Welcome to Wordle!

What is Wordle?

Wordle is an easy to use Web 2.0 tool that can be utilized in a variety of ways. In more specific terms, a Wordle “allows students to convert large amounts of text into a glyph. The glyph identifies the most ubiquitous words, enlarges them, and rearranges the text into a word cloud where the most common terms are largest and highlighted” (as cited in Pearcy, 2016).

How do I use Wordle?

1. Go to www.wordle.net.

2. Type or copy and paste writing in the text box and hit submit.

3. The words you have entered will appear in a random order and sequence. The size of words depends on how often they show up in the submitted text (i.e. higher frequency in text = bigger words in Wordle).

4. Once your Wordle has been created, you can change the color, layout, font, and language to customize it to your preference. Or you can use the randomize button!

5. Save, share, and enjoy your Wordle!

Why use Wordle in the classroom?

It can engage a variety learning styles:

• Visual Leaners benefit from the wide variety of sizes and colors of the words along with the unique way that text is laid.

• Kinesthetic Leaners are able to create artistic representations of knowledge and manipulate these creations using technology.

• Logical-Mathematic Learners have opportunities to look for and identify patterns within the word cloud.

• Intrapersonal Learners can individually identify and analyze the various aspects in each word cloud.

• Interpersonal Leaners can talk and collaborate with each other as they identify what a word cloud represents.

It appeals to the digital leaners in our 21st century classrooms:

• Digital Learners love to experiment and discover things for themselves. Wordles simple and intuitive creation ability gives digital learners the ability to maneuver and experiment within the software with little to no help.

• Digital learners like to collaborate and share their ideas. Wordle allows them to share and access information in a highly appealing and visual way.

• Digital learners like their learning to be immediate and on demand. Wordle not only allows for quick creation of word clouds, but it also allows for quick problem solving and critical thinking skills as you are quickly able to look at and analyze the information presented.

How do I use it in the classroom?

• Use at the beginning of a lesson to help students activate prior knowledge.

• Students can use it to share personal biographies.

• Use when editing to help students identify repeated words in a piece of writing.

• Share thoughts and ideas in a low-risk way.

• Use to identify key ideas in a report, article, or story.

• Use before and after a unit to compare learning and identify changes in knowledge.

Wordle is a Web 2.0 tool that I would highly suggest trying out!

Pearcy, M. (2016). A Wordle to the Wise: Using “Word Clouds” Meaningfully in the Classroom. Social Studies Research & Practice (Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama), 11(2), 96-110