For my teaching internship/practicum I am teaching at David Yellin College of Education in Jerusalem. So using and introducing technology into my class there is awesome for two reasons: 1) we get to use technology, and 2) my students learn what these tools are and how they can be applied in their own classrooms. And, to be totally honest, reason number two is my favorite. Let's begin!
Word Clouds
Wordle is a really great website that takes texts or list of words that will generate a word cloud. The largest words in the word cloud are those that are most frequently used. Below is a word cloud I created with my first blog post on the SAMR and TPACK models.
The one downside to Wordle that I found was that it did not recognize Korean fonts. I did however, find another word cloud generator that did. Check out the website here along with the word cloud. WordItOut does not offer the option to embed the actual word cloud and requires email :-(
ImageChef is excellent and has many options. First off, it does not require you to sign up for anything and has many customization menus for FREE! You can sign up and more options are open to you. there are multiple ways to share your creations, one of which is embedding. It also recognizes other scripts. Below is the word cloud I created with ImageChef.
Here is link that will take you to a list of other word cloud generators that are NOT Wordle.
Within the classroom word clouds can have many purposes. For an upcoming class I created a word cloud with an article on proxemics as a warm-up for the class. My students can look at the word cloud, find the words that are most, used and brainstorm ideas about what the text contains. They are a great way to present vocabulary lists in an alternative form. Instead of a synonym tree/mind map, word clouds can be used. When students write papers, to check for word repetition, inputting their essays into a word cloud that generates text sizes based on frequency will identify any phrases or words that are being overused. They are also good for non-native speakers in order to practice discerning English words and determining important information from visual stimuli.
For more ways on how to integrate word clouds into a classroom check out this link.
Flashcards
Quizlet is a digital flashcard website and mobile app. Teachers can input vocabulary and definitions into the list on the website which automatically generates flashcards, spelling practice, quizzes and two simple games.
The class I taught last semester used two or three sets of cards for vocabulary list. My co-teacher would, instead of definitions, put the Hebrew and Arabic equivalents on the cards for the students to use to learn the words. Then I would write a sentence leaving a blank space for the words from the vocabulary lists. The students could practice using context clues and synonyms to determine the correct vocabulary word. Students could also create flashcard sets for themselves with problematic words. One activity I used in class was the race feature as a game. Students were broken into two teams played the race as a relay. Each student had to type in one correct vocabulary word before the next student went. If students did not know the words or the spelling their teammates were allowed to help with answers orally, but could not type in their place. Team one set the minimum score that team two needed to win. The students seemed to like the game and using the flashcards to help memorize new words.
Below are a couple of the quizlet activities.
Overall, I quite like quizlet and would recommend it to my students and other teachers. The website is simple, user-friendly and free. Premium features cost 25$/year for teachers and allow images to be uploaded, voice recording, class progress data and takes away ads.
Puzzlemaker
The free puzzle maker is a portion of the discovery education website. It allows you to create word searches, crosswords, cryptograms and a slew of other puzzles with no log-in or sign-up. Puzzles are great for vocabulary reinforcement or review, and good to have on hand for substitutes and students that finish their classwork early. For students that need a little extra help, oftentimes, I will include a word bank.
Many believe that puzzles like this are good only for individual work or pairs, but that is not the case. I have made large crossword puzzles with many clues and broken the class into small groups. Instead of pulling the projecting the puzzle onto the screen I left the screen up so the groups could write in answers. Sometimes we turned this into a relay or competition with different colored pens.
On a final note, there are many, many resources available on the internet, some free and others not, that can be used for learning vocabulary. It is simply a matter of locating a tool that suits the needs of both teachers and students. Wading through all of the options is by far one of the most difficult parts of attempting to integrate technology into the classroom. Don't let it get you down! Anyone can add digital tools to their lessons successfully.
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