More than Words!

Wordle----Words can be beautiful!

1. What is it?

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide.  IT t is a free facility for people to create graphics from the text you upload. 

2. How to use it?

• Go to Wordle.net.
• Click on Create. Type or paste in text into the empty box, and then click “Go.” Your finished Wordle will appear in the box.
• You may click on font, layout, and/or color near the top of the Wordle to change those things. You may also click “Randomize” at the bottom for Wordle to randomly select another design.

• Your Wordle will not be saved unless you create an account and add it to your public gallery.
• Click on “Print” to print it out. Click OK if you get a message about printing.
• Then save your Wordle as a .jpg file to be pasted into another program.

       This video may give you a clear understanding of the steps:

3. How to use it in an ELT classroom?

• brainstorming or reflecting

Teachers can ask students to do some brainstorming by using the captured wordle pictures at the beginning of the class, or ask them to do some reflective thinking at the end of the class.

• remembering vocabulary

Literally, wordle can be used to test how many words students have learned in the class if teachers show the lines fading out.

• studying for an exam

In terms of learner autonomy, before examination, students can use it to do pair work or group work, such as showing the key words to their peers and asking them to tell the language points.

• adding a visual element to a blog post

Besides, wordle can make blogger/blogger teaching vivid because of the colorful and creative layout.

• sharing thoughts or notes on a certain subject

It also can be a useful tool to assign a group activity among students. They can list some ideas and thoughts or put down some notes on a subject or topic, then wordle will create a picture which can be presented to other students.

4. Strengths

• It's free.
• Its creative and interactive layout is attractive to users.
• It can calculate your word frequency quickly.
• It's a useful tool for reflective thinking and revision.

5. Limitations

• There is no sound of this tool.
• The context may be in disorder because it selects the key words in a random.
• There is no meaning of each word.
• The layout changes every time you edit it.