Introduction to Tools
When beginning educators prepare their first classroom, they tend to focus on material acquisitions such as multicolored EXPO markers and posters. Although the physical learning environment is important to learners, have new teachers often failed to take into account the virtual environment they need to prepare for them as well? From Discussion One we learned according to Alyssa House’s analogy of the hammer that web-based productivity tools perform a “specific task” (House, 2016) to craft or create a product such as an application or a resource. We shared an array of tools that we prefer to use and discussed some that we were not so familiar with and how they could be implemented into our curriculum designs. Let’s look at two tools that can be used to enhance visual and multimedia learning for our students—Meme Generator and Word Cloud.
When beginning educators prepare their first classroom, they tend to focus on material acquisitions such as multicolored EXPO markers and posters. Although the physical learning environment is important to learners, have new teachers often failed to take into account the virtual environment they need to prepare for them as well? From Discussion One we learned according to Alyssa House’s analogy of the hammer that web-based productivity tools perform a “specific task” (House, 2016) to craft or create a product such as an application or a resource. We shared an array of tools that we prefer to use and discussed some that we were not so familiar with and how they could be implemented into our curriculum designs. Let’s look at two tools that can be used to enhance visual and multimedia learning for our students—Meme Generator and Word Cloud.
Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator )
Meme Generator is a tool favored by the millennial generation for creating a statement using a common image that emphasizes a certain cultural characteristic or a social concept. Oftentimes the images are snapped from something popularly recognized in the mainstream media such as an actor’s frozen gaze or a noteworthy citizen from a news story who has an appearance strongly illustrating an emotion. Sometimes the images are just people with exaggerated body movements like a baby with a serious face making a fist. In short, memes are human emojis.
Features
One of the better qualities of imgflip Meme Generator is the vast selection of preselected images saved in its library. Each image is titled so that the user has some idea of the connotation intended by the picture, so one does not goof and convey a mixed message. As an added bonus, designers can choose different fonts and vary the size of the font, plus insert additional text boxes. The software even offers the ability to craft pie charts, and gifs from images and videos.
Reason for Selecting This Tool
In an effort to challenge students to become better critical thinkers, educators are reminded that “Bloom’s higher-order skills are essential when communicating abstract thoughts through language” (Baker, 2015, p. 3). Using memes and other images “can help students hone these skills” (Baker, 2015, p.3). This tool could be used to create a visual representation of a theme in literature. Taking it one step further, scaffolding the meme projects would encourage the students to connect words represented by the image to real world occurrences or theoretical concepts (Baker, 2015,
p. 4).
Evaluation of the Tool
Content
Aside from political and religious commentary on already created memes existing in the meme
library, the basic images are appropriate for the classroom setting, the software is engaging and
uses multimedia elements such as full color images and words. Imgflip Meme Generator aligns
well with the standards requiring students to demonstrate comprehension, and
presentation of knowledge and ideas. This tool is not only fresh and current with
today’s trends, it can be an effective differentiation tool with visual, read-write,
and kinesthetic learners.
Support
Although Imgflip Meme Generator does not offer teacher materials, it does have a dedicated
support structure found under the “About” label at the bottom of the website. In this section
users are advised to either click the “feedback” tab on the top left side of the Create screen
or to contact them via email at [email protected]. The software updates regularly for free
and does not require user interaction.
Assessment
Because Imgflip Meme Generator is a non-traditional educational tool it lacks any assessment
capabilities. All content evaluations will be handled by either the instructor or through peer
appraisals. While it may seem to be a drawback because it lacks assessment means, it actually
creates an opportunity for “a productive peer-to-peer dialog, each partner builds upon the
contribution of the others, clarifies or challenges assertions, or asks and answers mutual
questions” (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 283)
Cost
The software is free for PC’s and so is the app for iPhone. Considering the ease for which one
can access, create and download the images along with the wide selection of images, it is a
great value that has been underestimated by educators. However, for $9.95 a month one can
purchase Imgflip PRO which allows for removal of the brand watermark, advertisements, lifetime
preservation of the image created, and some size restrictions are lifted. Of special importance, to
use the software did not require any further hardware purchases and was operable immediately
on a 2007 Samsung laptop. No account is required to use Imgflip Meme Generator.
Ease of Use
As soon as you click on the link to take you to Imgflip Meme Generator , you are in the working
screen and ready to begin your project. Navigate through the image library by clicking
on the arrow and scrolling side to side through a selection of images until you find the
one that meets your needs. Type in any required text if the assignment calls for it.
Click on the “Private” box, then “Generate Meme,” and “Download” it to a preferred
file on your computer or iPhone. It is a simple and easy to use tool that appeals to
pop culture enthusiasts and snarky eighth graders.
Reviews
No trial copies are needed to try out the basic website or the basic app—both are free.
The website has many favorable reviews for the online tool, but still has some bugs to
work out with app which tends to be glitchy and a bit limited.
Meme Generator is a tool favored by the millennial generation for creating a statement using a common image that emphasizes a certain cultural characteristic or a social concept. Oftentimes the images are snapped from something popularly recognized in the mainstream media such as an actor’s frozen gaze or a noteworthy citizen from a news story who has an appearance strongly illustrating an emotion. Sometimes the images are just people with exaggerated body movements like a baby with a serious face making a fist. In short, memes are human emojis.
Features
One of the better qualities of imgflip Meme Generator is the vast selection of preselected images saved in its library. Each image is titled so that the user has some idea of the connotation intended by the picture, so one does not goof and convey a mixed message. As an added bonus, designers can choose different fonts and vary the size of the font, plus insert additional text boxes. The software even offers the ability to craft pie charts, and gifs from images and videos.
Reason for Selecting This Tool
In an effort to challenge students to become better critical thinkers, educators are reminded that “Bloom’s higher-order skills are essential when communicating abstract thoughts through language” (Baker, 2015, p. 3). Using memes and other images “can help students hone these skills” (Baker, 2015, p.3). This tool could be used to create a visual representation of a theme in literature. Taking it one step further, scaffolding the meme projects would encourage the students to connect words represented by the image to real world occurrences or theoretical concepts (Baker, 2015,
p. 4).
Evaluation of the Tool
Content
Aside from political and religious commentary on already created memes existing in the meme
library, the basic images are appropriate for the classroom setting, the software is engaging and
uses multimedia elements such as full color images and words. Imgflip Meme Generator aligns
well with the standards requiring students to demonstrate comprehension, and
presentation of knowledge and ideas. This tool is not only fresh and current with
today’s trends, it can be an effective differentiation tool with visual, read-write,
and kinesthetic learners.
Support
Although Imgflip Meme Generator does not offer teacher materials, it does have a dedicated
support structure found under the “About” label at the bottom of the website. In this section
users are advised to either click the “feedback” tab on the top left side of the Create screen
or to contact them via email at [email protected]. The software updates regularly for free
and does not require user interaction.
Assessment
Because Imgflip Meme Generator is a non-traditional educational tool it lacks any assessment
capabilities. All content evaluations will be handled by either the instructor or through peer
appraisals. While it may seem to be a drawback because it lacks assessment means, it actually
creates an opportunity for “a productive peer-to-peer dialog, each partner builds upon the
contribution of the others, clarifies or challenges assertions, or asks and answers mutual
questions” (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 283)
Cost
The software is free for PC’s and so is the app for iPhone. Considering the ease for which one
can access, create and download the images along with the wide selection of images, it is a
great value that has been underestimated by educators. However, for $9.95 a month one can
purchase Imgflip PRO which allows for removal of the brand watermark, advertisements, lifetime
preservation of the image created, and some size restrictions are lifted. Of special importance, to
use the software did not require any further hardware purchases and was operable immediately
on a 2007 Samsung laptop. No account is required to use Imgflip Meme Generator.
Ease of Use
As soon as you click on the link to take you to Imgflip Meme Generator , you are in the working
screen and ready to begin your project. Navigate through the image library by clicking
on the arrow and scrolling side to side through a selection of images until you find the
one that meets your needs. Type in any required text if the assignment calls for it.
Click on the “Private” box, then “Generate Meme,” and “Download” it to a preferred
file on your computer or iPhone. It is a simple and easy to use tool that appeals to
pop culture enthusiasts and snarky eighth graders.
Reviews
No trial copies are needed to try out the basic website or the basic app—both are free.
The website has many favorable reviews for the online tool, but still has some bugs to
work out with app which tends to be glitchy and a bit limited.
Word Cloud (http://www.wordclouds.com/)
Ever wanted to create a colorful collage of thematically connected words and perhaps design them in a clever, symbolic shape? Word Cloud would seem to be designed just for that purpose with the exception that it does not offer any type of teacher resources or assessments.
Features
It is almost as though Word Cloud was designed with educators in mind. The site is very much school appropriate, colorful and loaded with easy to access options. The software is colorful and engaging, and the images are generic, lending itself to a lot of opportunity for creativity.
Reason for Selecting This Tool
The Word Cloud app is simple to use and requires very little of your pc system unlike some of the other apps I tried. Besides the cutesy aspect of creating a quick, thematic word cloud, an educator might consider using it to support the writing process as an editing tool. “Because repeated words are larger than others, the word cloud is an ideal way of showing pupils their limited range of vocabulary” thereby encouraging students to seek synonyms for words they are overusing (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 582). Students in the study were encouraged to use the word cloud as a “self-assessment” tool and “to support peer assessment” in the classroom (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 582). Even better, the “pupils had developed skills in collaboration and evaluating their learning. They had worked together in what they deemed to be a fun way to produce their writing through less conventional methods” (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 583). In the study, elementary language arts students found this method of peer-assessment to be liberating because they were able to address concerns with a peers writing without worrying about causing undue grief. Likewise, using the tool to self-assess, enabled the language arts students to see their repetitious use of a word because it was larger than other words due to the program’s built in capacity to make overused words bigger than less frequently used words.
Evaluation of the Tool
Content
The geniuses at Word Cloud must have been educators or married to educators when
they came up with the idea for this tool. Aside from being school appropriate for all age levels,
the software is simple enough that it does not frustrate the user making it quite engaging.
It is intuitive in that it simulates most frequently used words by enlarging them. It provides
visual, read-write, and kinesthetic learners a differentiated opportunity to plan, view and edit
each word cloud creation—aligning it well with listening and viewing standards for education.
The images are generic and never go out of date, plus the software offers the creator the
ability to upload and use an image of their own.
Support
Although the site does not offer teacher materials or manuals, the company did anticipate
some of the complications that might arise when using their software, so they set up a FAQ
tab at the top of the website. It covers the simplest topics like changing font size and color,
as well as, the more complicated topics such as embedding word clouds and software
conflicts with OpenOffice documents. I even discovered that I could add links to the words
if I enter a URL after the word in the word list—WOW, the opportunity is there for web quests!
Assessment
In the study conducted by Frunzeanu, elementary language arts students found this method of
peer-assessment to be liberating because they were able to address concerns with a peers
writing without worrying about causing undue grief (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 583). Likewise, using
the tool to self-assess, enabled the language arts students to see their repetitious use of a word
because it was larger than other words due to the program’s built in capacity to make overused
words bigger than less frequently used words. Some students even caught spelling errors better
using a word cloud.
Cost
It is FREE. The use of the site and the image you create is FREE. No extra downloads are
required. And, I know I mentioned this already, but it is all FREE!
Ease of Use
Go to the Word Cloud website. Click on the “File” tab with the drop down arrow. Click
“Paste/Type text,” then enter the words from your document into the word list followed a click
on “Apply.” The words appear in the center of the white field. From there you can select any
colors or fonts you desire. Save it by clicking on the “File” tab again. I always choose the
“Save as PDF” format, but other options are available. If you do not wish to save your new
creation for use in some other document or a presentation, you can choose to print it.
TIP: I like to save my word list in a Word file on my computer, so I can edit it and resubmit it
quickly to make changes.
Reviews
No trial copies are needed to use the website. I did try to locate it in the app store for my
iPhone, but there is not an app for this one yet. I can say that I tried several different types of
texts such as poems, short stories, and random terms. At first it appeared that words were
missing, so I learned to adjust the position of the words and the size of the text with the click
of a tab or two, and it all worked out fine. However, I was disappointed when I tried to upload a
different shape and it did not work for me. That will require a little more practice and I will need
to read the FAQ page too.
Conclusion
These two tools, though not designed for traditional educational purposes, are excellent for reaching visual, read write, and kinesthetic students who benefit from the stimulation of visual literacy and multimedia literacy instruction. Each tool is flexible enough to be applied to a variety of curriculums and appeal to the learners’ creative side. They are edgy and modern. They qualify as tools becaue they are used “to create” resources from which the students to learn (Baylen, 2016). Scaffolding lessons using Imgflip Meme Generator and WordClouds affords educators with a means of building critical thinking skills through the “evaluation of products or ideas” (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 341).
References
Baker, L. (2015). How Many Words Is a Picture Worth? Integrating Visual Literacy in Language with
Photographs. English Teaching Forum, v53 n4 p2-13.
Baylen, D. (2016, June 15). Speech presented with Go to Meeting online, Carrollton.
Clark, R. C., Mayer, R. E., & ebrary, I. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines
for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Pfeiffer.
Frunzeanu, M. (2015). Using Wikis, Word Clouds and Web Collaboration in Romanian Primary Schools.
Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180(The 6th International Conference Edu World
2014 “Education Facing Contemporary World Issues”. 7th-9th November 2014). 580-585.
House, A. (2016). House+Ideas. Message posted to House Discussion One Definition of Tool.
Ever wanted to create a colorful collage of thematically connected words and perhaps design them in a clever, symbolic shape? Word Cloud would seem to be designed just for that purpose with the exception that it does not offer any type of teacher resources or assessments.
Features
It is almost as though Word Cloud was designed with educators in mind. The site is very much school appropriate, colorful and loaded with easy to access options. The software is colorful and engaging, and the images are generic, lending itself to a lot of opportunity for creativity.
Reason for Selecting This Tool
The Word Cloud app is simple to use and requires very little of your pc system unlike some of the other apps I tried. Besides the cutesy aspect of creating a quick, thematic word cloud, an educator might consider using it to support the writing process as an editing tool. “Because repeated words are larger than others, the word cloud is an ideal way of showing pupils their limited range of vocabulary” thereby encouraging students to seek synonyms for words they are overusing (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 582). Students in the study were encouraged to use the word cloud as a “self-assessment” tool and “to support peer assessment” in the classroom (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 582). Even better, the “pupils had developed skills in collaboration and evaluating their learning. They had worked together in what they deemed to be a fun way to produce their writing through less conventional methods” (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 583). In the study, elementary language arts students found this method of peer-assessment to be liberating because they were able to address concerns with a peers writing without worrying about causing undue grief. Likewise, using the tool to self-assess, enabled the language arts students to see their repetitious use of a word because it was larger than other words due to the program’s built in capacity to make overused words bigger than less frequently used words.
Evaluation of the Tool
Content
The geniuses at Word Cloud must have been educators or married to educators when
they came up with the idea for this tool. Aside from being school appropriate for all age levels,
the software is simple enough that it does not frustrate the user making it quite engaging.
It is intuitive in that it simulates most frequently used words by enlarging them. It provides
visual, read-write, and kinesthetic learners a differentiated opportunity to plan, view and edit
each word cloud creation—aligning it well with listening and viewing standards for education.
The images are generic and never go out of date, plus the software offers the creator the
ability to upload and use an image of their own.
Support
Although the site does not offer teacher materials or manuals, the company did anticipate
some of the complications that might arise when using their software, so they set up a FAQ
tab at the top of the website. It covers the simplest topics like changing font size and color,
as well as, the more complicated topics such as embedding word clouds and software
conflicts with OpenOffice documents. I even discovered that I could add links to the words
if I enter a URL after the word in the word list—WOW, the opportunity is there for web quests!
Assessment
In the study conducted by Frunzeanu, elementary language arts students found this method of
peer-assessment to be liberating because they were able to address concerns with a peers
writing without worrying about causing undue grief (Frunzeanu, 2014, p. 583). Likewise, using
the tool to self-assess, enabled the language arts students to see their repetitious use of a word
because it was larger than other words due to the program’s built in capacity to make overused
words bigger than less frequently used words. Some students even caught spelling errors better
using a word cloud.
Cost
It is FREE. The use of the site and the image you create is FREE. No extra downloads are
required. And, I know I mentioned this already, but it is all FREE!
Ease of Use
Go to the Word Cloud website. Click on the “File” tab with the drop down arrow. Click
“Paste/Type text,” then enter the words from your document into the word list followed a click
on “Apply.” The words appear in the center of the white field. From there you can select any
colors or fonts you desire. Save it by clicking on the “File” tab again. I always choose the
“Save as PDF” format, but other options are available. If you do not wish to save your new
creation for use in some other document or a presentation, you can choose to print it.
TIP: I like to save my word list in a Word file on my computer, so I can edit it and resubmit it
quickly to make changes.
Reviews
No trial copies are needed to use the website. I did try to locate it in the app store for my
iPhone, but there is not an app for this one yet. I can say that I tried several different types of
texts such as poems, short stories, and random terms. At first it appeared that words were
missing, so I learned to adjust the position of the words and the size of the text with the click
of a tab or two, and it all worked out fine. However, I was disappointed when I tried to upload a
different shape and it did not work for me. That will require a little more practice and I will need
to read the FAQ page too.
Conclusion
These two tools, though not designed for traditional educational purposes, are excellent for reaching visual, read write, and kinesthetic students who benefit from the stimulation of visual literacy and multimedia literacy instruction. Each tool is flexible enough to be applied to a variety of curriculums and appeal to the learners’ creative side. They are edgy and modern. They qualify as tools becaue they are used “to create” resources from which the students to learn (Baylen, 2016). Scaffolding lessons using Imgflip Meme Generator and WordClouds affords educators with a means of building critical thinking skills through the “evaluation of products or ideas” (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 341).
References
Baker, L. (2015). How Many Words Is a Picture Worth? Integrating Visual Literacy in Language with
Photographs. English Teaching Forum, v53 n4 p2-13.
Baylen, D. (2016, June 15). Speech presented with Go to Meeting online, Carrollton.
Clark, R. C., Mayer, R. E., & ebrary, I. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines
for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Pfeiffer.
Frunzeanu, M. (2015). Using Wikis, Word Clouds and Web Collaboration in Romanian Primary Schools.
Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180(The 6th International Conference Edu World
2014 “Education Facing Contemporary World Issues”. 7th-9th November 2014). 580-585.
House, A. (2016). House+Ideas. Message posted to House Discussion One Definition of Tool.