“Tagxedo
Ballerina”
Initially, I found this tech tool a
little confusing. "Where do I enter my
words?" I became frustrated. I played around with color
palettes, figured out how to upload my own image, and clicked around to
discover other effects. Finally, I did a
quick Google search and discovered that the one button I had yet to click, “Load”
was where I could insert text. Easy
enough! I was very happy with the end
product of my Tagxedo project, because it incorporates all of the words I
associate with my passion for dance!
I think this tech tool would be
extremely helpful as a mini-lesson for a “Writer’s Workshop” on story
brainstorming. Similar to what a teacher might label a “heart map,” this tech
tool could serve as a virtual representation of interests, passions, and
potential story starters for students. Likewise, this
tech tool would help the students to get to know each other in the
beginning of the year if it was incorporated into a activity about knowing
yourself and your classmates. The
students could each make a Tagxedo image and then they could present it to the
class and hang it up for all to see and learn about their classmates throughout
the first weeks of school. A potential drawback might be that all students would require access to a computer. A potential solution might be to reserve a school technology lab or to send individual students to the classroom computer throughout the day.
Overall, this tool has an abundance
of creative potential for students to learn about themselves and each other, as well as to
brainstorm, write, share, and even have some virtual fun!
