Kennesaw State University



-2286000Wordle Tech TipWendy CopeRiverRidge HS, Cherokee CountyMEDT 6467The application:Wordle describes itself as a “toy for generating ‘word clouds’ from text you provide”. Unlike other word clouds, the more frequently a word is used in the text, the larger it becomes. Wordles are multicolored and emotionally evocative. I love this app because not only does it create gorgeous word art, but it also boils large blocks of text into key words.To use Wordle:Select text you’d like to use in a Wordle word cloud. Ideally, you’ll have it in a word document that you can copy and paste from. Typing into the box is tedious, plus copying and pasting will save you time, should something go wrong. Visit 274320034290Click ‘Create’. Copy and paste your text into the large box at the top.Click ‘Go’.Once your Wordle is created, you have the opportunity to change the layout (maximum number of words, vertical/horizontal or a blend) as well as font and color.Wordle removes common English words (such as a, an, the) in order to highlight the adjectives, adverbs, verbs and nouns in a passage.I took a passage from (), and here’s the Wordle that resulted.4572000664845I 1130300didn’t care for the way it looked (too chaotic), so I used the “Font” feature to change the appearance of the lettering, and the “Layout” setting to “mostly horizontal”. I then used the “Layout” feature to reduce the number of words (see screenshot above), so that the most important/most often used words were emphasized.Variation in number of words: 150 words50 words0-5715You can also right-click your Wordle to eliminate words that don’t fit your message.You can manipulate your Wordle as many times as you’d like, even after you’ve printed it off. Once you have the Wordle the way you’d like it to look, however, you can save it—hooray!In order to save the Wordle:Click the ‘Open in Window’ button below the Wordle image. The Wordle will open in its own window for a cleaner look.Click ‘Print’.When your printer options come up, you want to save your Wordle as a PDF.In Mac, you’ll click the PDF button located on the bottom left of the screen.In Windows, you will need to install the Cute PDF free software (). Once the Cute PDF is installed, you’ll select ‘Cute PDF’ for your printer option, instead of your regular printer.Once you have saved your Wordle into the PDF, you can print it multiple times or change it into a JPEG by using the “Save As” feature.Tips for using Wordle in the media center or classroom:Examine texts for key ideas: I have had students take important passages from literature and Wordle them to see what the significant words and ideas are. Using the Wordle, they can then determine themes and central ideas of a work.For a social studies perspective, students can analyze the rhetoric speakers have used in order to persuade their audiences. During the 2008 campaigns, Wordles circulated showing the difference in President Obama’s and Senator McCain’s stump speeches.Develop key word searches: Once students have done some initial background reading in their research topic, they can Wordle an important passage, looking for key ideas. These ideas can assist them in finding key words in order to narrow their searches.The same can be done for students developing research questions: they can Wordle their questions in order to develop a list of key words for searching.A Wordle can also help students with summarizing. They can use their Wordle as a “word bank” to make notecards or to work on paraphrasing.Create interest surveys: students can create a Wordle of “most importants” (e.g. what they value) as an introduction to their class or teacher. Many of my students have personalized their notebooks with them.Analyze student writing: Students insert their writing into the Wordle, then adjust the “Language” setting to “Do not remove common words”. Overused words (and “to be” verbs, especially) will be immediately apparent. Students can use this in revision.Create an anticipatory guide: Using key words from a planned teacher (or media specialist) presentation, have students predict what your presentation will involve. Students can also group similar items, or circle/otherwise identify items they already know.Make a sentence jumble: Wordle a famous quote or a line from a poem for students to unscramble. When they turn in their solved puzzle, they’ll get some sort of prize from the circulation desk…maybe late fees waived or a library lunch pass?Wordle consistently gets the “cool pass” from even my high school students. Once I’ve shown it to them, they use it in so many other ways, from love notes to cool posters. They even made me a sign for my door with it. Cheers! ................
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