Productivity Apps Supporting Higher Order Writing Skills for Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities

Fundamental Question: What are some productivity apps that can support students’ higher order writing skills?

Simple Mind Plus:

Simple Mind Plus is similar to the use of a mind map. Simple Mind Plus enables students to “reorganize ideas so that the paragraph ideas are presented in a logical order” (Ewoldt, 2018), therefore helping students to flow their ideas more easily and improve their writing skills. This app is free and can be found on various app stores on electronic devices.

Phraseology:

Phraseology can be a bit confusing to use for students if they are not shown how to navigate the app. This app has three modes to assist with better writing skills: arrange mode, inspect mode and highlighting mode. Arrange mode creates bubbles for every sentence a student writes, which the students can rearrange. Inspect mode provides students with data feedback based on their writing such as “number of words and sentences, [the] average length of each sentence, and read-ability level among other statistics” (Ewoldt, 2018) that promote further learning. Educators can “predetermine target goals for each of these data points” (Ewoldt, 2018) to focus more attention on each student’s errors, thus promoting individualized instruction. Highlight mode will highlight and colour code particular words, which enables educators to teach “revision strategies based on each word type” (Ewoldt, 2018) the students are using.

Writer’s Diet Test:

The Writer’s Diet Test must also be taught before students’ use it because it can be tricky to navigate. This app provides students with a rating for their clear writing, thus showing students where their writing currently stands. This can assist students to focus on their errors through ongoing feedback from this app.

Hemingway App:

Similar to Phraseology and the Writer’s Diet Test, the Hemmingway app highlights “adverbs and passive voice” (Ewoldt, 2018) and provides students with colour-coded feedback. Students will learn how to create clear and complete sentences when using this app.

Part-Whole Question (1): How can productivity apps support students with learning disabilities?

Productivity apps enable students to tend to the mistakes they are making in their writing through individualized ongoing feedback. The use of technology and productivity apps enables students to “focus on higher-order writing skills as opposed to allowing [the] aspects of their disability to limit them to lower-order skills” (Ewoldt, 2018), thus improving their writing skills overall. Students will likely become more engaged in their learning by using technology as there is a high interest in technology currently. Productivity apps focus instructional methods on “higher order skills such as [the] development of ideas, organization, and [focuses] leads to greater gains in writing achievement” (Ewoldt, 2018), therefore enabling all students to become more confident in their writing.

Part-Whole Question (2): How does productivity apps apply to the current society?

There has been an increased rate of mobile device use among students and society. Mobile devices are easily accessible and can serve good and bad purposes pending on how the user is using their device. Educators must teach students how to use mobile devices and social media in positive ways to ensure students have a positive digital footprint and are utilizing digital tools to benefit themselves and others. Since there is a high interest in mobile devices, educators can use digital tools in positive ways to engage and benefit students’ learning. Digital tools work great as accommodations for students with and without learning disabilities.

Hypothetical Question: If students frequently use productivity apps, will their writing skills suffer?

The use of productivity apps is beneficial to improve students’ writing skills. Productivity apps can be highly beneficial for students who struggle to write on a paper, thus still enabling them to learn and complete tasks that are expected of them. Students with learning, language and working memory deficits often find the “management of the writing process is very difficult” (Ewoldt, 2018), therefore the use of apps can make writing more manageable for those that need it. Productivity apps can also be used to increase the engagement of students when focusing on higher-order writing skills, therefore enabling students to want to try and succeed. Productivity apps allow students to see and correct their errors, but to also determine where they currently are at with their writing and where they should aim to be. Mobile devices are easily accessible and portable, therefore allowing students to access their learning inside and outside of the classroom.

Critical Question (1): What should not happen when allowing students to use productivity apps for learning?

Educators should not use productivity apps in replacement of instruction or teaching for students. Educators need to become knowledgeable in the digital platforms they are providing their students to ensure they are safe to use and are positively impacting the students. To create the best learning opportunity for students, educators must teach students how to navigate the platform, teach students what they are expected to do and the necessary skills they need before completing a task. Educators should also create goals and monitor student work to ensure students are on track and utilizing the tools provided appropriately. Educational tools can promote student learning, but they can also distract students from learning if students are not utilizing the tools given efficiently and appropriately.

Critical Question (2): What is my opinion on this article?

This article reminded me of the educational technology class I had taken in a previous semester. Educational tools and platforms can serve as a positive method of learning for students and can increase engagement if students are taught to safely and appropriately use them. If students are not taught how to utilize digital educational tools safely and appropriately, students can risk negative outcomes. As a future educator, I plan to incorporate digital tools and media within my classroom to benefit my students, families and community. This can include creating a digital account for parents and students to access content information and learning materials. This can serve as a positive learning experience for students because they can access their learning inside and outside of the school, while their families can also become easily involved in their child’s learning process. Digital tools can also enable educators to monitor student’s work and progress, therefore leaving room for educators to provide further individualized instructions to improve the overall learning of students.

References:

Ewoldt, K. B. (2018). Productivity apps supporting higher order writing skills for secondary students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53(5), 313-320.