More Than a Word Cloud

Word cloud generating applications were originally designed to add visual attractiveness to posters, websites, slide show presentations, and the like. They can also be an effective tool in reading and writing classes in English as a second language (ESL) for all levels of English proficiency. They can reduce reading time and help to improve writing skills and vocabulary comprehension. They can also be used to address elements of rhetoric in students’ essays and instructors’ assignment descriptions and syllabi. Word clouds can be used as a visual aid to present new vocabulary and a study tool for quizzes. Most applications work with printed and online texts and students’ authentic writing. They find corpus vocabulary in texts and use it to create word clouds. Knowing key words helps students understand and summarize the texts they read. When students determine which words they use most often in their writing, they are advised to learn the spelling and collocations of those words, find synonyms to avoid repetition, and use word maps to create a particular tone of voice to sound (for example) humorous or sad. This article introduces word cloud generators, which are free, user-friendly online tools that can be easily incorporated into ESL classroom activities to enhance student learning experience.