Reading & Literacy

Amateur Authors, Professional Books

By Liana Loewus — March 16, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Writing a story can be an exciting project for some students and a daunting experience for others. Yet even for students who struggle, the idea of seeing a published product can make the process seem worthwhile.

Tikatok.com is an online community that allows students to write, illustrate, and share their own books. It provides brainstorming help and story prompts to assist students along the way, and it allows students to co-author books or solicit editing help from their friends. Young authors can also send their illustrations to the company to be scanned and uploaded to the Web site. The registration and use of the site are free, and for about $20 students can order a hardback or paperback copy of the book they have created.

The site now also includes a new “Teacher Dashboard,” added to help teachers incorporate Tikatok into the classroom. With this feature, teachers can register their entire class on the site, set up group forums for sharing stories, send students assignments or personal messages, and monitor student actions. They can also communicate with parents via e-mail to encourage involvement in writing projects.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 16, 2009 edition of Teacher PD Sourcebook

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy 5 Ways Teachers Can Get Boys to Love Reading
Students' reading scores have hit record lows, with boys' scores falling furthest. Pleasure reading could help.
5 min read
An elementary student reads on his own in class.
An elementary student reads on his own in class.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
Reading & Literacy Researchers Created a Phonics Program With ‘Dramatic’ Results. How It Works
Consistent implementation of the 30-minute-a-day program fueled the results.
4 min read
Teacher holding up a card with the letters "sh" and a young elementary student writing with pencil on paper. The desk shows other cards with letters and a tablet device.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Spotlight Spotlight on the Early Learning Success: Literacy and Math Foundations
This Spotlight will help you explore phonemic awareness instruction, developing math fluency through problem-solving, and more.
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Who Makes the Call About Curricula?
The recent lawsuit filed by parents against literacy curricula developers is a reminder of the true meaning of the “reading wars."
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week