Preppa


 * Preppa Alpha Demo available on right hand side of site: []

Preppa ( ** http://preppa.com .) Preppa is a free online community where users can submit, give and receive feedback on essays, papers, speeches, resumes, cover letters and other writing samples and help each other.

Ø Free Ø Available anytime, anyplace Ø  Flexibility of options for posting essays (public, unlisted, anonymous) If posting an essay publicly, a user’s essay is viewable by the entire community. An option to post anonymously is also available. Ø  If students make their essay unlisted, they can share the private URL of the essay with only their friends, teachers or other specific individuals. Ø students can also share their essay via their favorite social networking sites or by email. Ø Gives users the power to encourage quality feedback for their essays. Ø All registered users can rate feedback comments up or down depending on how helpful the feedback was. In addition, the original author of the essay can choose which was the "Best Feedback" in order to give recognition to a user for quality, constructive comments. With these tools, users can receive feedback on essays while letting the community know what is helpful and what is not. Ø Mission of the company is to provide students with “equal opportunity to have access to high quality learning materials as well as the tools to succeed.” This tool also makes peer review more social and fun Ø Student can easily upload documents by registering and clicking on the “Submit Essay” button Ø Allows user to post to forum topics such as graduate admission essays, grammar questions, scholarships, resumes, speeches Ø Opportunity to view other users’ essays, writing samples <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Technical support available <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Program allows users to add tags of type of essay which allows users to sort to see similar types of writing samples
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Strengths **

<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Simply submitting writing sample is no guarantee of timely or quality feedback <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Chance that feedback will not be constructive or useful on submission. Although site encourages “quality feedback” the user is only able to rate feedback received after receiving. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø No rubrics posted of what the criteria for quality feedback <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø No screening of users or those registered <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Although you can use tags to sort type of writing samples, there are no further ways to sort. Result is that you view and must scroll through all posted essays. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Very new tool – release date November 2009. Some features are still under development.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Weaknesses **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You can embed URLs of an essay or other writing sample <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">on Preppa's facebook page. You can also email the URL to specific friends or instructors for review. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Opportunities **

<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">Open environment – nonsecure environment <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø No screening of users or givers of feedback for essays. Only assumption that those who register and give feedback are doing so for constructive, positive reasons <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Opportunity for students to be exposed to offensive feedback or unsafe users if they select the "public" option. Very important for students to use the unlisted option; otherwise the community will be able to view essays and give feedback.
 * Threats **

<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Have students post essays or writing samples on specific topics for peer review. Direct students to review one or two of classmates’ writing samples. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Having students write essays to “publish” to the community on this forum encourages ownership, pride, creativity, and quality work <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Use essay question “prompts” posted on the site as writing prompts for classroom <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Use feedback as prompt for discussion of quality versus poor feedback <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Use site as opportunity to post new topics and participate in discussions on issues related to writing (grammar, resume writing, college essay tips, etc.)
 * Ideas for Classroom **