Playing With Words

A Word Cloud is a compilation of key words or terms from a text.  A word cloud can be created to enhance reflection, discussion, and deeper learning.  This visualization tool can be used to engage students in reading assignments as a prereading strategy, to heighten understanding of major themes, to identify and define unfamiliar words, and to connect with previous readings.

I copied and pasted my previous blog posting, Mining Pew - Teens, Social Media, and Privacy (5/30/14), into Wordle.net, a free online word cloud.  Wordle creates word frequency representations, making words that appear more frequently larger.  There is no sign-up for this tool and no account to be created.  This might be good for using with students.  The cloud can be printed, projected, or saved to a public gallery.  The fonts can be changed; I changed mine to Teen because my blog post is about teens and social media.  The layout can be changed, but I left mine at the default of Rounder Edges and Mostly Horizontal.  I changed my color scheme from Firenze to yramirP with wild variation.  You can save it to a public gallery, but should think twice about doing this if it includes any personal information. The copy of my Wordle posted here appears blurry, perhaps because I sized it a little bigger to appear in my blog.  The original is much more distinct.  I will definitely have students use this.

Next, I experimented with Tagul.com.  Tagul requires signing up for a free account.  I was able to choose how I wanted to set up my word cloud: with a URL, text, or a table.  With the table, you can specify which words are used and how large they appear.  Since I had recently served as the Master of Ceremony at my school's hosting of UIL, I decided to see what happened when I used some of the text from one of my speeches.  We had promoted UIL as the UIL "Hunger Games" and I was  as Effie Trinket.  After I copied and pasted my text, I was given a cloud shape with words sized by frequency in the text.  I decided to play around with the other options.  Under Appearance, I had the following shapes to choose from: Cloud, Heart, Star, Triangle, Pentagram, Circle, Rectangle, or Custom.  I clicked on Custom and found that I could download a picture from my files.  I looked for a mockingjay shape in Google, saved it to my pictures, and chose that shape.  I was also able to choose my fonts and background color.  Each time I was able to Visualize my changes before Saving them. The words enlarge when you move the mouse over them.  The next time I will probably take out words such as "the" and "and," but I really liked that I could choose my shape.  I will play around with this more when I have time.

Tagxedo.com is my favorite of the three word clouds I experimented with because it has so many shape and color options.  I decided to use some of the words from the song, "Popular," from Wicked.  I copied and pasted some select lines, then pasted them into the text box.  Then I changed the shape into a shoe, because I knew that Galinda would like that.  I also knew that she would like pink, so I chose the Punk Princess color scheme.  At first there were some words that I didn't feel were important to the theme of the song, so I went under Word Advance Options and told the tool to skip those words.  When I was satisfied with my word cloud, I saved it to my pictures and pasted it here.  This is a great tool to use with students!  I showed it to another teacher and we discussed how the ESL kids could use it.  They will love working with it!  As Galinda would say, "Follow my lead, and yes, indeed, you...will...be...POPULAR."

I experimented with Quipio, a phone or tablet application which combines text and pictures.  Because I have a 19-year-old pet pig, I decided to post a quote of Winston Churchill over the face of a pig.

I found a picture I liked on Google, and downloaded it into my pictures on my iPad.  Then I used the picture as my background, and typed my text.  I was able to highlight words that I wanted to stress and then choose a style and color.  I was able to save the Quip to my pictures, but had difficulty saving it to Facebook because of how my iPad was set up, I guess.  I had much more success with my iPhone.

For my second Quip, I decided to use a quote from a book I loved, The Fault in Our Stars.  The book cover wouldn't work because it is already covered with large title words, so I found this photo in Quipio which expresses the sentiment  exactly as I wished.  Later that evening, I got a message that Quipio had selected this as a top 20 Quip. This is such a cool app.  I could have students select their favorite quote from something they are reading to make one of these. 

Lastly, I used the same text from my Quips to make two Recite This pictures.  The website is http://recitethis.com/.  First, you type in the text.  Then you choose a background.  There are not a lot of choices, but enough to make it fun.  Here is my first: 

However, I became very frustrated trying to create a second one.  Every time I typed in my new text from The Fault in Our Stars, chose a new background, and clicked on Create, I was given the same "pigs" quote and background that I first created.  I tried closing the web site and reopening it, using a different computer, and using my iPhone.  How weird!  It seems to know who I am and refuses to let me create another.  I sent a message under the Feedback tab.  The only thing it WILL let me do differently is select a provided quote under the FIND A Quote tab.

Here is a quote I found under the Quote heading of LOVE.  It's a great quote, just not the one I wanted. I hope I can make use of it in the future.  Since it doesn't require an account, I would like to use it with students.  I would have them to use quotes from something they read, or to write something they think a particular character would say.  They might use the given quotes if one is appropriate.

Mining Pew – Teens, Social Media, and Privacy

This article deals with teens’ practices in the sharing of information on social media sites, the steps they take to restrict their profiles, and other privacy management issues.  Their privacy practices sometimes vary according to their gender, race, age, and network size.

Teens share more information about themselves than they did in the past.  This survey compares findings from the years 2006 and 2012.  Facebook profiles have become an important feature of teenage life.  The types of information shared by teens which have increased greatly from 2006 include: photos, school names, city where they live, email address, and cell phone number.  Many teens also publish their real name, their interests, date of birth, and relationship status.  I know that I was surprised to find that my son was “in a relationship” without my knowledge last year.  Older teens are more likely than younger teens to share photos of themselves and their cell phone number.  I’m surprised that parents (who are usually “friended” by their children) don’t have them take off their cell phone number and email address.  Boys are significantly more likely to share their number than girls.  African-Americans are less likely than white teens to use their real names on a social media profile.  I never even considered using a name other than my own, though I am friended by someone named “Pot Stirrer,” and I’m not totally sure who that is!

Twitter use by teens has grown considerably, especially among African-American teens.  Twitter users are much more likely to have a public account than are Facebook users.  However, teens have far fewer followers on Twitter than Facebook friends.  The typical teen Facebook user has 300 friends, while the typical teen Twitter user has 79 followers.  Interestingly, discussion forums show that keenness for Facebook is dwindling among teen users.  They don’t like that adults are using it increasingly and that people tend to share too much information.

Many teens take steps to restrict their profiles and manage their settings.  60% of teen Facebook users keep their profiles private, allowing only friends to view the content they post.  Girls are more likely than boys to restrict access to their profiles.  Most teens are confident about managing their Facebook privacy settings.  They do not have much concern about third-party access to their data.  Focus group insights imply that some teens may not have a good sense of whether the information they share is being used by third parties, such as advertisers.  However, those who are concerned are more likely to engage in online reputation management.

Online reputation management consists of revising profile content, deleting or editing posts, deleting comments from others, removing their names from tagged photos, and deleting or deactivating profiles.  Many teen social media users have deleted people from their friends’ list or have blocked people on social media sites.  Not surprisingly, girls are more likely than boys to delete friends and block people.  Girls are also more likely to be Facebook friends with coaches or teachers.  I get many requests from students to be their Facebook friend, but I always tell them that I am not allowed to friend them on Facebook.  One notable finding is that African-American youth are nearly twice as likely as whites to be Facebook friends with celebrities, athletes, or musicians.  I wonder why that is.

Network size also affects information sharing and personal information management by teens.  Teens with larger Facebook networks are more frequent users of other social networking sites and tend to have a greater variety of people in their friend networks.  They share a wider range of information and visit the sites more frequently.  But they also are more active in profile pruning and reputation management activities.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/

(12 pages)

Cartoons and Comics

I created accounts on ToonDoo and Pixton.  I wanted to examine them and see how they could be incorporated into teaching.


http://www.toondoo.com/privateView.toon?param=akHJy0z6dkHRNutmdkM9mZQPKXzfi%2FPvjAjE%2FvxkGHgHTm7Q4eul1Q%3D%3D

I used ToonDoo to create this comic.  It was relatively easy to figure out just by playing with it.  I had an idea of what I wanted my comic to be about, but I wasn't sure if I could find characters to match.  At first I thought I had to find characters with the correct facial expressions. I wanted the boy and girl to be adults - husband and wife, but couldn't find any that were right.  After choosing the boy and girl, I tried to find a baby that looked like them, but there were not many baby choices.  After I chose my characters, I chose a background from the "inside" choices. Then I added the teddy bear prop. While I was rotating the teddy bear to put him on his side, I discovered that I could change the expressions on the characters' faces.  Note the subtle changes on the baby's face. I wanted to show fumes coming from the baby's diaper, so I went under Shapes and found some that would work.  When I was added speech balloons, the balloon pointer kept pointing to the girl.  After fiddling with it, I found that I could drag the tail to the boy.  It was very easy to save; I was asked to give it a title, a description, and tags.  There were enough choices of characters, background, and props that students would be able to use this tool.  You can also create a gallery of your own clipart and pictures.

http://www.pixton.com/from/comic/on5hf8u3
http://Pixton.com/ic:0qxnv5os

I created an Alternate Ending to Charlotte's Web using Pixton.  This tool had many more options than ToonDoo.  After watching tutorial videos (provided on the site), I saw that you can fine-tune your characters, changing their expressions one facial feature at a time.  You can rotate their heads, arms, legs, bodies, and hands.  You can change the color of their hair and clothes.  You can even turn people and objects into silhouettes.  I played with it for a long time.  I was not able to use my first idea for a comic because I could not find the proper background and objects to accompany it.  When I came across a farm background, I decided to portray Charlotte's Web.  My class has recently read this book.  But then I could not find a spider, so I decided to show what would happen if Charlotte was not in the story.  This could actually be something that students use to portray scenes or, as I did, alternate endings for a story.  Moving the character's body parts is a bit tricky, but it gives one more possibilities.


The next tool I played with was MakeBeliefsComix. I did not need an account to use it. This one would be good to use with students because you do not have to register.  But one of the drawbacks is that you cannot save it; you can print it or email it.  Here is a picture I took of it:

Click on the link to see my comic with more clarity:
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=6086398C1256462
There were not a lot of choices of characters, props, or backgrounds, but enough to have fun and create pretty cool comics. Students would be able to email their comics to the teacher who would print them out for display.

Of the three, I think ToonDoo and MakeBeliefsComix would work best for younger students or those with little experience using computers.  They are easy to create and the only character/prop editing usually needed is sizing, changing emotions, and moving.  There are enough choices in these free accounts to accommodate a range of ideas.  ToonDoo has more character options and variety, but MakeBeliefsComix doesn't require students to create usernames and passwords.  As an ESL teacher I can see having students create comics using vocabulary words to show that they understand the meanings.  They could also use them to demonstrate reading concepts, such as cause-and-effect, or base their comic strip on a topic they have been working on in class.  Students could also create scenarios with speech balloons that have no words, then exchange with another student to create the dialogue.

Pixton is a great tool for older students who will enjoy changing and enhancing the characters by moving their body parts around.  They can use the comics in the same way as the younger students or in more creative ways.  I love the way you can manipulate the characters; it provides so many options and possibilities.  I plan to collaborate with an ESL teacher to create a lesson that includes making a comic strip.  We will include vocabulary and concepts that she is teaching.  What a fun and creative lesson it will be!

I used Tellagami to create this short clip.  It is an I-Phone application.

Online Book Communities

Online Book Communities are free websites for book lovers.  They are like personal libraries that you can wander through to see what everyone is reading, read their reviews, and  see how they rate them.  You can shelve your books in different ways to show genres, what you are currently reading, what you have read, what you would like to read, and what have been your favorites.  By following others, you can look for suggestions on what to read, examine reviews of what other people have read, and get to meet other people who love books.

Shelfari is one forum for a global community of book lovers.  Users are encouraged to share their thoughts and passions with others. After joining Shelfari, I began to add books to my shelf.  In the search bar, I typed in names of books or authors.  When I found the book I wanted, I clicked the "add" button.  I was then taken to a page that asked, "Have you read this?  I was given the opportunity to type in a review and rate the book before being taken to a new page that asked if I wanted to share my status and notes (Facebook or Twitter).  I could opt to skip this information and go on to a page that asked for a character description, on that asked for my edition details, and finally a page for tagging my book.  If I were only adding a book or two, I would happily take the time to include all of this information, but because I was adding many books at once, I found the process a bit tedious at first.  After several book additions, I saw that I could click a box to bypass the reviews, ratings, descriptions, and tags.  Afterward, when I added a book I found an "Edit" button which I could choose to click or not.  I like this because now I can go back and add the information at my leisure.  These features will help me connect with others in a fun and engaging manner.  The shelf layout is pleasing to the eye.  I can see hearts on the covers I labeled as favorites.

http://www.shelfari.com/o1514774562/lists/IsRead

Next, I joined LibraryThing, another online service to help people catalog their books easily.  This tool comes up with suggestions for what to read next.  You can alternate between list and cover views.

www.librarything.com/profile/RuthanneCassidy

www.librarything.com/catalog/RuthanneCassidy/makesyoucry

Like Shelfari, LibraryThing allows you to rate, review, and share.  I created some bookshelves in addition to the ones provided; I added categories of Young Adult, For Kids, Favorites, and Makes You Cry.  See the example of the bookshelf, Makes You Cry, on the right.

I was already a member of Goodreads.  You can use it to share books you read and track books your friends read.  This tool is a heavy on the social aspect.  You can also rate books and provide reviews.  To start using it, you select books that you have read, are reading, or that you want to read and add them to "your books."  Also, rating a book from a friend's list automatically adds it to your books.  You begin with three default shelves: Read, Currently Reading, and To Read.  You can also create your own bookshelves.  I created For Kids and Would Recommend.  When you find the book you want, you can either click on the stars to rate it immediately, or click on "add to my books" to choose a shelf, write a review, record the date you read the book, and note whether you own a copy.  Goodreads is a large platform.

www.goodreads.com/user/show/27834425-ruthanne-cassidy

Booklikes is designed for book lovers with their own personal webpage with blog, virtual bookshelf, and reading timeline.  Booklikes gathers readers, bloggers, reviewers, and writers who can share their reviews, read updates, and find other interesting blogs. When I entered a search title and chose my first book, I was given the option to Create a Post, Add to Bookshelf, or Go to Amazon (and buy it).  I could also like it on Facebook, Tweet it, or Pin it.  I chose to add it to my bookshelf and was given the categories of Read, Planning to Read, Currently Reading, Wishlist, Favorite, or Private.  Why would you choose Private unless maybe you were embarrassed for someone to know you were reading it?  If you click Read, optional information is Started Reading date, Finished Reading date, and your Rating.  I like that you can give it half-star increments, for example, 4 1/2 stars if you really, really liked a book, but didn't necessarily swoon.  You can also choose and connect a photo or URL with a book on your shelf.

http://booklikes.com/dashboard

I created a bookshelf titled For Kids.  It took me awhile to figure out how to put books on the new shelf.  Finally I moved from Shelf View to Book View and was able to do it quite easily. It is very similar to Goodreads.

The last one I joined was Biblionasium.  With this tool I can set up a class, a group, or a grade of up to 200 students.  Each student will have a unique user ID and password.  I can also assign reading levels, send messages, run reports, and create parent letters.  Students may write their own comments and do reviews.  Educators can select to see and approve the reviews before they are posted.  Teachers can set up reading challenges/lists for students.  To get started, I set up a group titled Intermediate ESL.  Once I added a book to the group, I could check Recommended, It's a Favorite, or Required.  After I saved the book, I could rate it, write a note, or write a review.  Previous student reviews immediately popped up.  One thing I really liked was that you could begin typing and almost immediately choices began popping up.  This would be good for students who were searching, but were not very good spellers.  Another great feature is that a little animal, I think he's a squirrel dressed as a student, pops up with helpful hints.  You can choose to add books to your Wishlist and perhaps parents will choose to donate them.  This is definitely the book community that students would like best.  Here is a shelf I created for my Intermediate ESL students:

www.biblionasium.com/classrooms/9222/book_relations#tab/all-books

Of all the online book communities I examined, I like Shelfari the best for my personal use.  It is eye-pleasing and easy to use.  Once I found a shortcut to reviewing and rating, it was easy to maneuver.  The simplicity attracts me.  I would personally use it the most, but for elementary and middle school students, I would recommend Biblionasium. 

Pew Research - Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network site

Lenhart, A. & Madden M. (2011). Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network sites. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/11/09/teens-kindness-and-cruelty-on-social-network-sites/

This research was focused on the types of experiences teens are having on social network sites and how they address negative behavior when they see or experience it.  It also examined who influences the teens and instructs them on being good digital citizens.  The findings are from a report conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in partnership with the Family Online Safety Institute and come from a study that included interviews with experts, seven focus groups with middle and high school students, and a nationally representative random-digit-dial telephone survey of teens and parents. 

Though most American teens who use social media find people their age to be mostly kind on social network sites, 88% have witnessed other people being cruel on these sites.  A small percent (12%) say they witness mean behavior frequently, though 47% have witnessed it only occasionally.  15% of teens say they have been the target of online meanness.  There are no significant differences by age, gender, race, or socio-economic status between those who have experienced unkind behavior online.  I would have thought that girls experience it more frequently than boys.

Teens report more positive personal outcomes that make them feel good about themselves than negative ones from contacts with others on social network sites.  Yet 41% of teens say that they have experienced negative outcomes, such as a face-to-face confrontation (25%), an ending of a friendship (22%), a problem with their parents (13%), nervousness about going to school (13%), a physical fight with someone (8%), and trouble at school (6%).

The study examined teens’ responses and reactions to cruel online behavior.  Teens report that people seem to mostly ignore online cruelty, though sometimes they notice people defending the harassed person or telling someone to stop the behavior.  When asked about their own reaction to meanness, a majority of teens (90%) say they ignore it, and more than a third say they ignore it frequently.

The part of the study that surprised me was that 21% of the teens who witnessed online cruelty have also joined in the harassment.  As a middle-school teacher, I frequently witness student meanness, especially among 7^th and 8^th grade girls, so I shouldn’t be surprised that this happens online.  Girls who proclaim to be best friends can suddenly turn on each other.  However, it seems such a shame that teens can witness online bystanders responding positively by standing up for or defending the attacked, and then become a bully by joining in the harassment.  Do they get some sort of sick pleasure from this, or are they trying to make themselves look cool?

Teens go to their parents and peers most often to gain advice about online behavior and coping with challenging experiences.  Teens also receive advice from teachers, other adults, friends, and siblings.  Girls are more likely to seek advice than are boys.  The daughter of a friend of mine had an experience with online cruelty.  Someone set up a Facebook account in her name.  The person apparently knew a lot about this girl and the page was totally believable.  The girl didn’t use Facebook; in fact she was too young to have an account.  The person who set up the Facebook account was later found to be a boy in her class who liked her without the interest being reciprocated.  He used this fake account to “friend” many of her classmates and then began to post and comment nasty things about other people using vile language, which caused the girl’s friends to be angry and shocked.  She sought advice from her parents and the principal of her school.  It took almost a year of investigation and legal action to finally uncover the culprit.  These were eleven-year- olds!

The majority of parents have had conversations with their teens about safe and risky online practices.  They also have taken various steps to manage and monitor their child’s online activities, such as “friending” them, checking the websites they visit, checking their social network site profile, and using parental controls or other means of filtering and monitoring.  Even so, this does not always prevent online trouble for the teen.  This is apparent in the experience of my friend’s daughter.

The study reports that as teens get older, they begin to think about how things they post online may affect their future and reputation.  More than half of all teens say they have decided not to post something online because it may reflect badly on them.  Older teens who are preparing for college or the workforce report the highest levels of digital withholding.

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Podcasts

I played around with three podcasting tools: Soundcloud, Audioboo, and PodOmatic. Since I have been suffering from allergy-induced asthma (though my friends swear I have had pneumonia and am just too stubborn to go to the doctor), my voice recordings have been posted with much to be desired, I think.

 I decided that I would make a listening test for my ESL students who have just recently finished reading Charlotte's Web.  Since one of the components we rate ESL students on is Listening, this will make a great followup to the book.  They will listen to recordings of five characters (well, actually me pretending to be the characters) and record on their test paper which character is speaking.

Their answers will be based on what is being said, not the voice.

I recorded the character voices on the first one I examined, Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com.  The tool was easy to use and navigate.  The free account provides 120 minutes.  You need a microphone to record your voice.  The steps are as simple as Upload, Record, Stop, Upload, and Save.  You may insert an image, a title, and a description.  Now remember, my voice is raspy and harsh from my pneu-asthma and comes across as rather too loud, so you might want to turn down the volume.


After each character's words, the recording can be paused for students to write their answers.

The next tool I experimented with is Audioboo at https:audioboo.fm.  Because I didn't care to record character voices again (at least until my voice becomes sweet and melodic once more), I decided to record a voice that matched my own hoarse rasp.  Audioboo is very similar to Soundcloud.  You have the option to post to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Wordpress, or Blogger. When starting the recording process, you are reminded to have your microphone ready.

listen to ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ on Audioboo
I had a bit of difficulty working with the third tool, PodOmatic at www.podomatic.com.  I created an account and chose Create a Podcast.  I was directed to Select Media, but I didn't want to select media; I wanted to create it.  I found a tab at the top of the page that read Publish.  When I clicked it, a drop box opened from which I chose Create.  Not as user friendly as the other two, but then again I may not be a friendly user.  I gave my podcast a title and description, then proceeded to record.  Each time I Saved it, there was nothing there.  I may have been having connection problems.  I tried five or six times.  Each time I Saved, I was booted back to the sign-in page.  After so many tries, I think my normal speaking voice now sounds just like the Wicked Witch of the West!

Podcasting can be useful in education.  The library can place booktalks on their web page or post parent communications.  Besides using it for listening tests, teachers can use it to have students record their voices.  What fun!  They can practice using emotion as they recite poems expressively.  Actually, my students would have fun doing voices from Charlotte's Web.  They could choose their favorite passage, record it, and have other students guess Who is Speaking?