4. Wordle

4. Wordle

Wordle is another of those tools that may have begun life as an online novelty, but which canny teachers have since co-opted for use in the classroom. You'll no doubt have encountered Wordle clouds before; those intriguing little bundles of various-sized words visually showing which terms are the most frequently used in a section of text.

Below is a wordle I made using Wilfred's Owen's Dulce et Decorum est: See what words stand out?

 

Ideas for use: How about this as a fresh way to kick-start a Citizenship, Politics, Sociology or General Studies lesson? You can create Wordles in seconds by pasting the text from on line newspaper articles, then use them as a springboard for discussion. Key Stage 4 and 5 Media Studies and English Language students could make a series of Wordles using articles from different news outlets that cover the same story to instigate a discussion on register, diction and media bias.

Wordle can also be used to carry out snapshot classroom polls, making lists of useful terms, or as an icebreaking activity for new pupils: they can make Wordles from lists of their favourite things.

Key Stage 4 and 5 Language and Literature teachers can paste chapters of copyright-free novels into Wordle to create lexis clouds that demonstrate the diction chosen by a particular novelist, playwright or poet. The text of political speeches can be similarly uploaded for lessons on persuasive writing and the power of repetition.

Alternative Tagxedo is a tool with the same basic idea, and the added option of making your word clouds in various shapes (perfect for grouping together themed Modern Foreign Languages vocabulary and making attractive wall displays).

Read more: 10 free online tools for teaching and learning | Education | Features | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/372979/10-free-online-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/3#ixzz2FRLadkJF

3. Wallwisher

3. Wallwisher

What is it? One of the main issues I have found when asking students to respond to a stimulus or discussion point, is collating their responses on the board in an effective way. One way around bits of paper floating about or the dreaded flip chart is a free website called Wallwisher. The site allows you to create custom digital notice boards, which have individual URLs, so students can create digital Post-it notes. Notes can be arranged as you wish on the board, allowing for the grouping of ideas and themes. Students can insert their names on each post or they can be left anonymous. Furthermore, each post can have multimedia rich content added to them, an image or a even a YouTube video. As each board has its own URL, it should always be available to view and refer back to for future revision sessions.

Where can it be used? Mainly for starters or plenaries.

Created with Wallwisher

2. Prezi

2. Prezi

What is it? Wow your students with this alternative presentation application. In most cases using PowerPoint in your classroom does exactly the job you need. However, if you want to really dazzle your audience, then look no further than Prezi. Prezi offers you an endless scroll of digital paper, offering a non-linear environment to present ideas in a different way. Prezi has changed a great deal in two years, so if you haven't tried it recently then I would urge you to revisit the site. Prezi now offers you the option to customise your presentations in a more bespoke way, so creating your own theme is now possible. One of my frustrations with Prezi in the past was its clunky editing tools. Where matching up text sizes was very difficult, the improvements now make copying and pasting significantly easier. Furthermore, they have improved the navigation options which means setting up your Prezi is now very simple to create and edit.

Where can it be used? As your main class presentation

Cost: Education Enjoy licence is free and is the one I have always used

1. Slideshare

This Blog will feature tips and tricks on how to get the most out of the Moodle VLE.

The main staple staff asked to be able to do on the VLE was putting up resources easily where pupils can access them. This is done through “add file” on your pages, allowing them to download or open Word documents or PowerPoint files. Though here is the other method I mentioned – Slideshare.

1. Slideshare
This method has you upload your PowerPoint files to the Slideshare website (sign up for a free account) and then you can embed the PowerPoints so they can be viewed in the page of the VLE. This can then be downloaded, emailed or just read on the screen while they take notes or see what the homework was.

See below for an example from year 12 Media Studies.

12 social games from Gc Howard