WordSift is slightly different than a number of Web 2.0 technologies on the web in that it is designed specifically with English language learners in mind. In the "about" section of the site, it states that WordSift was created with the hope that it is " helpful in supporting English Language Learners." So this is perhaps a rare case where a program has been created with Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) specifically in mind.
Description of Features
WordSift allows for a text to be pasted into a text box, which is then "sifted" through in order to highlight various features of words in a text. Once the text has been processed, a word cloud is created that helps identify important word. The word tag feature is similar to other programs on the web such as Wordle. The word cloud is the focal point of the site, from which a number of interactive features feed off of.
At the bottom of the site is a "sort" feature which allows you to sort words according to frequency, word lists, and specific subjects.
Another feature of word sift is how it is integrated with the Visual Thesaurus. This means when you click on certain words in the word cloud, they are instantly displayed in the visual thesaurus.
A third aspect of the site is the key words in context display. This feature displays every example sentence in the text that contains the selected word. In the example below, sentences in Martin Luther King's speech containing the word "justice" are shown.
The final feature of the WordSift is how pictures from the web are displayed based upon the word selected from the Tag Cloud.
Evaluation
Accessibility/functionality
Wordsift ranks high on the level of accessibility that it has. As long as the text pasted into the text box is in read properly by the program, then only an internet connection is needed. I tried a number of different texts and had no problem with functionality of the text reader. But there is a question of how accessible the definitions in the Visual Thesaurus are for lower level learners. In experimenting with different words in the Tag Cloud I found that the Visual Thesaurus gives some rather complex definitions for different words.
Language Teaching Application
This software could be used by both teachers and students to preview vocabulary in a text and build background knowledge/schema. The fact that it integrates frequency information from word use in the text and the GSL and the AWL make it attractive to teachers using word lists to help determine the sequencing and coverage of vocabulary in their curriculum.
Comparability to Non-technological Means
Typical pre-reading activities in ELT classroom often involve discussing vocabulary words and showing pictures to ease the burden of difficult texts and activate background knowledge. However, teachers are hampered by time constraints and rarely cover these aspects adequately. If learners were sent the digital file of the text which is to be covered in class, they could, with some guided training, look up the words they don't know using the visual thesaurus and the key words in context.
Variation of Activities
While this site does not provide activities in the sense of pedagogical tasks, it does provide a number of different interactive features to help learners better understand words in a text. Nation (2001) has pointed out the importance of knowing a number of aspects of words to build depth of vocabulary knowledge. The different interactive features make a positive step in that direction.
Interactivity
The integration of the Tag Cloud with the other four features described above make this an interactive way of looking at vocabulary words in a text. A drawback on the interactivity is that the Visual Thesaurus does not provide definitions that are easily understood by all learners. If a learners dictionary was incorporated into the site, then it might improve the interaction learners have with definitions they can more easily comprehend.
Recommendation
I think this program could be applied to ELT classrooms where L2 reading is the focus. It could be integrated as part of the pre-reading. It might also be used to create multiple exposures to important vocabulary words or cross-reference words from a text with frequency lists. These aspects of using the software could be taught as part of course instruction.
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