This also produces wordclouds but then check out the other associated visual tools. Just click on one of the sample texts and then SIFT. Note the visual thesaurus allows you to click on a word within the cloud and there is an immediate search on Google images too. Chunks of text where the KWIC occurs are displayed too.
What I realise though is this clearly explores single word units ie the notion of the lexical chunk is not accounted for. Very interesting, though, is they provide a note of the theory behind the tool! http://www.wordsift.com/site/theory
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Tools for reflection: blogs, penzu
Susan posted on Penzu and I have already added a comment to her post:-) However this made me also realise that I was suggesting a more global theme that I felt needed tagging - we can't tag comments. (Susan, there is an example here of tagging - if you wanted to tag your own post, you can edit as the author and do that).
This reflection on tagging also exemplifies how we need to think about the specific affordances of these tools. As we know, things can get difficult to find again and tagging helps us to locate.
Anyway, thanks to Susan for trying out Penzu - I hadn't had a look before. As Irene noted, there is a share function and this caused me to think more about the private/public dimensions of tools such as Penzu or the blog we're now reading. Social networking seems to encourage much more of the public, in fact.
However, Penzu starts in the personal domain and I think as a personal learning diary, could be a simple but effective tool; learners could choose to share the content they wish or use it for metacognitive reflection, prompted by the teacher, about learning. But the teacher may never see the original content.
Other diaries may be shared dfor specific reasons. That also reminded me that when you guys come to doing your Developing Researcher Competence course, you'll be encouraged to keep a researcher diary. I have a student who logged her whole dissertation journey in a blog which I as supervisor could see Clare's research diary (link here as I know Clare has given me permission to show you:-) but Penzu could also serve quite well as a more private researcher diary.
So these thoughts are really musing about diaries, blogs (any other tools) for personal v collaborative use. We tend to spend quite a bit of time exploring the 'social' 'collaborative' but mustn't neglect private reflection:-) By the way I tried the share function in Penzu - you can select a code to embed into a blog or wiki for example. This is the embedded public code Diane's diary
This reflection on tagging also exemplifies how we need to think about the specific affordances of these tools. As we know, things can get difficult to find again and tagging helps us to locate.
Anyway, thanks to Susan for trying out Penzu - I hadn't had a look before. As Irene noted, there is a share function and this caused me to think more about the private/public dimensions of tools such as Penzu or the blog we're now reading. Social networking seems to encourage much more of the public, in fact.
However, Penzu starts in the personal domain and I think as a personal learning diary, could be a simple but effective tool; learners could choose to share the content they wish or use it for metacognitive reflection, prompted by the teacher, about learning. But the teacher may never see the original content.
Other diaries may be shared dfor specific reasons. That also reminded me that when you guys come to doing your Developing Researcher Competence course, you'll be encouraged to keep a researcher diary. I have a student who logged her whole dissertation journey in a blog which I as supervisor could see Clare's research diary (link here as I know Clare has given me permission to show you:-) but Penzu could also serve quite well as a more private researcher diary.
So these thoughts are really musing about diaries, blogs (any other tools) for personal v collaborative use. We tend to spend quite a bit of time exploring the 'social' 'collaborative' but mustn't neglect private reflection:-) By the way I tried the share function in Penzu - you can select a code to embed into a blog or wiki for example. This is the embedded public code Diane's diary
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Paper Rater
As we are all about to submit our first paper that will be marked and we are thinking of what we will do for our other courses I thought I'd investigate this useful tool. I copied and pasted my DAC paper into it and waited for the few seconds it took to get a rating. It was with some trepidation that I clicked on the plagiarism indicator and found that it was 100% original. Well I wouldn't go that far, but at least I hadn't unwittingly picked up a chunk of text that wasn't attributed. It came up with a few grammar and spelling alternatives and one suggestion for a phrase that it thought I should change. I don't know what Diane thinks of this tool - but I think this could be really useful for students preparing for university entrance even if we don't want to use this for school age students. I'd be interested to see what some of my classmates think of this. Sorry it's not a pretty tool like many of the others I've seen.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Penzu
Ok, this is the first time I have ever blogged and it's quite scary!
I have just been in and tried this site which allows you to keep a PRIVATE online journal. I have a student at present who wants to practise her writing and I have suggested she keeps a diary. I said she could do it in a notebook or on the class Wiki if she liked, but she didn't want the rest of the class reading it. I have just sent her this link so she has an online option and if she wants to share it with me or decides to open it up to more people in the future then she can.
It seems a great idea for all of us who don't like the idea of our every thought being available for the world to read but are happier typing away than writing by hand.
Not very collaborative or even cooperative, but might really motivate some students to get writing.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
my first attempt at limericks and artisancam_picturebookmarker
http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/picturebookmaker/captures/stf/index.php?incomingNum=3102
Zooburst
To start us off, I had a look at Zooburst.
It allows you to create an online 'popup book' using text and pictures. Very easy to use; you can use pictures from the cliparts provided or upload your own. I was thinking maybe you could give learners a set of pictures to work from and create their own story ie an interpretive story or give them scope to search for their own but you can waste a lot of time there. You can really manipulate the pictures much on screen so not much scope for very sophisticated graphics:-)
The text for each page of the book probably needs to be quite short but at higher levels the challenges could be to write a pithy story in 6 lines for example.
The books can be embedded as I've done here in a post, in a blog or your wiki.
Here is my rather uninspired (visually) attempt to produce a popup story of the carpetfitter and the canary:-)
It allows you to create an online 'popup book' using text and pictures. Very easy to use; you can use pictures from the cliparts provided or upload your own. I was thinking maybe you could give learners a set of pictures to work from and create their own story ie an interpretive story or give them scope to search for their own but you can waste a lot of time there. You can really manipulate the pictures much on screen so not much scope for very sophisticated graphics:-)
The text for each page of the book probably needs to be quite short but at higher levels the challenges could be to write a pithy story in 6 lines for example.
The books can be embedded as I've done here in a post, in a blog or your wiki.
Here is my rather uninspired (visually) attempt to produce a popup story of the carpetfitter and the canary:-)
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Web 2.0 MOODLE
MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a FREE open-source e-learning software. It allows you to create an online course for students focussing on interaction, collaboration and construction. Supposedly very popular in the teaching world. I have not had a try at creating anything yet, just been exploring and investigating looking at the possibilities of using it with my class.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
A great site for writing with YLs
Me again,
Just came across this via twitter (it's great, join in!). It's a fantastic site.
Have a watch of Russell Stannard's (web legend) intro video here.
This is Russell site, it's well worth a visit: Teacher Training Videos
Just came across this via twitter (it's great, join in!). It's a fantastic site.
Have a watch of Russell Stannard's (web legend) intro video here.
This is Russell site, it's well worth a visit: Teacher Training Videos
Monday, 8 November 2010
A Class Blog
Here's a really simple blog that a teacher in France is using with her students. She has various different sections and is using it to communicate with her students to provide reminders, class summaries and links for extra practise.
Have a look!
http://dpaci.blogspot.com/
Richard
Have a look!
http://dpaci.blogspot.com/
Richard
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