FunWritr is an educational mashup that supports student language exploration and open-ended writing. By using existing natural language processing tools such as grammar parsers contained within the Natural Language Toolkit, the semantic ontology database called WordNet, and a dynamic image repository of more than 3 billion images offered through Yahoo!’s  Flickr application and API, the FunWritr application affords users the opportunity to view visual representations of words and phrases as they type.

The FunWritr user interface is developed with Flash Builder/Flex while server-side programming is done in python with CherryPy. FunWritr uses image-based, ontologically organized aspects of language to support open-ended writing for guided literacy growth, personal pleasure, and language exploration.

During the ongoing development cycle of the current project a limited number of unpaid internships are awarded to CS, EE, and Design undergraduates interested in participating in the development of client-side, server-side, or aesthetic aspects of an application destined for use in elementary and middle school in the United States, Taiwan, and Korea. Interns spend eight to twelve hours per week working on various aspects of application development, meeting with the development team, the design team, and optionally sitting in on weekly gatherings of the research team.