My Review of Wordle

Wordle is a word cloud graphic that can be made at the website:
http://www.wordle.net/

Above is the wordle that I created to use in my class group's Thematic Unit on refugees.

Wordles are made by the user typing in a list of words, or cutting and pasting words into a box on the website.  The user can also select a color scheme , fonts and type of layout. You can make some words more important by entering those words multiple times.

Wordle can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. My class group chose to use it as part of a brain storming activity when presenting our unit. It could be used in this way as a group or could be used individually by students.

 There are pros and cons to the way this program works.

Pros

• This program is easy for students to use at any age. 
• It will give a good end result for every user. Success for everyone!
• The wordle can be changed and edited at the time it is made. This can give it some individuality.
• It can be applied to a wide variety of lesson plans. 
• It can be printed.
• It is fun!

Cons

• There is not an easy way to save your work.  You must either do a screen photo capture or copy the link after you send it to the gallery, or print it. You will never find it again if you don't do one of these.
• Editing is limited. You must do all your editing when you first create it.  You can not save it and edit it during another class.
• You can not add additional words without starting over.
• You can not add photos, texture, backgrounds or other elements to the design within this program. 

Overall it does offer lots of possibilities for classroom use!