|
If you would like to
have a go at making some text clouds of your
own, try TagCrowd,
the tool used to create the clouds on this page.
If you are a
student writer, you may wish to include the
"common words" (e.g. and, of, the, etc.) in your
cloud so that you can get a feel for whether or
not you are varying your sentence structure
enough to avoid undue repetition. Text
clouds can help you see your text in an entirely
new way. For instance, if you've ever had
a teacher tell you that you use various forms of
"is" too often, instead of choosing stronger,
more vivid verbs, or that you rely too much on
"the" to start your sentences, creating a tag
cloud can be an excellent way of seeing those
patterns for yourself. If you use
invention strategies like brainstorming or
clustering, clouds can also be a creative means
of mining those bits of prewriting for your main
ideas, or for creative connections you mightn't
otherwise have noticed.
Those who enjoy the practice of
lectio divina might also find clouding a
unique approach to discovering new insights into
scripture. Some texts, such as The Lord's
Prayer or the Parable of the Prodigal Son, can
come to seem so familiar to us that we no longer
clearly discern how fresh, challenging,
riveting, or comforting the words and ideas
really are. Creating and meditating
upon clouds can offer a new path into both
familiar and challenging scriptures, allowing us
quite literally to see them anew, as in the
examples below.
There is much in
the technological world that counters and
disrupts our efforts toward actively living our
faith. Sometimes, though, the clouds part,
and light shines through the data storm. |
