#9 Penzu

What is it? What does it do?

Ever felt like a student was producing some really good written work, except their handwriting is illegible? Well....

Penzu is a simple writing tool. It is the closest thing online to creating and maintaining a personal journal in the style of a regular paper journal. An email is all that is required to be able to save journal entries, which is the main purpose, I would guess, to using it.

Simply register for a free or you can upgrade to Pro for around $20 per year.  When I signed up I was bugged initially to go Pro but that's because I was accidentally trying to add another journal.  Penzu will remind you about your journal by sending an email at the frequency of your choosing.   You can choose from one of several fonts (more in Pro version).  

You can create your own entries by adding a title and some text.  Each entry is automatically dated and navigation is done using the tabs on the right-hand side.  Text can be modified in a similar way to standard word processing software. Pictures can be added from your computer or Flickr account using the camera tool. The picture will appear in the margin and can be moved vertically to position it the revelant text :

If you want a journal entry to be shared then press the 'mail' icon, and the entry can be emailed, anonymously if desired. Alternatively you can simply print the entry, which is useful for students who have been asked to do some writing using this tool and need to submit for checking.  Commenting has recently been improved so that comments can now be edited and deleted from other users on both shared and public entries!

Penzu's attraction is, like many of these tools being discussed, the simplicity.  In this case, the simple act of keeping writing neat and tidy and, for this reviewer especially, READABLE!

Relevance to language learning?

Any tool which helps learners to produce written work has got to be worth a look.  It would be naive to think that good quality handwriting is still essential when the majority of written communication nowadays, by all learners, is is typed.  While setting up and maintaining a blog takes a bit more effort, the simple act of getting something done on 'paper' can be increased by this tool.  Clearly, it can be used to set written homework task for students.  To be able to store written work, without it getting lost, stained with coffee marks or eaten by your pet dog must bring some advantage! 

 

How can it be used?

Penzu has many possibilities, both for the teacher and the students:

• Online materials, using text and images, can be created in advance.
• Model answers can be shown, demonstrating paragraph structure, cohesive devices, linking words, anaphoric/cataphoric referencing etc.
• Students can work with draft paragraphs and improve these together, sending electronically back to the teacher.  
• It can be used to take notes during a lecture, which can be added to later.
• A summary of the lesson can be shown or used to remind students of what was previously taught.
• Students can record what they learned from each lesson and shared.
• A narrative or presentation can be collobaratively worked on in students' own time.  Part of the idea of the connected classroom is that this 'home' work is not a separate, optional entity from the lesson, but very much part of it.
• Students can keep a journal of the academic year and be submitted as a marked assignment at the end of term. 
• It could be used by teachers as part of professional development, using it for observations, reflect on other's lessons and provide reflective practice.

What limitations are there?

Most of the best features come with the Pro version, and this is heavily advertised within the site.   Pro includes: Mobile Access · Encryption · Journaling via Email Themes · Exporting · Tagging · Hi-Res Photos & more.  The Pro option also enables entries to be locked with '256-bit AES military-grade encryption for ultimate security', which begs the question 'If I don't go Pro am I exposing my thoughts to anyone? Entries can have embossed custom backgrounds. You can also organize with tags, export your journals to multiple formats, and journal via email with Penzu Post.