Word clouds are word groups that appear in image format, based on a set of words from any given text. I use them mainly as reading comprehension tools but they also work well as summary tools - for readers as well as writers. You take a bunch of text - the more the better - you copy the text and then paste it into a new words cloud. Et voila! The cloud is formed. You can change the format of the cloud, the colours, the size, the orientation, save it as a web page or a picture, and even personalize it with your own reasons for making the cloud.
Once you have the link or the picture - image file - you can use it in word documents, in your blogs, as a supplemental resource for new vocabulary exploration of a page or a text, maybe about culture or anything else. It works really well with research projects where students have to find new information. The cloud helps students realize what are the words that appear most often in a text. These words will carry the most meaning in the text. You can ask students to focus on those words. Do they know them? Do they need to search their meaning? What do the words help students think about in the text? How can these words help them remember meaningful information?
You decide what you do with a word cloud. The link is at www.wordle.net - and below is a word cloud of the text on this page. The link to this wordle is here.
