Words Matter - and Zombies are Cool, Too

As a language-geek, and a staunch believer that WORDS MATTER, this is a selection of language-focused items I've encountered this week, and absolutely love in conjunction with one another.

The Good Stuff:

Video from YouTube: "Beware of Nominalizations

The full lesson is on TEDEd: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-of-nominalizations-aka-zombie-nouns-helen-sword

Then I found Buzzword-o-Matic: http://sparkreactor.com/buzz/

After showing Buzzword-o-Matic to my colleague, @edtech2learn, he sent me a one-line email response: 

"I'll see your Sparkreactor and raise you: http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html "

My Thoughts:

I imagine this being an excellent lesson for pre-service teachers. In our increasingly over-complicated culture, this serves as a reminder that being concise and clear is always preferred.

When we "jargonize" our lives, we simultaneously give unclear messages, thereby confusing our listeners or readers. What can also happen is we make our listeners or readers feel stupid. 

The Point: 

Don't make people feel stupid. They never learn that way.