Wordle
Link: http://www.wordle.net/
Wordle is a web tool for generating visual "word clouds" by inputting words and phrases. Users can adjust text prominence, fonts, layouts and colours and create personalised images to be saved, printed or shared online, useful for exploring keywords in a topic, creating posters and unit overviews.
Wordle is a web tool for generating visual "word clouds" by inputting words and phrases. Users can adjust text prominence, fonts, layouts and colours and create personalised images to be saved, printed or shared online, useful for exploring keywords in a topic, creating posters and unit overviews.
Student Activity and Engagement:
As a class activity at the start of the syllabus module "The Search for Better Health", teacher will direct students to brainstorm ideas on the terms "health" and "disease". With a PC projector, teacher will construct a word cloud on the screen with the students together as a class and every student should contribute some ideas to go on the cloud, which would be printed as a poster and displayed in the classroom for student reflection. This tool is particularly suitable because the syllabus outcome states to "discuss the difficulties of defining the terms ‘health’ and ‘disease’" and this activity is ideal for generating ideas and discussion with no set definitions. If there is sufficient time, students can also have a go and create individual word clouds to be pasted in their books as topic cover page.
Syllabus Outcomes:
NSW Biology Stage 6 Syllabus
Students:
- 9.4.1.2.1 discuss the difficulties of defining the terms ‘health’ and ‘disease'
- 13.1 present information by:
b) selecting and using appropriate media to present data and information
e) using a variety of pictorial representations to show relationships and presenting information clearly and succinctly