10. Playing with words in Wordle

Wordle is a Web 2.0 application which generates a word cloud from text the user provides. This then provides a visual picture, highlighting those terms which are most prominent in a particular body of text or blog site. This can provide for a lot of discussion based on the purposes of the text exploration.

For example, the ‘wordle’ below was created by inputting the famous ‘I have a dream’ speech of Martin Luther King Jr. It is interesting to see which words are most prominent as a result of this creation.

 

It is relatively simple to use Wordle.

• Simply go to the create page.
• Copy and enter some text in the box provided, or
• Copy a website address (e.g. a blog – since it has an RSS feed – not all web sites will work here), or
• Enter a Delicious username 
• Then click go or submit 
• (NB – this process requires Java to be enabled on your computer)
• You can then play with the design by changing font, colours, layout, etc.
• When you are happy with the design, the resulting ‘wordle’ can then be either printed and/or saved to the gallery with an appropriate name
• You can also capture the image created using a Print screen or Snipping tool if you don’t wish to save to the gallery.

Saving to the gallery is perfectly fine, as long as you remember how you name your images for later retrieval. When using a snipping feature, you must remember to acknowledge ‘Wordle’ with the creation of the image in the first place.

NB. If Wordle doesn’t work for you, make sure you have Java enabled. You can go to java.com to download the latest version. (See Justin if you still have difficulty) 

There are a wide variety of uses for ‘Wordle’ depending on the text type you put into it. You can generate:

• a sign for the classroom – using students’ and teacher’s names
• a specialist vocab list
• languages list
• place names
• brainstorm of key terms in a unit
• analysis of a piece of famous text
• analysis of the focus of your class program
• poster of synonyms and antonyms
• more???

# Exercise

1. Grab a piece of text or list of terms from which you would like to create an image (e.g Hamlet’s soliloquy?) and add it into ‘Wordle’. Then play with it till you like the effects. Capture the wordle by using ‘Print Screen’, copying into a Word document and cropping the image to size. Then add this to your blog, and comment on what you have chosen to capture, and why. (And how you might use it?)

2. Share other ways that ‘Wordle’ could be useful in educational settings.

NB. I would advise against allowing students to browse through the gallery, except under careful supervision. Anyone can and does use this tool, and some are not as nice as others. It is not a moderated web site.

# Extra

Many Eyes: Wordle, http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/page/Wordle.html Comment on what it is and how it works.

Education World: Wordle while you work, http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck030.shtml, Comment and examples of how teachers can use Wordle.

Wordle Word Clouds, http://tcoffey.edublogs.org/2008/08/17/wordle-word-clouds/ A teacher outlines uses of Wordle in practice.

 Wordle: Using word clouds in a lesson, http://www.boxoftricks.net/?p=103. Lots of ideas

5. Another option – FlickrCC

FlickrCC is a great tool for quickly searching Creative Commons Flickr photos (i.e. those images you can freely use). With an appealing format, it is easy to search and is faster than some other options. You can also use the editing tools at FlicrCC to size, crop and add text to the chosen image. It also enables easy attribution of the image (to the original site).

To use it, simply:

1. Find FlickrCC

2. Search for a keyword and select from the mosaic of thumbnails from Flickr. (Your selection shows at the right.)

3. Then you can select which size you want view, depending on your purpose.

4. Editing is done using ‘In House’ or ‘Picnik’ options – the latter requires registration as a user - just click the link for this. ‘In House’ gives you a screen where you can add credits to the picture, additional text, a border and more.

5. To use the image, just right-click and save to your hard drive, or copy into your documents.

 

# Exercise

1. Visit FlickrCC and search for an image to use on your blog. Explain why you chose this image and what you think of it in a new blogpost.

2. Comment below on which tool you might be more inclined to use and why. 

# Extra

Find Free Images Online, http://heyjude.wordpress.com/find-free-images-online/ Outline from Judy O’Connell of some of the tools to locate images online – including Flickr and FlickrCC

Getting More Out Of Flickr http://aquaculturepda.edublogs.org/tag/flickrcc/ More detail from Sue Waters about using Flickr and FlickrCC.

 

4. Using Flickr

Flickr is a photo sharing web site which enables you to store your photos, direct others to them and utilise the photos of others. It’s a place where you also edit photos, organise and create from them too.

Start by going on the Flickr Tour – http://www.flickr.com/tour/. This will explain how to:

• Upload photos
• Edit – using Picnik (another program)
• Organise your photos logically and tag them to find them easily.
• Share (or not) – you can also set up a group to share (use the tag emailed at the beginning of this course)
• Use your images to create things (like cards, albums, etc.)
• And allow people you know to keep in contact and comment on your private photos.

After viewing the tour, you can either simply browse through the photos and images of others, or begin to upload and organise your own collection.

Tag Clouds WordPress Featured Blog

Image above from Flickr

While care needs to be exercised when selecting images from Flickr to make sure you give credit to the work of others:

• you can include Flickr images on your blog.
• always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog – which is easy if you use some of the tools provided by Flickr.
• be careful what images you upload – especially with students in mind. Do you have permission to show their images online? (Child safety considerations included).

Tags

To find different photos you have uploaded, you can use tags. This is like a subject heading, which you make up, to help you locate things later. Do this when you first upload, or edit these tags in later. It can be anything you like, so it is personal to you, though sometimes it is useful to try common terms used by others also. (or perhaps concepts in use in class)

Groups

Using Groups allows easy sharing amongst a group of people – simply join a group, then double-click on a photo from your own collection, and click on send to group icon above the photo. If you don’t belong to a group, you can join from this point (if you know a group name) and then add your own images or comments on those of others.

N.B. Personally I would not use the Flickr upload to a blog, as it requires Flickr to have your username and password. Why not just upload your image from the original source to your blog? (I welcome your comments on this.)

# Exercise:

1. Sign up to Flickr, and upload at least one photo. If you upload more than one photo, you can try organising your photos into different sets. Click on the Organise tab, and you can edit a single photo, or many at one time.
2. Send one photo to our group (15 Things) after adding some comments about why you shared this as a group photo. (It will be set up as a private group and won’t come up on a group search.)
3. Write a comment on your blog after uploading an image from Flickr.

# Extra Information (worth reading)

1. Complete guide to using Flickr - comments on the ways to use Flickr.
2. Flickr Safety - discusses some issues to be aware of when using Flickr search with students (This is also a valuable site to watch with other Web 2.0 issues covered from an educational perspective).