WordSift

WordSift is another kind of  free word cloud.

Though it is not attractive compared to Wordle, it is more academic and provide more interesting opportunities to engage with vocabulary.

One of the advantages of this tool is that the the data can be sorted by A to Z or Z to A, for example.

Another advantage is that, if you click a word, it can create a mindmap related to the word on the "Visual Thesaurus" with images on the left hand.

Here is an example. I clicked on the word "love".

If you place the cursor on the thesaurus, its definition(s) will appear. If you click on a word in the thesaurus, it will show a new thesaurus display beginning with the word you have selected. The users can go further and learn about the words more.

As this is less entertaining and attractive, WordSift would suit learners who want to learn about the words more deeply. I would enhance learners' autonomy, only when they are motivated to some extent. For, as all information is provided in English, some learners might be demotivated or less interested because of the lack of basic English knowledge.


Here is the link to WordSift.

http://www.wordsift.com/

The text I chose is from the official website of the musical - Les Miserables.

http://www.lesmis.com/uk/