Two Entrepreneurial High School Students Made This Easy app to Simplify MLA Formatting
In 2001, two high school seniors in Chicago built a website that made its way into every writing class in the USA. Thanks to those two students we now have Easybib.com. Little did those two innovative students know that their efforts would put Easybib in front of 40 million students each year and inspire myself and my best friend to create a website of our own before heading off for college (more about that below).
What is Easybib?
For those who don’t know, Easybib is a commonplace tool in english classrooms. Although it has only recently risen in popularity, it is hard to remember teaching MLA format without it. With the introduction of Easybib the MLA formatting process has been slashed from five or six hours of classroom instruction to a much less burdensome two or three. Since the creation of Easybib, teachers have no longer needed to help their students memorize the process behind citation formatting.
Introducing- Formatically.com
Inspired by the creators of Easybib, my best friend and I made our own contributions to the surge of educational tech in the classroom, and we are taking MLA automation to a new level with a tool we call Formatically.
Two or three hours of instruction time is not too bad, but that much time is an entire week of instruction for a college professor or several days in a high school classroom. In my opinion, that time could be better spent teaching actual writing skills- rather than forcing students idly memorize the rules of MLA.
How to use Formatically
Formatically.com can format any type of essay. The default setting will format only the essay page, but other pages (cover, works cited, or outline) can be included with a single click.
Formatically’s MLA Formatting Tool
- Essay Page
Start by typing in the first name, last name, instructor's name, and the name of the class being taken. The tool will automatically place the date. Lastly, type the title. Users can stop and download/email their papers whenever they are done.
- Cover Page
All you have to do is click the “same as” button and Formatically will automatically fill in the information for you.
- Works Cited Page
You're going to need to pull your citations from Easybib or whatever citation generating website you use, and copy and paste them individually into the boxes on the page. The tool will recognize individual citations and then organize, space, alphabetize, size, and indent them automatically.
- Outline Page
If you need an outline page then simply click the include outline button and your done!
MLA can be taught in Under 15 Minutes
The new website is only several months old, but has been received by teachers and professors with open arms. Tyler and I now give presentations around our hometown to high schools and colleges on a regular basis to spread word about the tool. We want to tell as many people as possible! We’ve found that nothing spreads ideas faster than word of mouth from friends and peers.
It’s now entirely possible to teach MLA formatting very quickly. The Formatically team is working to prove this to as many busy teachers as possible. However, there are MANY teachers, and we need some help to get the word out.
The Formatically team is eager to help more students and teachers. With a touch of luck we believe teachers and students everyone will find out for themselves just how easy MLA can be.
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