Wow! I have always liked the idea of using technology in the classroom but after today’s class, I am eager to incorporate technology into the classroom. Why am I so eager? As we were going over the syllabus for the course, the professor was passionate about the technologies we would be exploring in the course and that passion was infectious. I believe a critical component of teaching reading and writing skills to students is helping them connect to the material. Utilizing technology in the classroom provides students with a new, creative way to make connections.
In today’s class, the professor introduced us to a web 2.0 tool that allows students to connect to text in a unique way---“Wordle”. “Wordle” allows a student to create a word cloud using text that they input. The cloud gives greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. In her online presentation, “Ways To Use Wordle In Your Classroom,” Jen Wagner provides tips on how to personalize your cloud. Wagner’s tips include retyping words you want emphasized 2 to 3 more times than the other words in your text, use dashes to group words together (We-The-People), change font choices, and determine the maximum word usage. In addition to the tips, Wagner shares ideas on how students and teachers can use “Wordle” in the classroom. One of my favorite ideas was utilizing “Wordle” as a creative way to display frequently misspelled words. As a special education teacher, I could see the word cloud being a motivator for students, as opposed to a standard list of words that might discourage or overwhelm students. I also appreciated Wagner’s example of a character poem. Students are often scared of or intimidated by poetry, so inputting their thoughts on a character into a “Wordle” is a nice way to ease into poetry. Book reports, book jackets, timelines other traditional assignments are often perceived by students as boring or as busy work. Students can use “Wordle” to show their understanding or analysis of a book in a way that is meaningful, expressive, and fun. I cannot wait to use “Wordle” with a group of students.
**Here is a link to “Wordle”: http://www.wordle.net/ and to Wagner’s presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferW/wordle-ideas
**Here is an example of a "Wordle" generated word cloud using a paragraph about myself:
**Here is an example of a "Wordle" generated word cloud using a paragraph about myself:
I agree with you, I think Wordle is a great technology tool to use in the classroom. It can be used for all sorts of things and for all different grade levels. I definitely agree that as teachers we need to be enthusiastic and I think with using technology we can show students that learning can be fun and enjoyable. It does not have to be the same old paper and pencil strategy. We can use technology to enhance our teaching strategies and enhance the students learning.
ReplyDeleteI love Wordle! I never thought of using it as a poetry introduction. I think it is a great idea and students will really enjoy the opportunity to made Wordle Poetry.
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