Dictionary
From K12 Open Ed Wiki
Kids Open Dictionary
The dictionary builder is now up! Please join us and help build the future of open education.
We are working on setting up a collaboration for an open kids simple dictionary. This will be aimed at primary and early secondary aged students and will be written in kid-friendly language.
If you are interested in being a part of this, let us know here.
Idea List
These are ideas for future features to incorporate:
- Output of final "frozen" dictionary to various formats including:
- Ebooks (Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader)
- Web-based
- Cell phones (??)
- Allow users to select a custom word list for output (This would allow people to put out mini-glossaries for various purposes.
- Include pictures and voice pronunciations
- Provide a way to do multilingual versions
Here is a brief analysis of some of the main open dictionaries available. The purpose of this analysis is to determine which might be the best to use as a base for the Kids Simple Dictionary.
[Note: We have decided not to use any of these for the various reasons listed, but we are starting with a public domain word list.
See sample entries from each of these here.
Dictionary: WordNet/Princeton
License: Custom, pretty open but probably not compatible with GFDL
Strengths:
- includes good examples of use
Weaknesses:
Other comments:
Dictionary: Webster's 1913 (also at Gutenberg)
License: public domain
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
- archaic language; would require LOTS of editing
Other comments:
Dictionary: The Online Plain Text English Dictionary
License: public domain; must remain free and open (yes, I know this doesn't make sense, but that's what it says)
Strengths:
- SIMPLE (much less to weed out)
Weaknesses:
- Some words are missing
- Some are picked up from Websters and need editing
Other comments:
Dictionary: Wiktionary
License: GFDL
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
- LOTS to weed out
Other comments:
- There is also the Simple English Wiktionary. I added this to the spreadsheet with sample entries. What is there is good, but there is not much there. Only 2 of the 10 sample words had entries here. Perhaps this could be a base to expand from but the goals of non-native English speakers are quite different from English speaking kids in an academic setting.
Dictionary: [1].gov glossaries
License:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Other comments: These are glossaries mostly in the public domain. (Thanks Randy.) They mostly cover specific sub-topics (space, weather, etc.) and could work as valuable additions to one of the above standard dictionaries.
Dictionary:
License:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Other comments:
