Make Writing Fun for Kids With the Pressto Micro-Journalism Platform

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In the dynamic landscape of childhood education, nothing is more important than engaging students. What will ignite their interest in learning? Which classroom activities will they be excited to work on each day? Teachers know this daily struggle. Here’s the good news: as education technology continues to evolve, new tools are constantly being developed and introduced into the classroom.

Introducing Pressto!

Pressto, the new educational platform that combines writing development, media literacy and creative expression is the perfect tool to ignite excitement and foster learning in the classroom for all K-12 students. When we founded Pressto, our goal was to create the next generation of critical thinkers that can process information and also put information out into the world in a healthy way.

Here’s how we do it:

1. The process begins with the newspaper builder, which gets students doing. A sidebar showcases various templates that are easily interchangeable as the publication is being created. Images can be integrated throughout the publication and students have the option to distribute their work digitally or print it out on an 8.5”x11” piece of paper, which makes Pressto uniquely accessible.

2. The range of educational skills, which support learning, are visible on each page through an interactive sidebar that uses Pressto’s natural language processing tools to give students realtime educational feedback, offering guidance on everything from title length and image selection to varying reading levels and use of passive verbs.

3. These features simultaneously lead to cognitive behavior therapy lessons that get students understanding and thinking critically about their work and media overall.

Pressto makes writing fun. When students are able to take control of their learning and engage with writing in a new way, they’ll communicate more clearly and have the tools to process and interpret information better. Check out this testimonial from an NYC principal:

Media Literacy

In today’s media landscape, it can be difficult for adults to evaluate the trustworthiness of our news sources. For students, it’s even harder. One of Pressto’s key functions is to help students understand and make decisions about news sources they might come across. After using Pressto, young people will be able to better discern between fact and opinion, leaving them less susceptible to the manipulations of social media and propaganda, while simultaneously fostering stronger relationships with themselves, their peers and their communities.

After students create their own content on Pressto they are prompted to slow down and review their work before hitting “publish.” They become critical thinkers because they have to really think about and process the work they created before putting it out there. These cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are designed to bleed into life outside the classroom for students. Too often, young people are so quick to post on social media without giving a second thought to the content they’re putting out there. Pressto gives them the tools and knowledge they need to become more responsible communicators.

Writing is Play

Pressto believes in the idea that writing can be a fun, interactive and exciting experience for students. Head to their website to find out how your school can implement this innovative and valuable tool.