Penzu

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Review Overview

A. Instruction - 8.3

B. Design - 10

C. Engagement - 9

9.1

Penzu: A Top Tool for Writing

Summary : Making Journaling Accessible, Easy, and Engaging!

Freemium!

Penzu is a digital journal that users can access as a website and app. To begin, users must register with the website, and Penzu will text a link to users so they can download the app. Once registered, users can customize their journal’s background, title, and font. To begin writing, users must tap the “New Entry” button, and Penzu will create a new entry for them. At this point, users are then able to add a title and text to their entry. With the menu above the entry, users can format the text, add images, and insert hyperlinks. Users can also add tags to their entry or share, print, or delete it using the menu on the top right of the screen. When finished, Penzu automatically saves their entry. As users add more entries to their journal using either the website or app, Penzu automatically syncs the entries when the website or app is refreshed.

Please Note: Only the features in this description are available for free. Users can make a purchase to unlock the advanced features offered by Penzu.

Instructional Ideas

As part of a writing assignment, teachers can have students use Penzu to write a weekly journal entry about themselves, what is happening in their life, and/or just thoughts they are having. This practice is to help students enjoy the act of writing and to develop their free writing skills.
After reading an article, listening to a lecture, or viewing a video, teachers can have students write a response using Penzu, which they can submit to their teacher by sharing it with them.
As part of a creative writing activity, teachers can assign students the task of writing a short story, poem, expository essay, or other text using Penzu. Teachers can devote class time to this task or require students to complete the writing as homework. When finished, students can share their writing by copying and pasting a link to it on a class website. Classmates can then read the writing and offer constructive feedback.
As a current event assignment, students can find an article about the event online and insert the article into the entry as a hyperlink. Next, students can then write a response to the current event by explaining the potential benefits, drawbacks, or obstacles related to it. At specific intervals (every week, once a month, etc.), teachers can require students to share their work with them or their classmates.
Teachers can assign students a project or experiment to complete on their won. As they work through the project or experiment, they can take different pictures of the steps or procedures they used. Once completed, students can upload the different pictures into a journal entry and write commentary that explains what they were doing in the different pictures. At this point, students can share their entry that depicts how they completed the project or experiment by posting a link to it on a class website.

A1. Rigor
A2. 21st Century Skills
A3. Conn. to Future Learning
A4. Value of Errors
A5. Feedback to Teacher
A6. Level of Material
A7. Cooperative Learning
A8. Accom. of Individual Diff.

B1. Ability to Save Progress
B2. Platform Integration
B3. Screen Design
B4. Ease of Use
B5. Navigation
B6. Goal Orientation
B7. Information Presentation
B8. Media Integration
B9. Cultural Sensitivity

C1. Learner Control
C2. Interactivity
C3. Pace
C4. Flexibility
C5. Interest
C6. Aesthetics
C7. Utility