Students today have all these apps and other communication aids that teachers fear could be robbing them of the art of written communication. While this fear is rational, technology does not have to kill one’s ability to communicate. There are fun writing apps that teach how to develop writing skills in students. Whether one is struggling with their sentences or grammatical errors such as tenses, you can be sure there is an ‘improve writing skills’ app developed for this very purpose.
We look at nine of these apps in this review.
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Why Use These Education Apps?
Not everyone can write assignments easily, and it doesn’t help students have deviated from the written word. While these apps do not write an entire essay for you, they make it easier by correcting and giving ideas on how to make your piece better.
It is worth mentioning that professional writers also use various apps to make their styles compliant with requirements by specific schools. They tailor your work to your preferred style and you get to choose whether to submit the work done or make it your own using any of the tools we will discuss here.
Hemingway App
Readability is one of the most important aspects of any written work and Hemingway takes care of this for you. Since it is a free app, it is ideal for students that don’t really want to spend so much on writing aids. You simply copy your text and paste it on the app that then analyses it to show you how readable it is. It points out ways you could improve your text too, so that when you are done correcting, your essay will read so much better than before.
Sentence Builder
Some learners only get to know they are challenged by complex sentences when they are made to write long essays during a course. Sentence Builder gives much-needed help where this is concerned by suggesting sentence structure to make you better at compound sentences. Its game interface makes it even easier to use for younger students who may have issues following a serious app. It has an audio option and makes follow-up to ensure you are headed in the right direction.
Writing Prompts
This app has 600 creative writing prompts – both fictional and non-fictional – to give students ideas when they are stuck on what to write. Since it picks up current events, educational matters, and random bits of work done by others to inspire ideas, this app can be used for both creative and academic projects. A learner does all the work here since all the app does is offer direction. It is free for all, including college students and non-scholars who could use some inspiration.
INKredible
Because technology has eliminated handwritten notes and letters, most people now have unintelligible handwriting, a problem that INKredible hopes to remedy. This app uses tech to enable you to write on an iPad with your own handwriting to help you improve it. The interface is simple and minimalist so that the user only focuses on the lesson at hand – making their handwriting better. No special pens are required with this app that is available for Android and iOS users.
ProWritingAid
Writing is more than putting sentences together. They have to make sense to the reader, and this means the right text should be perfectly punctuated. ProWritingAid does this ideally by being an online editor as well as a style guide in one app. It shows you overused phrases, transition words that could have made your sentence more readable, and vague words to discard. You get 20 free in-depth reports that could transform your writing and more at a small fee. This app is like an entire editing class rolled in one simple free writing tool.
Milanote
When embarking on a project that is part of your final exam, you want to have your ideas organized in the way they will appear on the final draft. Milanote makes it easy to organize your thoughts, including images you may want to use. This app is also handy in your career as it helps you put together your thoughts when preparing a presentation at work. Milanote is accessible through a PC or mobile device.
Popplet
For some students writing seems to be a difficult task as they perceive the world in pictures. It is tough for children, especially in kindergarten or primary school, to express their thoughts in writing. Popplet is a unique writing app designed specifically to help students with writing in a creative way. This app allows you to organize any information, including your thoughts and ideas, in a visual way. It is quite helpful for both students who are not that good in writing and for large group meetings when you are required to brainstorm a lot.
Word Sort
Word Sort is a mobile app that focuses on the use of language in your writing. Especially helpful for international students, who might be confused about all the forms of words in a foreign language, this app helps you choose proper forms and place for nouns, adjectives, adverbs and so on. The app also includes mini-games with 3 levels of difficulty that allow you to practice and solidify your knowledge and reinforce your writing skills.
Google Docs
This traditional writing tool takes the form of Microsoft Word with the unique option of sharing your work and receiving feedback without sending a document back and forth. With such teaching gadgets and tools, it is possible for two or more people to edit a document, a factor that makes it friendlier than Word. Teachers can grade and correct a student’s work without them sending it, effectively reducing unnecessary communication.
Just an Aid
As you can see, these apps are just a writing aid to improve your writing. They do not prevent you from writing; rather, help you get your skills to the next level. Try some of them next when you write and let us know how you like them. If you are looking for great presentation apps for students, I do recommend you reading our article about presentation apps.
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