BP8_Links_to_Comments

Hey everyone:

Check out my comments on Dana's RILS, and my comments on Carl's RILS.

PE5_Tagxedo

Last time, on "As the Tagxedo Grows"...

 I came back to Tagxedo and tried a different approach.  After much thought, I realized that, by design, many of the options in the "Word | Layout Options" menu (and in the Tagxedo interface in general) are dependent upon one another, which can affect a user's output in unexpected ways.  If I wanted to see what just the "emphasis" option did, then I would need to take steps to ensure the other available options don't alter what I'm trying to accomplish, or at least minimize their effect.  I needed a "controlled input": something that lined up with my hypothesis and could be used in Tagxedo.  My brainstorming brought me to perhaps my favorite board game: SCRABBLE©.  I decided to use the frequency of occurrence of SCRABBLE© letter tiles and input that information into Tagxedo to see if my hypothesis about the "emphasis" option was indeed correct.  I did have to change a few parameters to make the output easier to analyze:

• I stopped trying to be cute with the cloud shape and went with a basic vertical cloud
• I upped the emphasis parameter to maximum (120%) so that any modifications would be extremely obvious
• Under the "Word" tab I had to set the "Remove Common Words" option to "No" (leaving this on leaves you with no output, as Tagxedo views all individual letters as common words)

Here's the output:

SCRABBLE© Letter Tile Frequency (as interpreted by Tagxedo)...

The result was consistent with the frequency of SCRABBLE© tiles: the letter "E" is the most frequently occurring tile in the game, and in the Tagxedo output it is the most "emphasized" (i.e. largest) letter (technically word) in the output image.  Success!

...and here's the output after I maximized the "emphasis" to 120% (forgot to do that in the previous screenshot)

I enjoyed taking this trial-and-error, quasi-scientific method approach to learning more about Tagxedo's "emphasis" option, but I feel as though I learned more than I was aiming for.  Tagxedo's options are somewhat interdependent; changing or affecting one most often changes or affects some other one.  This fact is important to know and realize if a user is aiming for a particular outcome or result (kind of like real life, isn't it?)

PE4_Tagxedo

I revisited Tagxedo the other day and decided to get a little deeper into its functionality.  I wanted to start with the "Word | Layout Options" menu and learn how all of the different options affect the final output of the word cloud.

The "Word | Layout Options" menu has a lot of things you can choose to change, in a tabbed layout

I chose to work with the "emphasis" option, since I thought it was pretty self-explanatory.  My hypothesis is that "emphasis" affects the size of words in the final output based on the frequency of use (makes sense, right?).  The "emphasis" option is represented by  a slider which increases or decreases by percentages from 0% to 120%.

A closer look at the 'Layout' tab of the option window

I figured I'd keep my experiment "simple" and just use my name for the input words, my first initial for the shape, and allow replication (meaning that Tagxedo will repeat words in order to better fill out the chosen shape, up to the maximum word count).

One attempt at getting to the bottom of the "emphasis" mystery

The results, however, were not as simple as I thought they would be…I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board and rethink this emphasis thing a little.

BP7_One Minute Video

BP6_Link to Music Business Education with Sahpreem King

Follow this link to my comments on Sahpreem's blog.

BP5_Link to Carl Broadcasting System

Follow this link to my comments on Carl's blog.

BP4_Tagxedo

So, I got a hot tip on a Web 2.0 tool I had not heard of earlier in the week, so I decided to investigate further into its potential in both my classroom and my CBR project.  I realize now that I have seen the output of this tool before, I just didn't have any idea how that output was created or where it came from.  In fact, I didn't even know that it was something that I could produce myself (I always feel like I’m “late to the game” on all these Web 2.0 tools)…

Here's a really quick attempt at some cleverness on my part using just the options from the front page (enter all the words from the Apple.com website, in an apple shape, with a green theme, no other edits made)...

 

Tagxedo (http://www.tagxedo.com/), in its most basic form, creates word clouds: unique groupings of words taken from text box input or from another source (I think that it's worthy to note that the features I'm describing here are FREE).  For example, a user could load his or her English paper into the program, or perhaps upload all of the words and text present from their favorite website.  The word clouds can then take a life of their own, based on a user's preferences.  For example, the shapes of the word clouds can be modified, either with the preset shapes on the site or through user-submitted or defined shapes.  This fact alone expands the possibilities of final outputs to almost exponential levels.  In addition to just having control over the shapes, a user can change the color schemes, overall theme, fonts, orientation of the output, and the layout through what are called "respins".  A user could also respin all of those factors, creating a random but still stimulating output.

...and here's what the output from the above screenshot turned out to be.  It's not terribly stimulating.  Doesn't really look like an apple at all, does it?  Cleverness: fail.  Let's move on...

Tagxedo really gets customizable when a user begins to modify the Word/Layout Options section on the site.  From this menu a user can change many different aspects of the output, like whether or not things like punctuations and numbers are included in the output, whether or not to remove common words, modify the frequency of words, and so forth.

Truth is, I’m really just scratching the surface of what could be done with Tagxedo.  In my professional setting, I could use this tool to create visual vocabulary for my students as well as familiarize them with using a computer in a musical context.  They could upload their own shapes and make the clouds their own, or scour their method books for vocabulary terms to put into the clouds.  This would then result in them getting accustomed to not only spelling the words, but typing the words as well.  They could customize their binder covers for class with vocabulary terms, so that every time they look at their binder they are seeing vocabulary.  All of a sudden, vocabulary isn’t such an intimidating thing any more.

Here's one I put together using a glossary of musical terms.  MUCH better than the apple, wouldn't you agree?

From a CBR standpoint, one way I could use Tagxedo is to put my writings and research into the tool and look at the frequency of certain words to determine if I am indeed staying to the topic(s) I have listed.  I believe having a visual representation of what’s going on will benefit me greatly in the long run and may save me at least a little time here and there.  Using Tagxedo like this may also give me another way to summarize the work in a format that may be more appealing to a casual viewer of the blog, perhaps sparking that person’s interest in the content so that they may want to investigate further.  I must say that I’m just scratching the surface here and I may discover that there are other ways that Tagxedo can be used with my CBR project, but as the saying goes, “only time will tell”…

http://www.tagxedo.com/artful/3855ce4d810944f1

This last image is actually (most of) the text from this blog post inserted into the word cloud (including the words you are currently reading).  Interesting, isn’t it?  The link above the picture will actually take you to where you can have the words zoom in and such, so hop on over there and check that out too.

PE3_iMovie

Whew!  Just finished up the training process, and learned even more shortcuts and things to use when making my "-mentaries" (see previous post).  I thought the whole "Editing to the beat" portion was particularly intriguing; I'll certainly be using that in the future.  iMovie certainly makes working with audio easy for all, and also makes it so that you can share your creations in just about any way you can think of.  Lynda.com is pretty cool as well; I don't quite consider myself an expert, but it is nice to get something signifying that you've completed a worthy task.  Here's my Certificate of Completion (if it shows a triangle with an exclamation point, just click anyways; I promise it's there!):

...and here's a little video I put together with my new iMovie skills...enjoy, and let me know what you think!

PE2_iMovie

Watching the iMovie training video has caused me to be a bit more intentional with the way I put projects together.  I was aware of some of the editing features through trial-and-error ("the hard way"), but now I've seen some better ways to approach challenges that come up when you edit video.  I also learned a little bit about Ken Burns and why his name is on so many of the devices and software that I own/use/have seen... :)

I think I'm going to start making documentaries (or "mockumentaries" depending on the subject matter) just for fun, and maybe get some use out of all the random video footage I have on my computer and hard drives.  I also jotted down a few more shortcuts that I learned, and I've been feverishly trying to come up with ways to utilize the blue/green screen features of iMovie without redecorating or painting a room or closet in my home!

Off to learn even more about this software...

PE1_iMovie

Let me start out by saying that I like iMovie.  The interface is simple enough to pick up and learn on the fly, but gets technical enough to make good, near-professional quality output.  It's nice to learn about all of the options available to users, but what I'm really looking forward to is finding out more about keyboard shortcuts.  I have found, in previous experiences with other software packages, that shortcuts are not only convenient, they are essential to efficient use of the software package.  In other words, they save a ton of time when you use them vs. the traditional point-and-click method of going through menus.  I already plan to put one shortcut, the "/" button, to good use when I start putting projects together...

BP2_Kisstunes

Hey everybody:

I stumbled upon this really neat Web 2.0 tool named "Kisstunes" (http://www.kisstunes.com/m3/home.aspx), and I thought I would share it with you all.  I am a band director, for those of you who didn't already know, and I'm always looking for musical tools with simple interfaces that will get my students making music in as many ways as possible, especially using technology.  From what I've learned so far, I believe that Kisstunes fits the bill quite nicely.  Here's a screenshot (complete with Full Sail ad; this is purely coincidence I promise):

The application is web-based, done in Flash, meaning that it can be accessed just about anywhere.  This link takes you directly to the player: http://www.kisstunes.com/m3/kiss3.aspx?m=games  Kisstunes allows the user to make music on a keyboard by using the computer's keyboard and mouse.  Kisstunes also allows the user to record and playback tunes, which one can then share the tunes through social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or download the tunes for their own personal use.  There is a video tutorial that is accessible from a tab to the left of the keyboard if one needs it, and a computer-keyboard-to-keyboard legend in the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard window.  Kisstunes allows the user to choose from three keyboard sounds: electric piano, grand piano and vibraphone, and all three of the sounds are very nice.  One neat feature is that even if one was to record in, say, the grand piano sound set, playback can be heard in any of the three piano sounds.  The user has to sign up for an account with Kisstunes to download and/or share tunes, but the account set up is free, and no private information is shared without the user's content.  User-created tunes can be set to private as well, just in case one is sensitive about his or her music (as many musicians tend to be)!

Here are some things that I did not care for; there were some minor issues I had with the tool, but no tool is perfect.  The virtual keyboard has 2 1/2 octaves worth of keys visible on screen, but a user is only able to control 1 1/2 octaves from the computer keyboard without the use of the mouse.  This fact may not matter to a non-piano player, but to a trained piano player this issue could be a deal-breaker.  In addition, only six keys can be activated at one time, which means more complex melodies and chords are inaccessible to the user.  There is occasionally some lag between when keyboard keys are struck and when the sound actually fires, but I suppose that's an issue with any web-based application at some point, and might be attributed more to connection speed than a flaw in the software.  I had problems getting an account set up, which meant I could not save or share my music, but this may solely be user error and I won't hold that against the quality of the application.  Ultimately, most of the issues that I had with Kisstunes are issues that trained pianists would run into primarily, so for many people these issues would not be issues at all, which is why I think the application still has great potential.

Kisstunes is very easy to use, and very simple, which is what I am looking for in a musical tool for my beginners.  When I get back into the school computer labs, I'm going to see if the website and application is available for student use and not a blocked site; Kisstunes seems pretty harmless to me, but you just never know with the content filters at work what's viewed as "good" and "bad"...

BP3_iGoogleScreenShots

Hey everyone:

Just finished setting up my iGoogle pages; you can really do a lot with this!  What's even better, I think I can access my iGoogle from work, which would be fantastic (I'll verify this after the holiday weekend)!  Here's my home page screenshot:

Next, my FSO/CBR Tab:

And lastly, my ETC tab:

I know the Matrix is old news now, but it's a "new classic" IMHO...