Language+Tools

media type="custom" key="4443779" align="right" **Here are a few applications which you can use to build vocabulary or improve your skills in language arts and/or writing. Choose an application (or add a new one) and discuss any or all of these questions:**
 * What are some things I can do with this software?
 * What are some useful tools in this application?
 * Does the software do what it is intended to do?
 * What do you like about it?
 * What do you dislike about it?
 * How could this software be used in class?

Co+Create haiku, poems, short stories, flash fiction, novellas, exquisite corpse and songs, real time or asynchronously with your computer, tablet, cell phone or even IM. ||
 * vozMe ||  ||
 * Learn Mandarin || A useful website for finding out about China and learning Mandarin for children and adults. ||
 * ThumbScribes || ThumbScribes is a platform for creating collaborative content.
 * Speech maker || A good, child-friendly resource for preparing a speech. Record audio and use a teleprompter to help. ||
 * Night Zoo Keeper ||  ||
 * [|Twurdy] || Twurdy uses text analysis software to "read" each page before it is displayed in the results. Then Twurdy gives each page a readability level. Twurdy then shows the readability level of the page along with a color coded system to help users determine how easy the page will be to understand. ||
 * [|Speech Maker] || A good, child-friendly resource for preparing a speech. Record audio and use a teleprompter to help. ||
 * [|Busuu] ||  ||
 * [|Prezi] ||  ||
 * [|Newswordy] || Chooses a word, defines it and then finds it in news articles, Twitter, etc. Real life usage of words. ||
 * [|Crocodoc] ||  ||
 * [|Type it] || With this software, you can type different symbols without a keyboard such as accents and punctuation in different languages. When you arrive at the page, there is a box for text that you can write normally in. When you come to a point where you will need a symbol, all you need to do is click on the button portraying that symbol. The useful tools in this application are the first page, the pointer, and the sidebar. The first page and the sidebar are basically the same thing in different locations: a way to navigate around the website. They have a hyperlinked list of all of the featured languages, phonetics and general symbols. If you are on the general symbols page, you can use the pointer. This is a feature that allows you to hover your mouse over the symbol button, and it will show the keyboard shortcut to create it. The single most useful tool, though, is that even if you change symbol types, your text will stay in the box and you can continue editing with different symbols. Other helpful things are the text settings (bold, underlined, italic, font style, etc.), the copy all button, and the undo and redo buttons. I like the simplicity and efficiency of this website very much. In fact, I don't think that there's anything I dislike about the website. It could be used in a Language class to write for example an essay, or in math when writing something dealing with currencies (there is a page for currency symbols). ||
 * [|Visual dictionary] ||  ||
 * [|Voycabulary] y ||  ||
 * [|Merriam] ||  ||
 * [|BookRix] ||  ||
 * [|The Easy Essay] ||  ||
 * [|Wordle] ||  ||
 * [|Quizlet] || Quizlet is a website that is great for studying languages. Here you can practice vocabulary, grammar and other aspects of nearly any language. Chinese, German Spanish etc. Some tools that are useful are the games that enable you to test your capability. Race against time to beat your best personal record – it’s really good to learn vocabulary by heart. The intention on this website is to get people to learn vocabulary and grammar in a fun way, it is not always like that. However they have tried and it’s good sometimes. At least better than studying of a sheet of paper. Anyhow, this is also an option; you can print a sheet of paper out with all the words that you want to learn. This web page can be usedin class to revise to a vocabulary test. ||
 * [|Creaza- Creative Storytelling] ||  ||
 * [|ediscio] ||  ||
 * [|Mixbook] || You can do many different things with mixbook such as making a scrap book or publishing a real story telling book or like the assessment we did you can make a poetry book. A very useful tool is that there are many different types of backgrounds fonts and other stuff like how it self crops the photo to keep the size. Yes the purpose of this application is to be able to make a book that seems like a real book and it delivers that because if you order your book than it will come out like a real book. There are many different things that I like about it but one of the things that I like the most is the self cropping of the photo and how you can zoom in and zoom out plus the part of being able to order the book and It looks like a real book. This can definitely be used in class because many people have actually used it in class.

With Mixbook you can create your own "books" (more like albums), write and put pictures in them. This software does what you would expect it to do. I like this App because I used it for a project last year and it made my life easier. There isn't much to dislike about this App because its just very useful! But of course there is a price if you want to order your product-but nothing is free! This software could be used in class if you are making some sort of book, album or panphlet.

With Mixbook, you can customize your own scrap books, books and photo books. You can put your own pictures in, and writ your own quotes. You can move things around also. There are themes like christmas, fall and halloween. Once you are done with your book, you can order it. The company will print it and then ship it to you. The one thing is, nothing is free! I used Mixbook in english last year, and yes, it made it easier to complete my assignment, even though it took a while. It is just like creating a real scrap book but on a computer. I think that it is quite useful. ||
 * [|Dictionary.com] || Dictionary.com is very useful as a language tool as it functions just like any tangible dictionary, for the exception that you don't need to spend time looking for the words among hundreds of pages. I think that Dictionary.com is a great dictionary, especially when you just have heard a word somewhere and you don't know what it means this website is great and extremely convenient. I also like the fact that Dictionary.com is not alone; it is part of a group of websites called .reference.com. These other websites are other language tools such as Thesaurus, Encyclopaedia, and Translator, all of which can be directly accessed from Dictionary.com. This software can be utilised in many classes such as English, Language B and general projects like essays from other classes. ||