Session #7
We are in the home stretch! Focus on Project Three. Remember that you need to develop a cohesive unit plan that is based on the activities you created in Project One.


Project #2, your unit plan, is due tonight. Please submit it in the Sakai assignment dropbox.

Word Clouds

Word clouds are graphics created with words. While they can simply be used for artistic purposes, such as covers for reports, visual poetry, and gifts to be framed, they can be used for other academic purposes. 

Avoiding Plagiarism

Picture
Students can copy and paste text from websites and create a word cloud that can then be printed out or viewed on a tablet to refer to as notes for a report. This makes it impossible for plagiarism to occur because there are no sentences. The word clouds simply include words that will trigger students' memories and give them ideas to write about the topic they've been studying.
Example:
Sea Otter Report - Text copied and pasted from National Geographic Animals and turned into a Wordle.























Comparing and Contrasting

Example: Different versions of Cinderella from different countries or cultures. Copy and paste the plot of synopsis from each culture’s version and then compare and contrast the two versions by examining the word cloud.

Cinderella: Variations & Multicultural Versions 

Reflecting on one’s own writing: 

Paste your own essay into Wordle, create the word cloud, and you will see which words you are using a lot (the biggest ones). You can easily tell what the main idea of a passage is by looking at the word cloud.

Word Cloud apps and URLs

http://www.edudemic.com/word-cloud-generators/

Wordle.net
Tagxedo
Wordsalad (ipad app) - free
Word Clouds by ABCYa - free
Word Collage (ipad app) - $0.99

Internet Safety & Responsibility Part #1


Think outside the classroom:
What emerging technology resources could you use in your unit plan? 
Think mobile technology – apps!

Week 8 - Accessibility features and apps
Week 9 - Project presentations

Presentation Tools for Teachers and Students to Use
No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.
~ Emma Goldman: Author, Social Activist