A ☁ word cloud ☁ is a collection of different sized words shown in a grouping. The bigger the word looks, the more often it's mentioned whether that be within a text, or the ideas of your students. Below is a list of some pros and cons to consider when using Word Clouds in the classroom.
PROS:
1) Helps you understand your audience/what they are thinking & gives student's an idea of their peer's thoughts
2) Visualization. Word clouds are a fast way to take student feedback and create a collaborative visual.
3) Can be used as an easy, no stress, ice breaker. Questions can spark debate or friendly competition.
4) Engaging. Brings students together and gets them ready for the lesson (great for a "minds on" activity!)
5) Easily used across various subjects and grades.
CONS:
1) Can be overused or used instead of a more appropriate avenue because of their ease of use/convenience.
2) Doesn't accurately show words that mean the same thing (i.e. fast and quick)
3) More difficult to use for complex themes that need more than one word/short answers
4) Prone to bias/groupthink especially when used live
5) Importance of answers may be skewed (frequency does not equal importance/relevance)
With these pros and cons considered, I still think Word Clouds have a time and place in the classroom! 😊
Here are some links to Word Cloud generators you can use in your classrooms/presentations:
Live Word Cloud Generators:
https://www.mentimeter.com/features/word-cloud
https://ahaslides.com/features/live-word-cloud-generator/
Teacher-lead Word Cloud Generators:
https://www.weareteachers.com/free-word-cloud-generators-for-teachers/
Courtesy of: RachelH@NU-OTECF
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