Educational Value of Wordle

   Wordle is a site that allows you to create a word cloud by pasting or typing words into a text box. The more often a word appears, the larger the word will be on the wordle. So, why use wordle? 
   It is a creative tool that can be used by students when completing projects on vocabulary, reading, essays, or papers. It is a great tool for students to use in the brainstorming phase of their writing. 
   Wordles also help to teach students skills and can help a teacher assess a student’s basic technology skills. Joan Young, a teacher, was quoted in the blog “New Teacher Boot Camp Week 1 - Using Wordle”, “When students create their own Wordles, they practice and learn keyboard commands like copy and paste. While observing students composing a Wordle, teachers can informally assess students' basic keyboard skills” (Dabbs 2011). Wordle can help students edit their work by showing them when they have overused a word in their writing (Dabbs 2011). 
   In my English II class, students have a word of the day and an activity we do is in pairs students come up with sentences using the words of the day in a wordle I create for them. 
   It is also great to use as a story idea tool. Students in my Modern Fantasy class are expected to create a short story and we use wordle as a class to get them started. They each have to come up and enter in a superpower a character could have, a character trait, and a place, then we create our wordle. One at a time, they pick one superpower, one place, and one trait that one of their characters will have and incorporate them into their short story. Wordle is a creative outlet that students can use in my English class. It helps them with their writing skills, and their development of ideas.

References:

Dabbs, L. (2011, July 05). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-teacher-boot-camp-wordle-lisa-dabbs