Wordia--Online Visual Dictionary

What is this?

This is an online visual dictionary which aims to redefine the dictionary and asks members of the public and celebrity 'orators' to upload videos explaining what words mean to them. You can enter a word in the bar and click 'search'

 

 Then the following is the video about the definition of the word. Play it.

 The right side shows the definition on the dictionary

Also you can see some associated words

Why is the content good for language learning? 

• The video per se is an authentic listening material that can decrease the distance between language learners and native speakers.
• The speakers in the video are funny, hansome, attractive, they are at different ages and have different social background. The definition given by them is much more practical and functional in real-life use.
• It covers a large number of technical items and vocabularies that could be used in real world and the definition is easy to understand. It helps learners to increase their vocabulary volume and language comprehension.
• The definition showen in the right side can give students more detailed and specific explanation.
• The associated vocabularies provide a resouce to extend their understanding.
• Learners can record their own video and definite a word, then upload and share with others.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher collects some new vocabularies first, and searches relevant videos before class. Then show the video to students and asks them to discuss the exact meaning of each word with their peers. Then they need to give their own definition about the words.
• After learning some new vocabularies, teacher can play some videos about some words as a supplement of teacher's explanation.
• Teacher sellects some useful words and distribute them to different students groups. Every student in a group is in charge of a particular word. Teacher asks every students to search relevant video about the definition of that word and then explain it in his/her word to the other group members.

Limitation

• Too advanced to young learners and language learning beginners.
• Some definitions are too narrow and subjective.
• Not all often-used words accompanied with a video.
• Some vacabularies are rarely used.

Useful Word Cloud Tools

What is this?

This is a useful website for creating word clouds. The word cloud can be created by entering whole sentences, whole documents, web addresses or tables. According to the frequency of key words in the text, the site will generates a word cloud. The most frequent or important words are bigger than the others. Click 'creat'

and then enter the text,

a word cloud can be created automatically in such an easy way.

Why is the content good for language learning? 

• It's easy to operate, only 2 steps: enter text and work it out! Both teacher and students can understand and apply it into real class easily.
• Free to use and no sign up required.
• No text length limited, text can be from coursebook, website, oral materials, even exam papers.
• The word clouds can be designed randomly according to personal preference, which increase students' interest and practicial ability.
• It's flexible for teacher to change the original text(add or delete some sentences or words) to a text that much more suitable for students' language proficiency.
• To present words by a visual picture is much more attractive and can stimulate students' visual capacity.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher can creat a word cloud of a text and show it to students, then asks them to predict or guess the content or meaning of the text based on the word cloud. If they come across any new words in the word cloud, they can work in pair to check them , or teacher can explain the new words.
• Another way is opposite to the first one. After completing a unit, teacher creates word clouds based on some texts that they learned, and asks students to retell the texts.
• Teacher creats a word cloud of a text and teaches students some important and frequent vocabularies in details.
•  Teahcer asks students to creat a word cloud about themselves or anyone they are interested in. Then share the word clouds with their peers and see if they can identify the person in each other's cloud.

Limitation

• There isn't any word cloud games or quizes online.
• Not many examples or topics are available.
• Can't see others' word coulds on homepage.
• Simple website design and too many Google ads.

Other useful word cloud tools:

 Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/

 Wordle  http://www.wordle.net/

 Wordsift http://www.wordsift.com/


Russell's training videos
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wordCloud/index.html
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wordSift/index.html
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wordle/index.html

Visuwords ---- online graphical dictionary

What is this?
Visuwords is an online graphical dictionary which can be used to look up vocabulories, English explanations and other associated words and concepts. It is an useful online dictionnary for students to increase their motivation and autonomy in terms of vocabulary learning.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?
For example,
Enter a word you want to look up  into the search bar

The tree below shows various meaning and related words of the target word. . Besides, you can click and drag the node to zoom and clarify connections. The bar on the left side is to explain different colors and shapes indicate different relationship.

You can double-click a node to expand the word tree for more words and concepts or just put the cursor on one particular node for more specific word definition

Why is the content good for language learning?

• Visual word network stimulate learners to dig more associated words in depth.
• Clear words categories and definitions. Learners can search any new words on it by themselves rather than rely on teacher's explanation.
• Increase student's autonomy.

   Limitation

• Too much signs (colors and shapes) of indicating the words relationship to remember.

 

An interesting website of vocabulary learning

What is this?

This is a pictorial vocabulary learning website which contains vivid pictures, word spelling, pronunciation, parts of speech, translation and small quiz, etc. Besides, the vocabularies are classified into different groups based on daily use topics which covers almost every aspect of our life.  All these interesting form and content are accessable with one click.

Why is the content good for language learning? 

• Fairly detailed and overall classification provides students a large range of vocabularies to learn.

• Involving vivid pictures and sound files is good for students to combine an object with its English spelling and pronunciation.
• Interesting pictures and various colors will stimulate students' (especially young learners) visual sence and increase their desire to learn.

• Words can be saved to account, which enables students to make a word list to review and strengthen memory.

• Additional quizz model enables students to test themself and enhance their autonomy.

  

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. Teacher firstly sets a topic for students, for example 'The face'.Then asks students to work in pairs.
2. Students will be firstly asked to move the cursor on the part that they've already known how to speak it in English (eg. eyes, nose, mouth, ears) and check whether their spelling and pronuciation is correct by moving the cursor on those pictures.
3. Then move to the parts that they are not familiar (eg. nostril, ear lobe, temple)and listen to its pronuciation and speak it. Though students can understand the meaning of those words with the help of pictures, if necessary, teacher will explain their usage in a precise way.(eg. expressions)
4. Some interesting relevant classroom activities, like, students work in pair and one of them point a part of his/her face, the other one speaks its name in English.  Or one of them speak a word, the other one need to move that part on his/her face, that's maybe much funny.

Limitation

• Might be only suitable for young learners or beginners.
• Involved in some vocabularies that rarely be used in real-life.
• Not many relevant activities, such as sysmatically listening, speaking, reading or writing task be followed.
• Only some nouns vocabularies which describe one object are avaliable.
• Web design and structure is simple and a little bit not attractive.