Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Did Web 2.0 turn into Web 3.0 and nobody told me? I feel like I'm in a technology marathon racing toward the finish line of my technology course. Of course there is no finish line … technology will just keep evolving. So why fight it?

Source: theguardian.com

When I first started this course just seven weeks ago, I couldn't even imagine what “integrating technology into the curriculum” could possibly mean. Suffice it to say, I am now enlightened to the fact that technology does indeed have a place in the classroom. First and foremost, however, the question must always be asked - what is the learning goal at hand and will this technology tool help. 

After learning about QR Codes, Glogster, Tagxedo, ThingLink, YouTube, Blabberize, BibMe, Curriculet, and Prezi, to name a few, I can see how today’s learner would embrace these tools. A field-test validated my opinion on this. Perhaps it's to be expected that digital tools, in general, appeal to the digital generation of learners. Some of these tools seem to be geared more toward helping the teacher organize and share content, but they also serve to engage the students. A short list is Popplet, Polleverywhere, Wikispaces, and Prezi.

Source:haydenwilcox.edublogs.org

I also found there is an opportunity to use technology when differentiating learning. This is especially important for students with learning disabilities and other special needs. For example, if a student struggles with handwriting and copying notes, it would make sense to provide the opportunity to do this on a laptop. If students are reluctant to write down assignments in their planner or notebook, the assignment can be posted via a QR code. The student scans it, and it will be on their phone. It really surprised me how easy creating a QR code is. Before this class I saw them as mysterious secret messages created by a large corporations, something akin to a UPC code.

I have a list of no less than 30 technologies we covered in the past seven weeks. Many of these technologies were the subject of my blog, or I used them to create this blog. Since I have a professional web site now (smile) I can point you in the direction of the Cool Tools tab if you want to check some of these out for yourself. 

There's a saying, "Take what you like, and leave the rest." How do you know what you like if you don't keep an open mind and consider the possibilities?

Tech-Tac-Toe ... Tagxedo Word Clouds

I used Tagxedo word clouds for learning vocabulary words. The topic I chose was the News2You  weekly topic, which was the 2014 World Cup that will be held in Brazil. News2You is an online newspaper for Special Education, in this case, a high school Transitional Life Skills class. 

In addition to the usual worksheets and activities that accompany vocabulary, using a word cloud gives students extra practice with their their typing, spelling, keyboarding, and computer skills. Not to mention the sense of accomplishment!

Personal Tagxedo with Vocabulary Words

Tagxedo is free and can be found at www.tagxedo.com. I found this tool much easier to use over Wordle, which I thought was the only game in town for word clouds. The other tool I looked at was Tagul, and it looked promising as well. What Tagxedo offers is a user-friendly interface and plenty of examples. Once the words are entered, click "Create", and the tool walks you right through the process. After clicking "Submit", the cloud is ready for personalization with color, font, and shape options.

I was thrilled at how easy it was to save the Tagxedo in any number of sizes and formats. Once saved, it can be printed or shared just like any other jpg.

Personal copy of Tagxedo word cloud.

Once again, I was reminded that when a learning activity is put into motion, the creative thought process for students and teachers kicks into gear. As you can imagine, the students did not need much encouragement to play around with colors, fonts, and shapes. Some of the students that I didn't think would be able to follow the instructions really surprised me. No doubt, a lot of instruction is needed for this audience, but  I see this is an opportunity to encourage student helping student.

 Take a look at a Tagxedo a student put together. Emma happens to like music and the color pink.

Personal copy of Tagxedo word cloud.

Another creative tool to be on the look-out for is "Poligonian". I found this after I visited Tagxedo's Facebook page. Poligonian is in beta, and only works with a Chrome browser. If you check it out, be sure to scroll down and look at all the images. Amazing.