Wordle

What is Wordle? According to the Wordle web site, "Wordle is a toy for generating 'word clouds' from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends."

You can create a Wordle from text you input. Wordle will also analyze a blog, blog feed, or any other web page that has an Atom or RSS feed. (Not sure what RSS is? Ask me!)

Here is a Wordle created from the text of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death."




In the September 2008 issue of the New Hampshire Society for Technical Education newsletter, Nancy Keane describes 50 ways for using a Wordle in your classroom.

I would encourage you to explore Wordle. Read the FAQ on the Wordle to learn more about its features. Keep in mind though that Wordle is not filtered so beware when you are searching the Wordle gallery. You may want to create your Wordle ahead of time. If you are using a Promethean board, this post from ActivEducator blog talks about Wordle. Here are some ideas from the Promethean Planet forum as well.

You Can Vote However You Like

As a Personal PDP opportunity, some SHS teachers are reading and discussing The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. Appropriate to Election Day, here is a video of students from the Ron Clark Academy performing "You Can Vote However You Like."

Blog the Vote

I vote because I feel lucky to be an American and have the right to vote (a right that was not awarded to women until 1920). I like to think that my vote counts. Some disagree, but read about these Americans who have gone to great lengths (and expense) to be able to vote in our election on Tuesday, November 4. Think about it!

Blogging Books

Dairy Queen

By Catherine Murdock

I am SO glad this is a series, because I did not want this book to end! You will love the main character D.J. Schwenk for her humor and determination. Your heart will ache for her as she gives up practically everything in her life to take on the enormous responsibility of running the family farm. You will cheer her on as she trains Brian, the rival high school's quarterback and decides to try out for her own high school’s football team. This is a book I think a lot of young women can relate to. The main character struggles with who she really is and where she fits in and I believe that is a battle few women escape.

Blogging Books

Three Little Words: A Memoir
By Ashley Rhodes-Courter

This was a very inspirational read. I experienced a roller coaster of emotions while reading this book, sadness, anger, pity, happiness, and triumph. This is the true story about a girl trapped and shuffled around in the foster care system for nine years. Between the agonizing memories of being taken her mother and the horrible experiences she goes through in some of her many foster homes, three little words is all it takes to change everything. You will have to read it to find out what they are… the “three little words” are not what you think!

Teen Read Week

Welcome to Teen Read Week, an initiative of the American Library Association.
"Why is it important to celebrate? For a lot of reasons! Teens have so many options for entertainment, so it's important to remind them to spend time reading for pleasure: it's free, fun, and can be done anywhere! Research shows that teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce. Also, it’s a great chance to let your school or your public library communities know how important teen services are! Let teens know the possibilities that exist within your doors, and within the covers of books." (Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2008/index.cfm)

To celebrate Teen Read Week, we are creating a bulletin board in the library called "SHS Reads." Students are encouraged to stop by the library and have their photos taken with their favorite books. These photos will be the focus of the bulletin board. Staff are invited to participate as well. Please stop in to help us share the joy of reading with our students.

Top Ten Books

Here are the top ten books borrowed from the the SHS Library for last year:
1. A Child Called "It" (David Pelzer)
2. Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
3. The Princess Diaries (Meg Cabot)
4. Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
5. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
6. New Moon (Stephenie Meyer)
7. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling)
9. Catalyst (Laurie Halse Anderson)
10. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (Louise Rennison)