Here is a great tool: http://www.tagxedo.com/. Use this site to make amazing word clouds. This site allows you to copy and paste text from Word into Tagxedo and form them into a cloud or for fun, a shape. These can be saved as .jpgs and then uploaded to your Animoto, blog, webpage, documents, movies, etc. In addition, you can use a URL and Tagxedo will create a cloud from all words on that specific web page. It can even make a cloud of your tweets. The sample above is a I made from the Peru State College home page.
Tagxedo can be used in the school setting. For example, I teach a class where senior citizens are paired with 8th grade students. The students are the teachers for 8 weeks and teach the adults computer basics. At the end, the students give a small speech about the time together. We use Tagxedo to put in important words about their partner. I print the word clouds and frame them. The kids use them as a reference during the presentation and the framed copy is a keepsake for the senior citizen. The word clouds are also included in our Animoto movie that summarizes the course.
Give the site a try. How could you use Tagxedo in the educational setting? Here is a great blog post on 108 Ways to use Word Clouds in the Classroom. You can create a sample and post it on your blog. Be thinking of one to create to include in your Animoto project.
In the elementary setting I think I would use Tagxedo with spelling and vocabulary words the most. I could make a cloud with many words and see if they could find their spelling words hidden in there. They would love that. I could pull it up on my LCD projector too.
ReplyDeleteI could also see myself using this with my students to get to know them better. They could use words to describe themself, I could make a cloud for each of them, and we could print and frame it with their self-portrait. This would help tell me and their classmates more about them.