Watching Al Tompkins’ video primer on creating tag clouds made me think: How might student journalists tell stories that way?
In the video, Al pastes the text of a speech into a free Web site called TagCrowd and creates a visual representation of the frequency that words appeared. Student journalists could do the same thing, in print or online, to accompany a traditional story covering a speech or with a simple explainer and no narrative. Imagine yearbooks with tag clouds as a recurring element, capturing a speech by the student government president, or the football coach’s remarks at a pep rally or the valedictorian’s commencement address.
Look for campus occasions where the speakers will have prepared remarks and ask for a copy. Is your principal or university chancellor giving a back-to-school address? Get a copy. Tag cloud a new policy on campus security or the school dress code or — this might be funny — a month’s worth of school lunch menus.
In a journalism class or on the campus news desk, assign students to tag cloud something that shows a trend or brings a new perspective to a school issue.
How would your school fight song look, compared with your rival’s?
