A Look at the Use of Wordle
For this assignment we were asked to create a Wordle. A wordle is a cluster of words that are created in a random shape. The user goes to the website and types in their own words. The web 2.0 tool then generates to size and shape of the wordle. The more words the user puts in the larger and more filled the wordle is. The larger size words appear to be the words that are input the most. My largest size word was line, this was because I used the words from a lesson on a line. After the wordle is generated the user can then choose the type of font used and four colors for the wordle. This gives the user a chance to be creative. Using Wordle was very easy. There was nothing to download since it is a web 2.0 tool. I think it was even easier than using Animoto. Both Wordle and Animoto were user friendly and walked me through the steps to create my project. There was not a lot to learn or understand, just follow the directions. Wordle did lack a bit of creativity. There was no way I could change the location of the words or the size, unless you know some programming. That was already done for me. The only creative hand I had in the process was choosing the words, color, and font. Animoto felt like it had more of me in the work because I chose the picture arrangement and the back and the music. Wordle did most of the thinking for me, I just filled in the required fields.
Wordle and Learning Styles
Wordle would fit into the learning style of visual. A visual learner likes to see and observe. Graphs and pictures work best for this type of learner. By using Wordle students can see the large themes in the text. The common words are filtered out leaving the key words. Wordle could also b...
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...ot a lot of directions to read before one can use the tool. Someone that is learning how to use technology would have an easy time creating a wordle, I know I did. All that is required is to type words into the box and click the go button. It’s a lot easier than say creating a PowerPoint. The students today would have no problems using this and would probably be explain to other how to use it the first time they see the site.
Conclusion
Wordle is a simple web 2.0 tool that can be used to display or breakdown words for a classroom. After looking around online, I found that there are more possibilities than just a display of words. The teacher can creative a unique syllabus with the class. Wordle can also be used to display discussion questions or to show critique on an assignment. Wordle can make a simple text document more interesting and eye catching.
Technology may offer a variety of options for students who may struggle with written expression or have learning difficulties or disabilities. Programs can simplify website, such as netTrekker; encourage visual expressions of knowledge, such as PowerPoint or Google Slides. Students can add images, words, recorded audio and videos.
I am taking a course in writing technology, and the last thing you would imagine as a topic is how natural writing can or cannot be. Our teacher for this course had us come up with a writing project. We were asked to make twenty words or less using any tool that was natural and did not involve high technology. This means we could not use computers, paints, or markers. In discussing what we could use, the class quickly broke down the options. It appeared almost impossible. We got nothing. This is where begging and pleading for ideas came in to play, and perhaps our instructor is a little financially better off if someone offered him a bribe, who knows.. How could it be done? Why? What would we learn about such an unnatural task that would even relate to the topic writing technology?
4. Discuss the new words on the word wall in class. Define the words, look at how they are used in the book, and create example sentences in which the words could be used.-
Web 2.0 applications are free which any educator can use to enhance their instruction. Technology by itself will not create more engage or better students, but Bryne (2009) asserts “..well-chosen technology resources infused into classroom instruction can create more engaged and better students (p. 2).” This allows students to create meaningful connection and/or help create classroom content rather than simply using the tradition way of auditory learning. There are many different Web 2.0 application the following are just some: Animoto (http://animoto.com/), Read the Words (www.readthewords.com), and Spelling City (www.spellingcity.com). Animoto is used like a video trailer allowing the teacher to give the students a preview or review of the content being taught. Read the Words is a website to help educators differentiate their instruction for struggling readers. At this site educators can translate a website, worksheet, or inputted text into speech. This is important since the average reading level of website is at an eighth grade level. The final website Spelling City offers students practice both at home and school of weekly spelling words. ...
This paper will target ELL students of a secondary age level. It will be assumed they are between levels 3 and 4 of the Ministry of Education ELL/D Performance Standards. This level of student will often need help to elaborate on certain ideas. Sequencing is generally good at this stage, as is accessing prior knowledge, however, a graphic organizer can always benefit a student no matter what level. Grammar is improving greatly through these stages, but things such as homonyms and figures of speech will still be difficult (BC Performance Standards, 2001). Having the students learn how to write a narrative will complete a Prescribed Learning Outcomes for English 10: writing in a variety...
To accomplish vocabulary development, before reading the teacher needs to instruct their students on any prerequisites that they need to understand to interpret the text appropriately. This means the teacher has to pull out the most important words as well as those that may be too difficult for the stud...
The word language is most often associated with speech, yet it is also closely related to power. While many see language as a tool of unification and empowerment, it is also used to silence others. Society gives advantages to individuals that speak the dominant language, and those who are not fluent, are victims of social pressures such as ridicule, harassment, and isolation. Language gives individuals the power to manipulate and oppress others. Oppression occurs when one group has power over another group, and use that power to manipulate. Language gives dominant groups the power to oppress minority individuals through segregation, assimilation and hierarchies.
However, the learning style that best suited my abilities was reading and writing. Based on this learning style, one prefers for information to be displayed in words. Individuals who possess this learning style operate and communicate effectively with words. This methodology of transmitting information from the short term memory storage (STS) to the long term memory storage (LTS) can be attributed to the read/write learning style. It encourages text based input and output in all its forms, utilizing the same skills for reading and writing in order to learn. Being a read/write learner demonstrates learning through the processes most commonly used. Having words is a cultural component of who we are and read/write are both important skills not just for the professional scope, but for the cognitive process as well. Read/write learning style stimulates the frontal lobe of the brain where higher level processes are held. Then in the left hemisphere, where articulation and comprehension for language is centralized, this learning style mobilizes activity in this region which consequently results to increased productivity overall. “Those who prefer this modality are often addicted to PowerPoint , the Internet, lists, filofaxes, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations and words,” ( n.d., stellar leadership). This learning styles is highly encouraged in education and other fields,
...assroom. Sometimes there are people that it would not help learn because they need that face-to-face learning. It is just the way that they learn that it could benefit them or it could not . It should be up to the students on it they want to use the old fashion pen and paper or this new technology.
Looking back over the course of the semester, I feel that I learned many new and interesting uses for technology within the classroom – both for classrooms that have a lot of technology and for classrooms that are limited with technology. For the majority of the class, we utilized William Kists’ book The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age (2010), which provided multiple modes of instruction that both utilized and/or created technology. One of the first things that I remember, and consequently that stuck with me through the course’s entirety, is that individuals must treat everything as a text. Even a garden is a text. The statement made me change the way that I traditionally viewed Language Arts both as a student and as a teacher, as I very narrowly saw literature and works of the like as texts only; however, by considering nearly anything as a text, one can analyze, study, and even expand his/her knowledge. Kist (2010) states that society is “experiencing a vast transformation of the way we “read” and “write,” and a broadening of the way we conceptualize “literacy” (p. 2). In order to begin to experience and learn with the modern classroom and technologically advanced students, individuals must begin to see new things as literature and analyze those things in a similar manner.
The world’s technology advancements are quickly developing, thus, unquestionably, contributing to the extraordinary benefits obtained by students, parents, and educators. Students are provided an enhanced understanding of diverse subjects due to presentations, use of the Internet, and various programs, assisting them with projects, homework, tests, or merely general interest. Classroom computer use is certainly beneficial to parents as well. If a student does not have computer access at home to complete a project or essay, it could easily be completed on the classroom’s computer. This avoids any conflicts that may arise from families that do not have access to a personal computer. Teachers are able to easily compose a multimedia presentation to, not only help teach the class, but also to assist the pupils while taking notes and ensuring their understanding of the topic.
Time is an issue for so many of us that we need to utilize every viable timesaver available to us. Computers have become as common as a stove or television in most households. Many of us have not had the opportunity to truly learn our software; and without that training, we may be unaware that we are wasting valuable time. AutoCorrect is feature in Microsoft Word where you can store and automatically insert frequently used text and graphics. A few simple steps will have you getting your routine tasks completed in less time than ever.
A person’s language is the way unique ideas and meaningful thoughts are put into words. However, the true thoughts and emotions comprised of a person’s brain cannot always be expressed through words and this is when the importance of writing is embraced and becomes a reality. Peter Elbow states, “The words will be ruined if they come out of the mouth instead of on paper. Speaking, uses up or dissipates one’s vital fluids for writing” and this addresses the effect and importance of writing in today’s language (Elbow 358). Language and writing have an immense power in the world because of the power writing creates within the English language. The power allows writing to convey the world and put forth a message that could not be expressed
shown computers to be the future of learning. The use of a computer in place of the standard pen
dictionaries by the learners is helpful to collect data. This enables the learners to know how the language of the vocabulary has been structured. Nuttall has (2000,) argued that “it is wasteful to look up every new word because many of students use dictionary far too much”. Regardless of this point of view, dictionary is considered to be a great aid for students to know how each word related to each other and figure out the part of speech for any words