Creative Synthesis: My Word Cloud

Part One: Creative Synthesis

Footprint of my inquiry based responses 

This "wordle" image is my final creative representation of my learning, it is a synthesis of my communication blog. 


Part 2: Creative explanation

Reflection Blogs, Wordles and course themes

I chose to create a blog as my creative synthesis with a summative ‘Wordle’ in the shape of a footprint to visually represent my inquiries.  Blogs and Wordles can be used in the curriculum in various ways  and I chose to focus on how technology can be integrated into the curriculum for this final synthesis, and reference applicable elements of this course, because my job is to support information literacy for the whole school community (teachers, students, parents).

A blog is an amazing technology tool that allows all of us to extend our thinking and create responses or postings in an engaging format that is visually appealing. It reminds me of online scrap booking but thankfully I do not create the mess or need to buy the supplies! In a blog I can insert images and links to relevant articles and add personal touches that make it meaningful. Wordles are formed from all of the text (any kind of text such as a document, website, blog) and then generate an image (known as a word cloud) of the key words, adding size and colour to the higher frequency words. 

Being fairly new to blogging I read several articles before I created my own. I read an article titled Blogomania searching for the definition of blogs. I wondered if they were online portfolios and journals or if they were set up like websites with interactive components. Oatman (2005) said people blog   “because blogging—adding entries to an online journal or commenting on them—is fun, empowering, inexpensive, and practically effortless. Individual entries, called posts in bloggerese, are generally short—easy to write, quick to read. They pop up on the monitor in reverse chronological order, giving you the choice of passing over earlier arrivals. Every post is automatically date and time stamped. Hyperinks (there's usually at least one in each post) let you access items the writer refers to with a click of the mouse” (p. 37).

During my research I found an interesting article called Go with the flow written by Michelle Boulle (2008) written in the School Library Journal on how to introduce social software, blogs and Wikis, to your school or library.  “Social software can enhance the learning process and reach students in mediums they use everyday. When encountering resistance to using these tools in the classroom remember that it stems from fear and lack of knowledge” (Boule, 2008, p. 52).  Boulle (2008) states that students “demonstrate creativity, learn technology and communication skills and come into contact with diverse viewpoints…networking sites operate like a community “ (p. 52).

Boulle (2008) suggested this blog to visit:

http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=119124 and I loved it. She has organized a main page where she explains all the entries on the student blogs. For example, on the main page it says students studied weather and made their own forecast, she says check the student blogs for the forecast.  So I checked a few of the student blogs and they are all sequentially organized by assignments. As a parent or family member this is so neat! A Grandma across the country could watch her granddaughters’ projects and read her thoughts with very little effort. This is a wonderful example of a classroom blog. 

 I am beginning to understand the definition of “social networking” sites and the communicative power they have to bring people together. The last article I read was This Blog's for You: Ten of the Best Blogs for Folks Who Take Kids' Lit Seriously (but Not Too Seriously). Many of the blogs Bird (2009) suggests  “haven’t a single unifying goal aside from the wish to contribute something to the conversation about the best literature out there for kids" (p.28).

Of the ten blogs she suggested, nine were still active and as I looked at the blogs I looked for authority, accuracy, criterion, currency and coverage as suggested in an earlier course. Overall I have learned a few things that I like in blogs- I like humor, I like opinion and I like relevant content suitable for an elementary school library and I love pictures and visual representation.

Setting up a blog at school or in the library requires deliberate thought and planning. Education communities considering implementing social networking are often fearful of personal information disclosure and students accessing inappropriate sites.  According to McPherson (2005), “information challenges facing children accessing internet information are stereotyping, violence, online hate, unethical views, harassment, unreliable information, invasion of privacy, pornography, online crime and false arguments”(p. 108) so why wouldn’t the educational community be fearful of bringing social networking software into their schools. According to McPherson (2005) teaching Internet critical literacy should begin in the early years and can be developed through a variety of activities. As we learned in one module “Cyber bullying has moved bullying from the schoolyard to a worldwide audience” (Frieschele et al., 2008, p. 30) and as learners adopt more online forms of technology educators need to be equipped with the knowledge to support and prevent bullying.

I found several of the control features useful in creating a blog and no one is able to make comments if they are not invited or the function is enables. Blogs can still be socially responsible forms of social networking. Boule (2008) states teaching privacy and safety in a controlled setting, having students use unrelated personal names, develop policy or have student’s develop policy and self-police, and perhaps purchasing software to avoid pop ups with external links are all strategies to avoid personal information disclosure and inappropriate site access. I really connected to her comment that “ certain ages may require more or less teacher supervision, [but] allowing students some measure of control will create a sense of ownership and participation, a true community” (p. 52). I think creating situations where students need to be accountable, are knowledgeable of the required skills and have the freedom to create something of their own” are really engaged in learning.

Originally, in the "Taking Stock" response I had been drawn to making comparisons between moving into a new house and literacy. I had written, "Just as I know literacy- I know how to teach children to read and write but I do not know how I can use technology to do this.  I will continue to make connections between the articles and my own 21 st century literacy exploration. I hope to create some kind of visual image or poem at the end of this course to summarize my " literacy" house. " 

When I finished the last article response I began searching for a creative representation that was summative, that still honored the hours of design and visual elements I had added to the blog, and to each posting, but the literacy house image was just not the right fit.  Then I came across the tool "Wordle". 

Using Wordle I was able to pull it all together and provide my blog link as the text, and the software generates "word clouds".  The word clouds that stand out appear larger and more defined, are the words that more appear more frequently in the text (my blog). I was able to create different images and change the font and color based on my own words. What I love about this Wordle is that all of these words are things I have more questions about. I created a footprint image because this course has changed the way I hope to leave my mark as the teacher librarian. Through this course several modules refered to the power of image and that has changed the way I look at text and library activities.

In the first module, new technology for new learners we were introduced to the idea that text is more than just the written word and depending on the embedded image it can have multiple meanings. In the article Finding space and time for the visual in K-12 literacy instruction Hassett & Schieble (2007) shared  “examples from picture books and graphic novels, [and] they expand[ed] our understanding of how readers extend three cueing systems—graphophonic, semantic, and syntactic—to negotiate multiple levels of meaning in visual text” (Hassett, & Schieble, 2007, p.62). The authors also presented the idea that “the text-image relationship, then, requires an active reader to make meaning using his or her sociocultural knowledge and background to make the images come alive in relation to the print” (Hassett, & Schieble, 2007, p.66) as readers face print that is dominated by images. My blog posts have images embedded within them to create further inquiry and dialogue. My  Wordle’s image of a footprint is meant to have meaning on many levels. 

The Wordle is purposefully full of different shades, literacy is not black and white and what works for some children does not work for others. Students is the word that stands out the most and that is the way it should be. I am a student centered teacher and throughout this course many of the authors’ main ideas behind their articles or videos reflect the importance of reaching every learner.In a society where, “new knowledge in every discipline is increasing exponentially every moment….Students need to be metacognitively aware of themselves as learners, able to monitor their learning and set goals to push their learning forward. Today's classrooms need to engage students in their learning through authentic, relevant inquiry” (Snapshots of Effective Practice, Curriculum Services Canada, 2011). 

Luke’s (2011) Critical Literacy speech made me shift the way I ask students to look at images and ask questions. He believes a critically literate society is something we can all build through simply adjusting our teaching strategies to share with our students the power of questioning. A Wordle is an interesting way to start a dialogue about the "hidden" image, the meaning of text and how colour, size and shape impact one's emotional response because the shape is based on manipulation of the words. Grocery flyers, shopping flyers and newspapers all use text to communicate multiple levels of meaning. A Wordle could easily be created of student's initial thoughts about critical literacy, and then after several lessons, a second Wordle could be created and comparisons could be examined. For example, the footprint image implies movement and that it is just a ‘snapshot’ at one time. A footprint changes over time and the road traveled also changes. Shoes, terrain, weight, age are all factors that change the footprint just as language, color, image all change the way text looks. Students need the skills to critically look at images and think about them in various capacities. 

In the 5th module I watched the literature circle webcast and saw the excitement of students discussing their literature circle. I noticed the many ways the teacher embedded technology into the curriculum.  In the webcast the teacher shared a collaboratively developed classroom definition of critical literacy, which was clearly student developed and very comprehensive. I can see a classroom connection between Wordles and literature responses. Wordles might be an interesting way for students to communicate what they think the theme of the story is if they posted all of their responses to a blog or used an author's website to generate the Wordle as a summative discussion piece. 

Snapshots of effective practice. Primary literacy clips was a neat video clip to watch. I saw many ways the teachers engaged the students and encouraged emerging writing. After watching the students jump out of their seats for a turn to use the smartboard marker I think students would love writing in blogs. It is an online journal and students can make it very visually appealing without being artistic. This is something I always struggle with. I like the idea of having a blog for book responses where students can write their responses or book reviews to a group and it can be linked from our home library page. 

I hope my footprint image will remind me of the inquiries that many elements of this course have spring boarded. I chose to explore the power of multimodal resources throughout this course and I was always drawn to the articles that examined the role of visual literacy.

Changes in direction related to my teaching theory or practice, which I had recorded in Assignment #1

I wrote “I am excited to learn how to use pod and web casts and many other forms of interactive technology to motivate and allow students to express and communicate in new ways.  I want to explore what is lost and what is gained when we move towards this digital form of representation. The connection between reading and writing is critical for our learners but we must teach them to use writing in relevant ways. I see more online manipulation of text, as opposed to pen and pencil editing, now that students have access to word processing programs. I wonder how technology and web 2.0 tools impact writing instruction in the elementary program. As I progress through this course I hope to expand my knowledge base about writing strategies in the 21st century".

As I have worked on this blog and thought about what is lost as we integrate technology into the curriculum I have begun to realize it is not about losing anything it is about continuing to work together. Students are still creating group presentations, they are just using video and teachers are still “uncovering” the curriculum but may be accessing resources such as web quests or online encyclopedias. The social cueing system may be different when a class  corresponds with another class about a topic of study through podcasts and video conferencing.  I do still wonder about writing with pencils and papers, I wonder what the future is for this in schools. I have always believed there is something magical about books but I have learned  there is also something magical about interactive books and graphic novels.  The writing snapshots I saw resembled a regular writing lesson with the exception of the smart board. Everything looked integrated and balanced.   As I like to live my life, everything in moderation. 

References

Arsenault, A. & Doiron, R. (2005). Developing a full literacy partnership. In Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. Literacy, libraries and learning. Eds. Markham ON: Pembroke Publishers.19-32.

Bird, E. (2009). This Blog's for You: Ten of the Best Blogs for Folks Who Take Kids' Lit Seriously (but Not Too Seriously). School Library Journal, 55(11), 26-29. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

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Boule, M. (2008). GO WITH THE FLOW. School Library Journal, 54(11), 50-52. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

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Curriculum Services Canada. (March 31, 2011) Snapshots of effective practice. Building global mindedness. Retrieved September 11, 2011

Curriculum Services Canada. (2011). Snapshots of effective practice. Primary literacy clips. Retrieved October 7, 2011 from: http://resources.curriculum.org/secretariat/snapshots/primaryliteracy.html

Doiron, R., & Asselin, M. (2005). Literacy, libraries and learning. Ontario, Canada: Pembroke Publishers Limited.

Froeschle, J.G.; Mayorga, M.; Castillo, Y.; & Hargrove, T. (2008). Strategies to prevent and heal the mental anguish caused by cyberbullying. Middle School Journal, March, 30-35. 

Hassett, D.W. & Schieble, M. (2007). Finding space and time for the visual in K-12 literacy instruction. English Journal 97, 1, 62-68.

Luke, A. (2011). Critical literacy. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://resources.curriculum.org/secretariat/snapshots/learners.html

McPherson, K. (2005). Of course it's true! I found it on the Internet: Fostering Children's online critical literacy. In Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. Literacy, libraries and learning. Eds. Markham ON: Pembroke Publishers. 107-115.

Oatman, E. (2005). Blogomania!. School Library Journal, 51(8), 36-39. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

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