This was my first ever attempt at this kind of technology and initially I found the software difficult to explore and create with. This frustrated me because I have always found that visual representations of information appeal to my learning intelligences. For students who are visually or spatially smart according to Gardner’s ( 1983) learning styles, this method of presenting information would work really well. In other words it is an example of how an ICT’s can enhance and transform learning.
My difficulties in using the technology were that in order to save time I decided to use the automatic function. So, after I entered my headings it arranged the titles for me. When I tried to enter additional information I found that it began to mix up the information and the mind map no longer made sense to me. I'm sure that with more time and determination I can make the mind maps work better. I can see that in a classroom it could be a worthwhile digital tool.
Nevertheless I have still decided to share my frustrations because I am learning that where some students struggle, others are willing to step in and assist. By broadcasting to your peers when things don’t always go to plan you can find solutions together. This collaborative style of learning is what we will be modeling to our own students when we eventually step into the classroom. Constructivism in action!
In comparison I played around with the Word Cloud Software. http://www.wordle.net/
I cut and pasted the entire contents of the Moodle Site for Week 5 ICT's In Learning Design and it created this for me.
I found it was really easy to use and visually very exciting. As I am teaching in a Primary context I thought this tool could be really helpful in the classroom and as such I have decided to analyse it as one of my four digital tools.
As is the nature of collaborative/ constructivist learning one of our peers discovered a new word cloud website. A link can be found here. http://www.tagxedo.com/ This enables the world cloud to be shaped into a country or a heart or a star. It is also visually very exciting. My analysis is specifically related to Wordle. However my thoughts, reflections and uses in the classroom will still be relevant to most mind map and word cloud technology.
What follows is my PMI Analysis.
Pluses
· Easy and fun to use.
· Word clouds generated quickly and can be coloured to suit.
· Visual/Spatial learners would enjoy this style of learning.
· Global learners are able to see the big picture quickly and easily through the creation of a word cloud.
· Linguistic learners also catered for through the use of a variety of words.
· A new way of presenting information.
· Helps students identify the important themes and issues.
· Collaborative – students can brainstorm and create a word cloud together for display in the classroom.
Minuses
· Wordle gallery is open so care must be taken and teachers should be modelling safe, ethical and legal behaviour. This link allows teachers to block the open gallery on a specific computer. This will ensure that students won’t be exposed to inappropriate content thereby overcoming this negative aspect. http://classtools.net/twitter/tweet.php?message=How%2520to%2520make%2520Wordle%2520safe%2520for%2520classroom%2520use&url=http://blog.wordle.net/2009/08/how-to-make-wordle-safe-for-classroom.html
· Need to avoid students creating endless, repetitive and mindless word clouds. This is not the goal. Activities will need to be scaffolded to ensure this doesn’t happen.
How would I use this in the classroom?
· Activities should be scaffolded so that learning outcomes are achieved and the ICT is used to transform, facilitate, support and enhance learning. Higher order thinking and creative thinking should be the goal and these should be achieved through the use of the ICT.
· Students should be given adequate time to reflect on the activity. What did they learn? What do they still need to find out? Reflect on other students work. Can they share any new resources? Can they work as a group to solve any problems that may have arisen?
· Safe, legal and ethical implications. Both students and teachers need to constantly be aware of these issues and ensure that everyone is committed to good practice. Issues such as copyright will need to be addressed. Issues like cyber bullying, exposure to inappropriate content should always be addressed. Privacy issues could also be a concern as you need to log on to save your word cloud images. Ensure that students don’t divulge personal information in the form of usernames or passwords.
· Use Wordle to generate a discussion about a book or part of a text. Enter in all the text. Allow Wordle to generate a cloud and then discuss. Are the words or themes it highlighted or made larger the same ones the kids think are important? Did they think other words or issues deserved more importance? It could be used to interpret poems, novels all sorts of things.
· Kids could be asked to interpret a painting or work of art. They could use the See Think Wonder Routine. Click here for information. http://www.pz.harvard.edu/vt/visibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03c_Core_routines/SeeThinkWonder/SeeThinkWonder_Routine.html. All their thoughts could be entered into Wordle and it could generate something that sums up how the whole class felt about the work of art.
· Teachers could use Wordle to give feedback to students in their assessments. By creating a world cloud it could help students to see the areas they might need to improve on. If spelling had been an issue this word would be prominent, prompting students to think about it.
· Just as Kearsley & Schneiderman (1999) advocated. Students could “Create, Relate and Donate” their own word clouds in a classroom. By creating and sharing students could be given a different perspective on a topic and higher order thinking would be encouraged as well as creativity.
· Use the word cloud as a visual prompt with various words. Then ask your students to create sentences.
· Older students could enter the contents of an essay and analyse the word cloud. Wordle makes words larger the more frequently they are used. Encourage students to develop a larger vocabulary by offering alternatives to phrases or words they overuse.
· Famous speeches from history. Enter these into Wordle and analyse. What were they trying to convey? What were the orator’s intentions?
· Compare and contrast. Use this thinking routine as a scaffold for a Wordle activity. Compare and contrast the words of two different students on the same topic, two different newspapers telling the same story, two reviews of an artwork.
References
See Think Wonder (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/vt/visibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03c_Core_routines/SeeThinkWonder/SeeThinkWonder_Routine.html
Education Queensland. (2011) Student ICT expectations. Smart classrooms. Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/strategy/dp/studentict.html
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity Course Resources Online EDED20491 http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
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