Word Art’s word-cloud feature allows for an open field of creativity to brainstorm, collaborate, synthesize, and contrast information. In my word cloud, I decided to compile all of my favorite songs from the alternative genre. I have received positive feedback from when I play these songs on the radio station I DJ for on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm (my show is called “Fine Tuned”). Some of my favorite artists are the Kooks, The Strokes, Billy Joel, Bad Suns, Phoenix, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, amongst many others. When I was creating this word cloud, I was thinking about how my music taste has evolved over time. From when I used to listen to Hannah Montana on my iPod Nano, to now where I listen to my favorite Strokes’ and Kooks’ songs on Spotify from my iPhone. I reflected upon the direct relationship between my music change to technological change, which was extremely telling. It was a productive and effective way to analyze information and cultivate new ideas. Word clouds could be extremely helpful in brainstorming for topics to write about or generating lists for binaries, strands, and anomalies. Not only was I able to synthesize information quickly during this process, but I was also able to identify contrasting ideas. For example, I decided to use my favorite songs for my cloud, however, the process forced me to compare and contrast and evaluate my definition and qualifications of what music I enjoy. I found the process to be fun, and productive as I was able to quickly and eagerly add more text and ideas to create a more elaborate design. Personally, I found the process to be fun and efficient, and if used in groups, the information gathered would be exponentially larger. I highly recommend teachers use this tool to allow for class collaboration and participation among all students.
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