenting/publishing are all addressed. Penny is your writing coach who guides and
encourages you through the writing process, directing viewers to visit the
different areas of the software.
“Writing Idea Lands” provide ideas to explore through writing. “Picture
Place” allows users to illustrate, animate, and
add sound effects to their work. At
the end, learners can present their work both orally and visually in the
“Presentation Theater.”
ACCURACY OF
CONTENT:
The
major focus of Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center
is the stages of the writing process.
The “Writing Idea Lands” assist with prewriting. As for drafting, there are writing ideas
and projects in all content areas with surprising “Did You Know?” facts
provided as well. Students can cut,
copy, and paste text when revising and editing. Kids can undo, highlight, and place sticky
notes. Listening to their story orally
is a great component, useful in conjunction with the spell-checker,
thesaurus, and dictionary..
Presentation and publication is the final step where users dress up
their stories using speech, sound, music, animations, and graphics. The features are both useful and motivating
to children. The icons are
picture-related, so little reading is required to navigate the software. The help screen is terrific, with ideas and
support following the writing process.
In order to use the tips, the child must be a strong reader. It might be helpful if the tips were given
orally as well. The sequence of the
writing process follows what teachers use within the classroom. The software can be used by all children,
without a concern regarding bias or stereotyping.
TECHNICAL
QUALITY:
Ultimate
Writing and Creativity
Center is quite user
friendly and easy to operate. Penny, the
helper icon, is always available for support.
While in Idea
Land, the user simply
clicks on an image. At Picture Place,
they mouse click to add backgrounds, clip art, sounds, and animations. In Presentation Theater, the story is read
aloud with all of the added special effects.
To navigate between screens, the children simply select a pictorial
icon. To begin writing, the learner
clicks on the blank paper and pencil.
He or she may choose a previously saved story. Picture Place incorporates graphics. The home page menu makes it easy to move
back and forth between areas. The
software is full of content, help tips, and ideas for word processing,
graphics, and animation, with fun and easy navigational tools.
USE OF
TECHNOLOGY:
This
software is a fantastic technological tool if it is used in conjunction with
good written language instruction. The
students create their own story, and customize it for presentation. It is more than simply pencil and
paper. In addition, Penny the Pen
provides guidance and support all the way through. The children are able to save their work
and go back to it at a later time. The
graphic and animation pieces go beyond traditional classroom writing
assignments. The graphic and word
processing tools aid in editing and revising.
A drawback of the software is that it cannot be customized. The level of support used is self-selected
by the user rather than the teacher, however the teacher should be there to
supervise and guide the students.
Also, the children may become overly entertained by the other
features, rather than concentrate on their written expression skills.
ROLE OF
STUDENTS:
Ultimate
Writing and Creativity
Center promotes
independent thinking, but can also be utilized for group work
activities. It is useful for children
with varying learning styles, particularly auditory, visual, and
kinesthetic. Language skills are also
addressed, including reading for feedback, listening to instructions and
ideas by the narrator, listening to the learners’ own story, discussing
stories with classmates, writing, rereading and editing, integrating grammar,
as well as others. The software
resources can be used or skipped over by students based on their individual
needs. The software is relatively
self-guided, encouraging children to be creative, while emphasizing the
stages of the writing process. The
help of Penny is useful, as well as the wealth of information available in
the help menu. Plenty of ideas are
available to spark the imagination. It
is useful to have children save their work and view it at different points
throughout the year so that they can view and assess their own progress.
ROLE OF
TEACHER:
The
teacher is an integral participant in the use of this software. Good instruction is vital to its success. There are so many options available to the
children that can take away from the emphasis on writing. The teacher needs to set specific
guidelines and be clear of expectations.
Monitoring attention to task is a must so that the teacher knows
whether the student is focused on writing, or playing with graphics. The program uses sound teaching practices
that should be used as a reinforcement and supplement of classroom
instruction. The software also
contains Curriculum Integration Guides with a teacher guide, student
activities, guided activities, activities by grade level, and references
which are useful to the teacher.
CLASSROOM
USAGE:
This
software is a great supplemental tool for writing in the classroom useful for
individual students, groups, and whole class instruction as well. The program is directly linked to the
standards for Language Arts. Some
ideas for classroom usage include report writing, illustrated storybooks,
newsletters, journals, signs, and poems.
The program empowers writers to write, illustrate, and present their
work with imagination.
CRITICAL
SUMMARY:
Ultimate
Writing and Creativity
Center is a writing and
creativity software program that inspires and empowers young writers. It supports and stimulates children as they
learn to writer. The program gives
children the tools they need through the five step writing process to write,
illustrate, and present their work.
Although the software is designated for ages 6-10, it is beneficial
for writers at any age. The software
is geared by the individual user and provides support in all aspects of the
writing process. It is effective or
children with varying needs and learning styles. The ideas and resources are
tremendous. However, there is little
room for the teacher to alter the software.
Children may become swept up by the artistic features and forget about
the true goal of becoming a more effective writer. Overall, I thought that the software was
useful to both teachers and learners.
Children are engaged in fun, creative activities, while developing
advanced computer and writing skills.
OVERALL
RATING:
Ultimate
Writing and Creativity
Center earns an 6 on a
scale of 1 to 10.
EXPLANATION
OF RATING:
The
software is engaging and educational at the same time. However, I did not like that there was no
room for change. The options can be
overwhelming and distracting to some students. It is a great process, effective for all
levels and applicable to the curriculum.
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