THE AMAZING WRITING MACHINE

Publisher: Broderbund

Reviewed by Lee Ann Bonson

SCHOOL SUBJECTS: Any that involves writing

GRADE LEVEL: One through six

PLATFORM USED FOR EVALUATION: Mac Performa

HARD DISK OR CD-ROM?:CD-ROM

TIME TO PLAY: varies

RATING: 10

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM:

"The Amazing Writing Machine" (AWM) is a comprehensive writing, illustrating and publishing program for children ages 6 through 12.

Using the "Project Picker" (see picture above) young writers select any of five projects: essay, letter, story, poem or journal. They then choose either "Write" mode, allowing them to create "from scratch" or "Spin" which offers a pre-written text or outline for editing and customizing.

Once inside a project, numerous tools and special features give students countless ways to enhance their written work.

Writing

To generate ideas, writers can use the Bright Ideas tool. Its "Brainstorm" option suggests possible topics, including: What would it be like if you looked into the mirror and saw another person looking back? or Suppose you were the last person on earth? Other options provide jokes, quotes, sayings, and facts. A set of five W-options (Who, What, Where, When, Why) can be selected individually or in sequence to produce random (and often silly) sentences. Four different word options - animal, vegetable, mineral and describing - help writers find a word they need.
Using the Infosaurus students can search the AWM database for occurrences of a word, or they can find words that rhyme. They can then paste entries from the Infosaurus into their project.
The Secret Coder transforms a text into any one of nine codes (alphabetic, numeric or symbolic). A decoder key can be printed for deciphering.
With the Rebus Picture tool, writers can replace words with symbols, either singly or text-wide.
The Reader Robot option allows the writer to listen to the text as it is read aloud by any one of eight different voices, ranging from robots to monsters. The high-speed ant voice is sure to produce giggles!

Each project begins with a cover page. Title and by-line are automatically centered as they are typed. (The Noisy Typing tool adds fun to the keyboard by producing a variety of noises, from the traditional typewriter sound to the beat of Congo drums!)

In the Poem project, words that rhyme with the last word typed before a carriage return appear automatically beside the page. Double-click on any word and suggested rhymes for that word appear. If the AWM has no words that rhyme, it will offer invented words, for example: "papuckle and shmuckle" to rhyme with "buckle." The poetry "Spin" mode allows students to experiment with four poetry genres: haiku, limerick, cinquain and couplet. NOTE: All "Spin" mode projects can be transferred to "Write" mode, enabling the student to further work and expand upon a text.

In the Letter project, students will discover an address book filled with names and addresses of well-known personalities as diverse as Denzel Washington, Carl Sagan and Paula Abdul. Many organizations and world-wide governments (American Jr. Academy of Science; The Royal Palace of Qatar), as well as important US government addresses including the governorÕs offices of all fifty states are listed. Students can also add their own entries.

In lieu of a cover page, letter-writers are given an envelope to address and decorate, which is later printed along with their note. Two quick folds, a staple and a stamp are all that is needed to create a mail-ready letter. Like any diary, the AWM Journal comes with a lock which can only be opened by password. Daily entries are automatically dated. In the Essay project , ideas for potential essays can be explored with the help of the "Bright Ideas" tool. "Spin" mode offers four 2-page essay outlines to edit on these topics: castle, pollution, history of writing and Olympic games.

Illustrating

All projects can be illustrated using graphic tools which look and operate like those in Broderbund's KidPix series. Students can draw and paint using the wacky pencil, brush and paint can tools. Over 1,000 rubber stamps are available, including those which follow a particular writing genre such as Mystery or Adventure. The "Swap Stamps" option accesses stamps from other programs.

Graphics can be imported from AWM clip art files or other saved images. The selection on AWM is impressive - everything from historic drawings (an 1877 telephone; Civil War ships) to fantasy cartoons and photographs.

By using the Pageshaper tool, students can change the shape of the text area and graphic space within a given page.

Publishing

When students have finished their writing project, they can print out their work. In addition to sheet format, the AWM lets the young author print as a fold-up book (folded size: 4-1/4 x 5 1/2"), with or without fun borders.

EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM:

Broderbund products are known for their high quality, and the AWM is no exception. It is hard to imagine a more creative word processing program. AWM has it all, from hundreds of colorful graphics and fun sounds to inspiring tools and ideas. Even the most reluctant writer would be hard-pressed not to enjoy writing with this program.

Although geared for children ages 6 to 12, I think the AWM could be used and enjoyed by a wider age and ability range. Younger non-writers could use the drawing tools to illustrate, dictating text to an older child or adult to type. I enjoyed creating a custom letter for my son, complete with rebus symbols and other pictures. He loved receiving a colorful, personalized letter in the day's mail!

The AWM is designed for ease of use; children can sit down and immediately begin to write. The program is gender-neutral, appealing to both boys and girls in its graphics and text. The wide variety of cultures represented in the address book encourages global interest and awareness. (I had no idea the country of Qatar existed before using the program!) The user guide offers thorough explanation of all features, including a bibliography of favorite children's books and authors. Technical support is available by phone. I can highly recommend this program to parents and teachers alike.

APPLICATION OF THE PROGRAM:

While the AWM would be a valuable addition to a creative writing program, it could be used in conjunction with any class subject. Be it creating word problems for a math unit, recording scientific observations, or writing an essay on social issues - wherever writing is involved, the AWM can be a motivating and educational tool. Because it offers new and creative ways to experience the writing process, young writers with special needs or those requiring remedial work might benefit from the program. Children also need not be limited to using the AWM individually; pairs or teams could certainly work together to create a group writing project. As a teacher, I would welcome the chance to use the AWM with my students. As a parent, I have enjoyed watching my children use it creatively at home. An all-around top program that lives up to its name. The AWM truly is amazing!