One of the ways that preschoolers can explore new words, spelling, content vocabulary, and using an online technology tool is Wordle. Wordle is a website that creates colorful, geometric, and customizable word clouds. A first time user can quickly and easily see how to get started. There is a box to type the words to be included, and then simply click, "create"! Once you can see your Wordle, you can edit the font, colors, and randomize the arrangement if desired. Once you have an arrangement that you like, you can publish the Wordle to be seen publicly, copy the link to embed in a site or blog, or print. Students benefit from this type of technology tool because of the many skills that are practiced when using it, and because of the wide variety of possible applications. Children gain practice using online resources, the keyboard and mouse, typing and spelling words, generating lists, and the fun of customizing to create something that they like! Using Wordle can be easily modified to meet the skill level of a range of abilities. For example, children could independently or with help type or dictate words, either generate or use a pre-written list of words, and use the mouse independently or with help using hand-over-hand assistance. This flexibility is essential when using a tool with a whole class of children. Technologies that are easily differentiated are so important for this reason. A benefit is that at the end, all children would end with a similar looking outcome, which is helpful when the work might be shared publicly on a class website or bulletin board. For confidentiality purposes, this is often helpful. Overall, I was so excited to try a new tool, and am already planning to use Wordle in my classroom! The educational benefits are varied and many.
No comments:
Post a Comment