WriteReader is a web-based writing tool for students. This tool is optimized for emerging and struggling writers through it’s easy implementation of images, audio voice-overs, and “educator text”. The voice-over tool allows the students to record their own, personal read-aloud of their writing, giving them confidence and excitement around what they wrote. The “educator text” tool allows the educator to write below the student writing to provide clarity and additional language so that the student writing makes sense and gets all of their ideas across.
This writing tool was originally introduced at the elementary school that I work at for our emerging writers, but I quickly adopted it to be used with my whole class as a publishing tool. This app proved especially helpful when we transitioned to remote learning last year, providing me with real-time updates on their writing progress. Students also get to see and read their peers’ writing, which makes it feel like they are published authors.
During COVID, this tool was free for educators to use, but in order to access some of the premium features, you now require a subscription. The cost is around $39 per year for each classroom. One of the premium features that makes it worth the money is the ability to print out student-made books for them to take home. Although this isn’t very paper-friendly, it does add to the students’ confidence around writing and builds upon their belief in themselves as writers.