There are several writing platforms online and most of them are free but some of them are not writer-friendly. Writing is a thinking process that requires an environment that nurtures creativity and production and there is nothing better than a distraction-free platform.
Today I am introducing you to two relatively new writing tools that you can use with your students in the classroom.
1- Draft
I have been tinkering with this writing platform for awhile and find it really helpful. Draft provides you with a distraction free environment where you can put your thinking into words. One of the things that I like the most about this tool is the ” Hemingway Mode”. When this mode is activated, no editing is allowed till you finish what you are writing. Draft also supports image inclusion and has a collaborative feature like the one in Google Docs. Draft users can invite others to work on the same writing task with the ability of leaving synchronous feedback for each other. However, to use Draft you do need to log in with a valid email and a password.
2- Scrawlar
Scrawlar is another web tool that provides a safe space to write, collaborate and share ideas. Scrawlar’s text editor is very simple and easy to use. It also allows for integrating images and has an option to move to HTML editor (similar to Blogger text editor). Scrawlar also has a speech-input but works only with Chrome browser. The good thing about Scrawlar is that it does not require any sign-up and works on mobile devices.