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 * Welcome to the Seton Hill writing wiki for instructors of writing classes or those looking for more writing resources. Please feel free to add to and edit the lists below or any other part of the wiki.**



**Writing Apps for the iPad**
 * [|Corkulous]-- Looks and feels just like a cork board. Students can add post-its, lists, pictures, and contacts. Could be used for prewriting, listing the steps of a large writing/research project, outlining. Boards can be saved as PDFs, emailed, or file transferred through iTunes. 3.99
 * [|Infinote]-- Create a board of sticky notes. Different from Corkulous in its simplicity (it just makes notes) but also in the ability to configure the notes. These stickies can go anywhere (diagonal, overlapping) as opposed to Corkulous's 90 degree angles. Could be used for prewriting, note taking, and idea mapping. Files can be emailed, transfered via iTunes or saved in the photo album. 1.99 and FREE versions
 * [|Idea Boards]-- Offers four different writing surfaces: white board, chalk board, graph paper, and legal pad. Students can choose font colors as well as shapes (rectangle, circle). Text boxes can be added. Could be used for in-class grammar exercises, idea wheels/mapping, note taking, collaborative exercises. Boards can be saved to photos or emailed. 1.99
 * [|Evernote]-- Allows for simple document creation (no formatting) or saving any information from the web, including whole web pages with images. Automatically syncs documents on iPad, laptop, and iPhone through its web site and downloads of Evernote apps on all devices. Could be used for documentation of web research, note taking, or any other text capture. No file transfer needed with automatic syncing! FREE
 * Because Evernote lets you record and email short audio memos, I will experiment with sending students oral formative feedback for certain assignments that they e-mail me. --DGJ
 * [|Dragon Dictation]-- Speech to text conversion software. Can be a little tricky to use as students learn to enunciate and the app learns the student's voice. Could be useful for students who speak ideas better than they write them or for students with learning disabilities. FREE
 * [|MaxJournal]-- Daily journal with dated entries. Can clip in photos. Could be used for class notes or for students to keep a running idea or other type of journal. Entries can be selected by date range and exported to desktop using iTunes or emailed. 2.99
 * [|Pages]--Like Word for the iPad. Allows for lots of formatting options 9.99
 * [|DocsToGo] -- for about the same price as Pages, it offers a basic word processor, a basic spreadsheet, and a basic slide presentation editor... the extra benefit is that this app will synchronize with files on your desktop and onhttp://www.mywritingnook.com/ipadGoogle Docs. (Pages is a more fully functional word processor.) (About $10) --DGJ//
 * [|Dropbox]--Syncs files, including photos and texts, and allows you to http://www.mywritingnook.com/ipad other apps to view or edit the files in Dropbox. Students can use Dropbox web site to sync files on iPad and computer. FREE
 * [|iAnnotate]--In addition to serving as a PDF reader, this tool allows for complete interaction with PDF files, allowing students to highlight text, add comments, sketch on the document, underline paragraphs, etc. I think this would be especially valuable for the research component of STW in that it would allow students to engage with their sources as well as produce a document that maps this engagement for their peers and their instructor. It is expensive, but if fully integrated into the research process, I'm hopeful that students would see its worth and continue using it in other classes. There is a great [|demonstration] of this app on youtube. 9.99 -CC
 * iBrainstorm -- A shared corkboard app, where a small group (up to four) can flick sticky notes onto a central ipad. The central ipad functions like a whiteboard, and can be written on (using stylus or finger) to draw connections, etc.; notes are typed by group members using the "companion app" and flicked over the air to be posted on the board, ...could be used for collaborative mindmapping, woolgathering, and organization. I >think< the iphone companions can be run on ipads for this purpose. Have not tested yet, but will, in small groups. FREE! - [|MAA]
 * [|Note Taker HD] -- A great notepad to use with finger/stylus. Seems to actually be designed for practicality in writing on the ipad, not just sketching. Multiple organization and export options. $4.99 - [|MAA]
 * Writing Studio -- Allows for the creation of multimedia "books" that combine images from students' ipads or the web, their writing, and their voices. Books (which can range from 1 to multiple pages in length) can be exported to Twitter (via TwitPics) or YouTube or saved as a pdf to share with the class. .99 cents. -EW
 * MindMash -- A simple brainstorming/clustering app. Just a little more fun than doing it on paper, and it's FREE. LTM
 * [|MyWritingNook] A bare bones writing environment that seems to distinguish itself by offering a word count, password protection and free online syncing capacity to its web application. My students expressed concern that anyone who picks up their iPad can read their drafts, and so I was specifically searching for a more private composition environment. This is a slightly less expensive alternative to Pages for the student is looking for a simple, user friendly writing space. $4.99 --CC
 * [|Index Card] --Offers sets of index cards, organized by project. Cards look exactly like paper index cards and can be color coded, flipped over (with more writing space on the back), and moved around on a cork board. Also has a document view that collapses the cards into a single document which can be email. Syncs with Dropbox. Students writing a research paper got excited about this one. $4.99

Generating Ideas and Topics for Writing
These aren't writing apps per se, but they might be useful for keeping a focus on current events in a class like STW or for generating writing topics or reflection/journal response topics in other classes.


 * Newsy-- Offers a range of short video news stories in a variety of category. Each news story is crafted from a variety of sources (often using sources from across the political spectrum as well as online and print and pop culture sources). Students can pick the stories they'd like to add to a personal playlist, so it's like making one's own newsreel. Anchors often end stories by asking, "What do you think: should group X do Y or Z?" which might be a good place to start a class discussion. FREE
 * NPR-- It might be interesting to use some of the personal pieces as models of reflective writing. Divided into categories of news, arts and life, and music. Provides links to listen to NPR stations live as well as hourly news and specific programs. FREE
 * BBC News-- Good for global perspective or comparison with American coverage of the same events. Provides link to BBC live radio. FREE
 * [|Flipboard] -- an iPad app that shows clips and photos from various news sources. You can add websites that you visit, and optionally you can add your Facebook or Twitter account. The app will gather snippets from all these various sources and display them in a dynamic, visually appealing site. --DGJ
 * Pulse News Reader (for ipad) -- described on the app store as a "visual news reader," it creates a "visual mosaic" of web sources that students choose (kind of like a visual RSS feed aggregator). Students can share stories they like with the class using Twitter, Facebook, or their own (free) "pulse" blog (a mini Posterous feed called a Pulse Meme). FREE -EW
 * "Writers on Process" -- a blog that contains short video interviews with professional writers (ranging from novelists to song writers) about different aspects of the writing process -EW

The iPad can be used as a clicker (More info needed)
= = =Other tools (More info needed)=
 * eClicker app
 * iResponse app
 * [|ietherpad.com]
 * [|titanpad.com]
 * [|wordle.net]
 * [|tagxedo.com]
 * [|savorchat.com]
 * Grammar Girl's grammar podcasts (download through iTunes and listen to on iPad) -EW
 * StoryBird (students can create collaborative stories or texts using the images provided) -EW
 * Xtranormal (students can create short movies, or you can create short movies, using stock characters. Educators get free accounts with unlimited credits.) -EW

=E-Books & E-Readers=
 * [|Stanza]: an absolutely great ebook reader, with built-in access to many of the free alternatives to Kindle and iBooks. FREE! - [|MAA]
 * [|Free Books]: a well-organized front end to thousands of free ebooks, many classic and in the public domain, organized by category. Lite version free. Full version $1.99 - [|MAA]
 * [|Kindle for iPad]: I find this e-reader much better than iBooks, personally. Better selection, cheaper prices. Heck, I think it is easier on the eyes, too. Your mileage will vary. FREE, but amazon.com account required. - [|MAA]
 * [|Coursesmart.com]: The SHU bookstore recommends this site for students and instructors to procure electronic book versions of many textbooks. - [|MAA]
 * APA's guidelines for citing from e-books (Kindle, etc. with no pagination): http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2009/09/how-do-i-cite-a-kindle.html -EW
 * GoodReader: Lets you read and markup a variety of files, including .pdfs, web pages, and Microsoft Office files. $2.99 -EW

=Creative Classroom Management=
 * [|Bigger Words]: A free "banner" maker. You could put this on the ELMO to broadcast a large text message like "pencil's down!" - [|MAA]
 * [|Quick LED Timer]: A free "countdown" stopwatch, useful for timed in-class writing/activities. - [|MAA]
 * [|iSigns HD]: Street signs and odd signage that could be used on the ELMO projector to signal turning points in the class or communicate non-verbally while students are writing/reading. - [|MAA]

=ELITE course revision for a writing course= Click the link below for Laura Patterson's revision of her Basic Composition course based on the ELITE training. Note: This course revision was created entirely on an iPad using the Corkulous app.

//(plan for revising the course)// //(draft of REVISED revised syllabus--8/20/10)// //Please feel free to upload your revised syllabus below so that we can see how instructors are changing courses to incorporate technology. Click Edit, the File, then Upload File, then choose the file you've just uploaded.//

Articles About iPad Use

 * //[|"The ABCs of E-reading" from]//[|The Wall Street Journal]//

Lee's plan for a Basic Comp class using iPad (Infinote & Mindmash, both free) to help students generate ideas and work collaboratively on a process analysis essay.
Using Dennis's technique about letting students exchange iPads to share ideas, and Emily's expertise in iPad screenshots, I put together this plan for a BC class. It worked well. Student comments: "I liked getting ideas from other people" and "I liked walking around doing something rather than just sitting there." Feel free to borrow and/or alter to suit your needs.

Laura's adaptation of Lee's plan for use with an English writing intensive class
Lee's plan worked well in my Basic Comp class too, so I tried this adaptation for students working on a more advanced project. I heard similarly positive feedback from students.