Drawp for School

Drawp for School is a collaborative, web-based creation platform that syncs with iOS and Android devices via an app. To get started, teachers must first create an account, set up a class, and add students. Adding students automatically creates usernames and passwords to pass along to them, or teachers can create their own usernames and passwords. Students can work independently or with a peer to create original drawings or work off of an assignment shared by their teacher. Creation tools include a paint brush, sticky notes, text, and clip art. Kids and teachers can also add photos and record audio.

When finished, students can share their pictures with the teacher and other classmates, who can comment on the pictures and share them with others; kids and teachers can upload or share pictures with Dropbox and Google Drive. The Resource Marketplace also gives teachers a place to collaborate and share lesson plans. There are two tools in the library for creating assignments that support English language learning. One tool covers many of the K-5 ELA Common Core State Standards and has built-in differentiation. The other covers California's English Language Development Standards and is organized by Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels and proficiency levels. When you create an account, you can choose from a huge variety of languages.

The idea of Drawp for School is appealing, in large part for the way it makes assignment sharing easy to do from anywhere. It's a great tool for teachers who need to integrate language-learning support into their assignments. Students will enjoy the collaborative and free-form drawing aspect, and there are many potential applications for this sort of program, like uploading a worksheet, using a premade graphic organizer, or creating reports on a variety of topics.

However, as many other free programs do offer similar features, teachers may be reluctant to pay the subscription fee. The Resource Marketplace and the ELL/ELD support tools are appealing features for teachers who want to find and share resources aligned to specific standards, but the search feature is a bit clumsy and doesn't seem to always surface what you're looking for. And while sharing worksheets can be helpful, more lessons that really highlight all of the tool's features -- potentially exemplars for teachers to emulate -- would help set Drawp for Schools apart.