A word cloud is a useful way of visualising a large text in a more pleasing way. It shows the most frequent words used throughout the text.  

Here are just a few ideas on how you could use word clouds in your studies:

• Use to summarise a topic – good for  revising/learning a topic for exam revision
• Comparing different texts on the same topic – look at the same story in different newspapers (website) and compare the wordle clouds produced – how do the words used differ? how does the reporting differ?
• Self-reflection on work – use to see at a glance which words or phrases you are over-using in your writing and then edit your task before you submit it for assessment
• Use to analyse the content and main ideas of a longer written text, especially when beginning a new topic or preparing for an exam 
• To introduce new vocabulary or to memorise new vocabulary/vocabulary lists

As part of our term 2 classwork we are preparing entries for the 2011 design project at Google …

“At Google, we like to reflect the ever-changing world of our users through the logo designs on our homepage. These ‘doodles’ celebrate different people, events or special dates and are designed by a team of Google Doodlers.

In 2011, we’re asking young people from across Australia to design their own doodle. This year’s theme is ‘My Future Australia’. We’d love to see what young people want the future of Australia to look like.”

Follow this link to find instructions for setting up an iGoogle account. This account allows you to personalise your usage of Google and the variety of tools available.

Set up your own account. Personalise it by adding tools to your home page. Add links to your IST blog. Add classmates’ blog addresses to Google Reader so that you can be alerted to their updates on topics of interest to you in IST.

Alice is a 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a  less frustrating programming experience.

Have a look through the site and while you’re there consider what you might recommend about it to other teachers and students in our Middle and Senior School. Use this link to assist you to develop a 200 word review of the Alice website. Post your finished review onto your Blog.

Reviewing a Website

1. Does it perform what it is intended to?
2. Are the graphics appropriate to the theme and intention of the website?
3. Who would be the intended audience?
4. Is the site easy to navigate through?
5. Are the different pages arranged in logical and accessible manner?
6. Appearance?

• Titles and sub-headings
• Colour theme
• Graphics
• Multimedia

1. Costs to the user?
2. Which school subjects we might use it in?
3. Feedback/support for users?

10. Personal recommendations

• Overall impression
• Opinion

1. Find a newspaper website
2. Choose an article that is of interest to you
3. Read
4. Research any necessary background information
5. Write a POST for your blog in which you EITHER inform us OR propose an opinion about the article you read.
6. Include a hyperlink to the original article
7. Include an appropriate illustration
8. Write an eye-catching title for your post
9. Visit the blogs of two of your classmates
10. Read and then write a thoughtful comment in response to their post

Your second blogging task is to introduce our local area to those who might visit your blog. Think about what you would like to promote as being your favourite places and pasttimes or recommendations for people to visit when they travel to the bay. Alternately think about what you can show overseas readers to demonstrate the unique qualities and features of where we live…

In today’s lesson you will work through the PAGE above titled “Friday 23rd July”. This will work you through how to develop a really good post that will invite your readers to engage more closely with you and your blog. It’s always a good idea to include an eye-catching title and graphic as well. I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and WYSIWYG page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local multifunction peripheral output and distribution.

The term “desktop publishing” is commonly used to describe page layout skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to paper and book publishing. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for point of sale displays, promotional items, trade show exhibits, retail package designs and outdoor signs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_publishing 19/05/11)

1. In your Text Book read through the “Desktop Publishing” task on p 181 and then go on to read pp 181-187
2. Begin working on “Desktop Publishing” task on p 181
3. This task will take 2-3 lessons plus some homework time so plan carefully and in detail.

You may work with a partner or in a small group providing each person has a clearly designated role and work to do at all times.