Words

Words clouds are pretty.

I never used Wordle before, but I have seen it.  It is a neat little app which takes words from a document and places a ranking on the words.  Words with greater impact are seen in a larger font.  Words with a low impact are seen in a smaller font.   I made three word clouds.  The first cloud we will look at is from the Iste-Nets-T Standards for 2000.

ISTE-NETS-T Standards 2000

As you can see in 2000 the "learning technology" were key aspects of the standards.  After the 2000 Standards I created a word cloud for the ISTE-NETS-T Standards for 2008.

ISTE-NETS-T Standards 2008

Here in 2008 the standards were changed to emphasize "student learning."  This is a major change in the standards in the eight years, but a necessary change due to our changing student knowledge.

For my third word cloud I created one for an Algebra I class.  I found some worded directions on adding and subtracting signed numbers and this is what I got.

Adding and Subtracting Signed Numbers

Now, Wordle is not a great teaching tool for a math class, but it does show some highly needed vocabulary, and is a unique way to review key terms.  Obviously there should be better ways to use the Wordle app in a math class, and I will eventually find it.

This exercise clearly aligns with the ISTE-NETS-T 2008 Standards 2 and 3. Standard 2 emphasizes digital learning experiences.  Wordle is another unique way to design and develop digital age learning experiences.  By highlighting key terms we can teach and students can visualize important terms and understand their significance visually.  Standard 3 looks at modeling digital age work and learning.  Clearly Wordle and word clouds communicate important information to students, parents, and peers in a unique and visual way while modeling innovative communication techniques.