What is it?
Wordle, is a self-described toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide.
Basically, you can enter any text and create a work of art and/or visual representation of the text!
How it works
Wordle works in 3 simple steps:
1) Enter text
2) Change the format/layout/colors, etc.
3) Upload/Save/Print (You choose!)
Where it is going
Anywhere you want it, within the limits of the application.
I really appreciate the honesty and simplicity of Wordle’s FAQ (frequently asked questions) page.
Check it out at http://www.wordle.net/faq - saveas.
Why it matters to teaching and learning
Wordle is an awesome tool that would allow for any text to be shared. It can be used anywhere from Kindergarten to College students! Some suggestions for the classroom would include:
~ Spelling Lists
~ Vocabulary Building
~ Poems
~ Class Roster
~ T-Shirt/Poster/Graphic Design
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE AS GREAT AS YOUR IMAGINATION !!! : )
A basic explanation of how to use Wordle
This is Wordle’s homepage. It gives just a little information about how Wordle works, allows you to create your own, and/or look at Wordle examples that have already completed in made public.
Create
As mentioned in the information about, creating a Wordle is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
Step 1
Click on “Create Your Own”
This will take you to this page.
Step 2
At this point, you will get 3 options
1) You can paste or type information in
OR
2) Enter a URL of a blog
OR
3) Enter a del.ici.us user name to see (and upload) tags
Once you do that, click go/submit.
If you type information in, the next screen you'll see it will look something like this
That will take you to this screen, where it will have turned the text you created into a word cloud.
Step 3
From here, you can change and edit the Language, Font, Layout, and Color.
Eventually, you’ll settle on a design you like.
You can then either print, save (as a pdf) or post the Wordle to the website.
Enjoy using this creative and fun tool!
Wordle can also be used as a great introduction to a unit or presentation. Copy and paste your presentation and the words that were in your presentation will appear in your word cloud. Show that the beginning of your presentation or unit so audiences can have a visual overview about what will follow.
ReplyDeleteStudents love to use wordle too. It is a great tool to summarize in a fun new way.
I've not used this application before. What a great way to engage learners, especially visual learners. I haven't played around with it yet, but wonder if there's audio as well. It would be fun to be able to scroll over the word, hear it pronounced and get a definition or note of some sort. I would like to put this into a Web quest. The colorful montage of words connected to the topic would grab their attention, especially if it could be transformed into an image map. I also like the idea of having students use Wordle to play with vocabulary they are learning or as a way to keep a personal word bank.
ReplyDeleteHey, this sounds very interesting I will make sure that I check it out ASAP. It sounds like it can be used as a teaching tool in the classroom when writing essay, when using vocabulary, etc..., There is just so much out here to help in the classroom and it's important to be able to distinguish the good material from the bad material. But I must say that this is good material to use in the classroom.
ReplyDelete