MyAccess

MyAccess is the hot new software for teaching writing on the computer.  It picks up where Writing Roadmap left off, and is purportedly much better.  It's designed to assist in teaching writing skills, especially essays.  Students can receive instruction in a wide variety of different writing genres such as persuasive or narrative writing.  The idea is that students can receive more immediate, individualized help with their writing than a teacher can give due to the sheer amount of time involved in reading essays.  It can take several days for a student to receive a paper-based essay back with feedback, and the teacher may have time to write only a few comments.  The software, however, can give feedback and help to students in the very moment that they are creating their written work.  The amount of help given is adjustable, dependent upon the needs of the students as determined by the teacher.  For example, if the class is still at a fairly basic level, the program has the ability to give a great number of suggestions and feedback to the students.  On the other hand, if the class is doing one of their final practice essays before taking the Direct Writing Assessment, they can write with no help whatsoever.  It's all up to the teacher.  Students can access the software from anywhere that they have access to a computer, so even when they are doing homework they can receive the same guidance they could get at school.  Additionally, teachers have access to a variety of reports with which to track progress made by students on an individual level, as well as on a class level.