If we’re being honest (and we are), we were of the opinion that the primary use of word clouds for learning–most notably with Wordle and Tagxedo-were to help support the analysis of diction and tone. There were some other “cute” uses, but little that made it stand out above other more versatile tools.
But then we saw this list.
Slideshare user vreed17 has put together 40 interesting ways to use word clouds for learning, including visualizing a syllabus, using clues to make inferences for literacy practice, or to do simple character analyses. Most of these are literacy and English-Language Arts based, but similar uses could extend to math, science, social studies, and other content areas as well.
-Content Overview: How does the past impact the present?
-Concept practice: What are 10 characteristics of a circle?
-Non-prose response: What is the most important step of the scientific method?