I was recently introduced to the online program Wordle in my technology class, and I am so impressed with what it has to offer. First and foremost, the program is incredibly accessible and its pages easy to navigate. The steps to creating a wordle are very simple; it appeals to all ages and is easy for even the least tech-savvy individual. The final product, a beautiful jumble of imported words, can be fully customized by adjusting color, font, and even text direction. It allows for a lot of freedom to choose and to explore!
What I like about Wordle is that it is sure to be an effective tool to use in the classroom, both as something that teachers can create to share with students or something that students can create to facilitate learning (in a very fun way!). Some creative ways to incorporate worldes into the classroom might include using them to compile key vocabulary words from various lessons or units, recognizing weekly spelling words, creating class rules, breaking a broad idea into smaller components (for example, finding words that correspond with a topic like diversity), or even having students make wordles to express themselves and their interests. I think that students could have a lot of fun using this program and would certainly enhance their learning in doing so. Wordles can also be printed out and displayed in the classroom for both their artistic value as well as tools for memorization or fostering higher-levels of thinking.
Like Wordle, the program Tagxedo is another great tool for turning words into creative visual images. The unique aspect to Tagxedo is that it formats the imported words into a specific picture. For example, it is possible to use words related to the fifty states and fashion them into an outline of the United States. Although this program is a bit more time-intensive than Wordle, it offers very special features that students are most likely to enjoy. The final Tagxedo products would be especially useful to display in a classroom; forget spending money on posters for various units…create a Tagxedo instead! Anyway, it is something that you can manipulate and adjust specifically to meet your students’ needs. What else can you ask for?!
