Using the Visual Thesaurus to help students to learn more related words

MÉu b×a bµi tËp c¸c m«n häc Vietnam national university, Hanoi university of languages and international studies Department of post graduate studies Using the Visual Thesaurus to help students to learn more related words Semantics (Final assignment) Learner Pham Thi Tam Learning course 18 General course Lecturer Dr Ha Cam Tam Deadline 2806 2010 hanoi – 2010 Table of contents I Acknowledgment 2 II Reasons for choosing the topic 2 III Content 2 1 What is Visual Thesaurus? 2 2 Reasons for choosin.

Vietnam national university, Hanoi university of languages and international studies Department of post- graduate studies

Using the Visual Thesaurus to help students to learn more related words

Semantics (Final assignment)

Learner: Pham Thi Tam

Learning course: 18 General course Lecturer: Dr Ha Cam Tam

Deadline: 28/06/ 2010

hanoi – 2010

Table of contents

I Acknowledgment……… 2

II Reasons for choosing the topic……… 2

III Content ……… 2

1 What is Visual Thesaurus? 2

2 Reasons for choosing the topics……….3

3 Versions of the Visual Thesaurus……… 4

4 Benefits of using the Visual Thesaurus……… 5

5 How to Use the Visual Thesaurus……… 7

6 Applying the Visual Thesaurus to introduce business terms for economic students………8

IV Conclusion ………9

V Reference………

…10

I Acknowledgment

First of all, I would like to thank my beloved teacher for her thoughtful lessons and

my classmates as well with their useful presentations that help me understand more semantic field

II Reasons for choosing the topics

It can not be denied that it is very difficult for me to choose a good topic for my assignment this time because it is very familiar with others when every aspect has been searched and taken use of very effectively last times Searching on the internet and going to the library had been done; however, it did not work well How I could deal with this problem appearing in my minds these days without specific answers Luckily when searching internet in vain, I met the words Visual Thesaurus It

looked very strange to me and I decided to go on conveying what it was and I know how to take use of it now I still wonder whether it is strange to other or not, but it

is very new to me and I decide to break it out when it relates to semantic field: synonyms and antonyms with the hope of giving a new topic for readers, especially for my teacher

III Contents

1 What is Visual Thesaurus?

The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus which creates word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words Its innovative display encourages exploration and learning You'll understand language in a

powerful new way

For example: you have a meaning in mind, like "happy." The VT helps you find related words, from "cheerful" to "euphoric." The best part is the VT works like your brain, not a paper-bound book You'll want to explore just to see what might happen You'll discover and learn naturally and intuitively You'll find the right word, write more descriptively, free associate and gain a more precise

understanding of the English language

2 Versions of the Visual Thesaurus: the Desktop and the Online Edition

Differences between the Desktop and the Online Edition

The Desktop Edition (CD-ROM) makes a great gift, or you can load it into your travel laptop and go If you subscribe to the Online Edition, you'll get even more

features, like five additional languages, emailing and access from anywhere You'll also get our excellent subscriber-only magazine and join a community passionate about words, language and creativity

Can't decide which one to choose? Check out the chart below to compare:

Access

Method

No software to install, access through your Internet browser, anywhere, anytime

Download the software, or get a CD-ROM shipped to you Software

is installed on your computer

Internet

Connection

Internet Connection required Internet Connection optional

(An Internet connection is required for audio pronunciations)

Printing Print in two formats (requires

the Java Plug-in on Windows)

Print in two formats

Upgrades & All updates and upgrades Minor updates and bug fixes as

Updates included for the life of your

subscription

they become available; major upgrades at additional cost

Online

Magazine

Access to all online articles, word lists and word of the day

Not Available

Multiple

Languages

(beta)

Beta version of the International Edition gives access to Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish

International Edition is not available

Word Lists

(beta)

Beta version allows you to make and share lists of your favorite words

Not Available

Risk-free

Trial

Cancel your subscription within the 14 day trial period, and we'll give you the option

to receive a full refund no questions asked

Not Available

Cancellation Subscriptions automatically

renew at the end of your term

However, you can cancel the automated renewal at any time Cancellation is easy and can be done online just click

on "My Account", enter your email address and password, and click the "Cancel my Subscription" button No phone calls or annoying emails required

Not Applicable

Minimum

System

Requirements

OS: 2000,

XP, Vista, Windows 7

OS: OSX 10+

Memory:

128MB

Memory:

128MB

Browser:

Internet Explorer 7+,

Browser:

Safari, Firefox

OS: 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7

OS: OSX 10+

Memory:

128MB

Memory: 128MB

Disk Space:

100MB

Disk Space: 100MB

Java: Virtual Machine 1.4+

Java: Virtual Machine 1.4+

3. Benefits of using the Visual Thesaurus

- Find the right word and explore: The Visual Thesaurus has over 145,000 English words and 115,000 meanings Search for the word you're looking for and then follow a trail of related concepts

- Improve grasp of the English language: The Visual Thesaurus's intuitive interface helps you find words through their semantic relationship with other words and meanings Its focus on connecting words through their meanings results in more precise understanding

- Hear words pronounced correctly: (Internet connection necessary) The Visual Thesaurus offers a choice between a British and an American English accent

- Understand the relationships between English words and meanings: In addition to synonyms, the Visual Thesaurus shows 16 kinds of semantic relationships You can see that a nose is part of a face that a horned poppy is a type of flower, and that epinephrine is a type of vasoconstrictor

- Expand search to the Internet: From any word, you can initiate an Internet search for either web pages or images

- Check spelling: The Visual Thesaurus suggests alternatives so you can find the right word even when you're not sure of the spelling

- Personalize experience: The Visual Thesaurus allows you fine control over your settings You control font size, the types of relationships that are available, content filtering, and more

Filter Content: Both the Desktop and the Online Edition allow you to filter content

at four different levels

Benefits for Students of all Ages

Institutional online site licenses offer a number of features that make it ideal for a school environment These include:

Ages 8-11: For younger students, the Visual Thesaurus makes clear what a thesaurus

is and how powerful a tool it can be Through the Visual Thesaurus's innovative interfaces, students can immediately see all the words and meanings that are related

to their word Students also learn how the words are related and can learn from sentence examples, pronunciations, and word usage The Visual Thesaurus reinforces lessons on the parts of speech and on understanding words in context Plus there is built-in spell checking, which is crucial for this age group!

Ages 12-14: For this age group, seeing the richness of the English language can spark explorations in vocabulary and word usage It's not unusual to see students from this age group spending hours clicking through the Visual Thesaurus, finding words that they hadn't seen before, and listening to pronunciations As they explore, they are learning new words and concepts, and discovering subtleties of the English language

Ages 15-18: Older high school students can use the Visual Thesaurus as a vocabulary builder and will benefit from using more descriptive words in their creative writing, poetry writing and essay writing The Visual Thesaurus also helps students prepare for the SAT Science and medical terms from the Visual Thesaurus dictionary can be integrated into upper level science courses

Ages 19 and up: College students and adult learners can use the Visual Thesaurus across a wide range of coursework: English, Literature, Creative Writing, Humanities, and Social Sciences The medical and science definitions can also be employed in science coursework to learn about related biological and anatomical systems Professionals in writing and creative fields like advertising praise the Visual Thesaurus for its ability to spark creativity and the brainstorming processes

English as a Second Language: Students who are learning English as a second language love the Visual Thesaurus because it helps them to understand that many words can mean the same thing, and that there are subtle differences among similar concepts The meanings list can help in comparing word meanings at a glance Sentence examples help the student confirm that the right English word is chosen Word pronunciations also help in the learning process for ESL students Also, subscribers to the Visual Thesaurus automatically have access to our beta program

for the International Edition

English-speaking Students Learning Other Languages: For the online edition only,

we offer the Visual Thesaurus in multiple languages through our International Edition (Beta) Students can try the Visual Thesaurus in French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, or German They can see how words are related in different languages to aid their memorization of words and understanding of word concepts

4 How to Use the Visual Thesaurus

(1) The Center The Visual Thesaurus displays words and meanings that are related to the item in the center of the display

(2) The Toolbar Search for words, view word suggestions, see search history, and change preferences settings from the toolbar Forward/Back buttons provide easy navigation Help tips are always available

(3) Words Click on a word to bring it to the center Click on the speaker icon

to hear the word spoken Surrounding the word are words and meanings that are related to it

(4) Meanings Roll your mouse over a meaning to learn more about it Click on

a meaning to bring it to the center

(5) Settings Click on the Settings menu to personalize font size, types of relationships shown, content filtering, special keyboard shortcuts, and more

(6) Special Features Printing, spell checking, Internet image and web page search are all available

5 Applying the Visual Thesaurus to introduce business terms for economic

IV Conclusion

In general, it is very useful and time saving when using this visual Thesaurus because it helps find out the synonyms, the antonyms and many related words of one given word I wish that with the introduction to this one, many can take use of

it to support their teaching as well as learning English better

V Reference: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/landing/?

ad=ddc.large&utm_medium=large&utm_campaign=VT&utm_source=ddc&word=t eacher&lang=en