Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center

The Learning Company

school services @learning co.com 1-800-685-6322

Grade Levels: 2-5

Subject Area: Writing

Reviewed by: Joan Slipke

Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center is a highly motivational tool for inspiring young writers. This software offers key support in several major areas of writing. Writing is taught as a process which is broken down into five main stages of writing: (1) prewriting, (2) drafting, (3) revision, (4) editing and (5) presenting. All of the stages are introduced and described and the user can move back and forth among them. The program offers writing ideas for other disciplines, including social studies, math, science and art. Through this program, users can be introduced to and gain experience in the four domains of writing: (1) descriptive, (2) imaginative, (3) narrative, and (4) analytical expository. Writers are given an opportunity to work in different modes, use critical thinking skills and in some cases, use ideas that apply to the "real world".

 "Penny the Talking Pen" is available to guide the students and offer tips throughout the program. Students can choose to visit idea lands to find writing ideas and go to the picture place to add illustrations, backgrounds or photographs. Of particular interest is the presentation theater, where the students’ final product is presented. Students can even choose to put sound effects and animation into their final presentation to add intrigue. Another noteworthy feature is the writing journal, which can be added to on a daily basis, and can only be accessed with a personal password.

 ACCURACY OF CONTENT:

This software supports several of the standards developed by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for the teaching of the English Language Arts. It is a superior source of support and encouragement for students striving to develop their written communication skills.

One important aspect that is missing from the writing ideas section of the program is an indication of an appropriate grade level for each idea. It would be ideal if the program gave an adapted version of each idea for different grade and ability levels.

Another area that could be improved is the writing tips that can be accessed as the students are writing. Although I found the information to be very useful, I think it would be more helpful for the student to be able to type in a particular topic or idea that he/she needs help with. I found the language and content generally suitable for students in the age ranges given. However, some of the writing idea topics and writing tips may be too difficult for second graders.

The technical quality of this software is excellent. It is easy to install and run. A student could easily navigate through this program on his/her own with the help of the excellent tutorials included in the teacher’s guide, which carefully guide the students step by step through the program. The tutorials could be used on a teacher-guided basis with students who need more help.

"Penny the Pen" is an appealing writing coach and tour guide. The icons are large and in the form of pictures that are easy to recognize, such as a house for the picture place and a theater for the presentation section. Files are stored in a backpack and can be accessed with a click. The graphics are colorful and varied and offer students a wide variety of choices. The animation and sounds that can be added to the students’ final presentation piece are really a plus in this program. The voices and animation of the objects and pictures are varied, humorous and very appealing to children in the suggested age ranges. They make the program come to life and serve the purpose of building interest in the suggested topics and motivating the students to want to write.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY:

This program makes outstanding use of technology for the sake of learning. The presentation theater is a wonderful way for students to perform a final piece for an audience. This is a very captivating feature, which is a good way to highlight the value of the students’writing. The animation and sound effects add a dimension that could not be achieved with paper and pencil.

This program does make use of linear linking. It is quite easy for the students to move from place to place in the program and thereby go back and forth among the various writing stages with the click of an icon. It is not necessary to return to the main menu each time.

One very interesting feature within the word processor on this program is the ability for the teacher to write notes about a student’s writing in progress, by clicking the sticky note icon and inserting it right onto the student’s work. Another great feature is a notepad, which can be easily accessed by the students with a click, in which students can write down ideas as they come up, and refer to them later as needed.

The students have a very interactive role with this program. Because of the excellent writing ideas that are offered, students will no longer stagnate over what to write about. They even have access to tips that can be utilized when they are "stuck" and don’t know what to do next. Through this software, students have an opportunity to produce a highly original, creative and unique written work. There is an opportunity for group interaction when the final product is shown in the presentation theater to an audience of peers. Students make use of thinking skills by choosing the type of writing that they will produce and the way to present it. Students can check their own spelling with the program’s dictionary and make their language more descriptive and less repetitive with the help of the thesaurus. They can build their background about a topic by clicking on the words, "Did you know?" to learn interesting facts about a given topic.

The role of the teacher in using this software parallels his/her role in a typical classroom writing session. Through the use of the "sticky notes" the teacher can "conference" with the students about their writing. The student can make a print out of the writing so that the teacher can offer helpful editing tips right on the paper if preferred.

The teacher materials included with this tutorial contain an excellent section with high interest, guided activities, along with suggested age ranges, things to think about during each of the five stages of writing, as well as a computer challenge.

Once the tutorial has been mastered and students have had an opportunity to create a writing piece and test the features, this program can be used independently by all students. It can be used to teach an entire writing unit from prewriting through presenting. It would be an ideal program to use with a whole class in a computer lab setting. Students could present their finished work to a small group or the entire class through the presentation theater. A teacher could also choose to have students work cooperatively on writing projects in small groups of 3 or 5 students and evaluate the success of both the group and each individual student’s participation.

This program can also be adapted to meet the needs of ESOL students. These students can visit the picture place to create short captions or labels for the pictures. They can also take advantage of the Read Words feature, which will read words back to them that are typed in and enable them to strengthen their vocabulary.

The graphics, animation, sound effects and general presentation style of this program are very attractive for students in the recommended age ranges. It makes excellent use of the stages in the writing process, and is multidisciplinary. It allows students to experiment with various modes of writing, and come up with various modes of writing, and come up with a wide variety of finished products. It provides inspiration, motivation and a purpose for writing. It is easy to navigate and fun to use.

Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center does a superior job of bringing a student’s written work to life. It is an entertaining, informative and interactive journey of the imagination.