WordStar for iPhone and iPad

App support

WordStar is used by specialists beside a child, often on a school network that comes and goes. Almost everything below is about that.

Signing in

Access is invitation-only. Accounts are created by your organisation administrator, and sign-in is refused for anyone without one, whether by password or by Google. If you are new to a school, ask them to add you. If your school does not use WordStar yet, request access.

You should stay signed in. If you are asked to sign in again after a few minutes, something is wrong rather than expected, and we would like to hear about it.

Running a session

Open Students, choose a child, choose a skill, then choose whether it runs on the device in your hands or on a WordStar Mini. Every item in the run is on screen from the start. You mark each one Developed, Developing, Not yet or Not observed with a single tap, and tapping again changes it. Nothing is decided for you.

A WordStar Mini does not appear

Hold the power button on the Mini until it shows Orbit Mode. A Mini only offers itself while that screen is up, which is how a room with eight of them stays manageable. The six digits on the device are the six digits in the app, so you always know which one you have picked up.

If nothing appears at all, check that Bluetooth is allowed for WordStar in iOS Settings. The app uses Bluetooth for one purpose only, which is finding a Mini in the same room.

A session says it is off the air

The child can carry on. The Mini runs the check and writes its own record whichever way the link goes, so a drop costs you the live view and nothing else. The app reconnects by itself and catches up. If the Mini went to sleep, put it back into Orbit Mode and the app will resume the run where you were.

Unsent work

Everything is recorded on the device first and sent to WordStar when there is a connection, so a session finishes whether or not the network does. If something cannot be sent at all, it waits under Unsent work in the account menu, with the reason and the choice to try again or discard it. Nothing is ever thrown away on your behalf.

The WordStar Mini itself

Setting up a Mini, charging it, its buttons and its practice modes are covered in the Mini guide, which is also a tab inside the app.

Still stuck

Write to support@providenthq.com and tell us what you were doing, what happened, and the name of your school. If a WordStar Mini was involved, the six-digit code on its screen helps us find it.