I still get a lot of email about Wordle every week. Some of it is questions I can deflect to the FAQ or to the forum, some of it is feature requests which I always decline, some of it is praise, and some is criticism. But I think this is a new one:
RAGE!
Subject: wordle - you've got to be kidding!
My daughters school had us TRY to use wordle, what a joke! I can't get it to work, clicked on your not working link and just about choked, do you really think the average parent has the time to try and figure out what is wrong - really upgrading Java possibly, firewall issues, we are not programmers. Any tool that can not be easily used won't be used. I'm not wasting any more time trying to figure out why my computer won't let me run your program, again just an average user here, and I've NEVER had a problem before this trying to get something to run.
This is precisely why I wish teachers wouldn't assign Wordle as homework. Well, it's one of two reasons. The other is that I really intended Wordle to be something fun, and my own experience of homework those many decades ago has soured me on the concept. Although, perhaps the writer of that note would have benefited from some essay-writing.
47 comments:
Just to let you know that the scales are sooooooo tilted in your favor! I LOVE WORDLE!!!!
Pay no attention to Luddites who prefer to write with a hammer and stone!
We use Wordle for Church slides all the time and I use them in my work blog as well. It rocks and is easy to use!
For some reason I am skeptical about the writer's claim about "never".........
If you can't get Wordle to work you may just need to go on and hand over your computer. It's great, even for kids!
I agree. Wordle is wonderful and very easy to use. I have used it as at home, just for fun, but I am going to try it with my 2nd and 3rd grade students. They will love it. Thanks!
And as a mother of one of Chris's 3rd Graders I can tell you they loved it!! It was the first thing my daughter showed me when she came home from school. She told me how to make the fonts bigger for some words and how to use the "~" to keep words together. Very impressive!! Wordle is cool!!
I hope after her negative energy ended after it was spent on the keyboard. Stress buildup is damaging in so many ways. Wordle could help her turn it into something that's a positive release and be a tangible creation of her expression. Java is confusing.... schools that have IT help lines for parents/students to teach how to get what home computers needs in order to access Wordle, etc. are a key link in completing the educational chain of events.
I had trouble using Wordle at work and had to get the IT guys to fiddle with the Java settings on my work computer, but now it's fine. I think Wordle is fantastic, and I'm going to use it in concordancing sessions with uni students. Thanks a million.
I just discovered wordle and I think I just spent the last 2 hours goofing around on it. I love it! I am excited to show it to everyone I know:)
Thanks!
http://www.kaotickrafter.blogspot.com
Those of us teachers who use WORDLE do it because we are trying to teach to kids who play video games, while eating supper, while answering text messages every 5 seconds, while posting to FB, while holding a conversation, AND while doing HW ... get the picture??? Thanks to this site and other great ones, we are moving forward in the classroom. Thank you for creating such an awesome tool!!!
she should be angry that her kid has not fixed her computer for her yet! e-mail her back and tell her to get out of the way and let her child operate the terminal for a while.
There are other pieces of technology that your computer-challenged complainer may find more accessible. The simplest is called "pen and pencil." Get the one where the pencil (that's the piece that looks like a stick) includes a delete function - or as it is commonly called, an "eraser." You might also look for a pencil with the tech support number on the side. Of course, then you need to be able to use that "telling bone" thing...
I am so sorry you received such a note. I LOVE Wordle! I wonder what would have happened if all that anger would have been addressed to the teacher where the problem actually came from....
Oh the other hand, I had my third graders make a list of things they were interested in (football, Christmas, cats, etc) and then type them into Wordle at school. We have had a blast. I keep doing Christmas song lyrics and they think it is so cool. Keep up the good work.
I think Wordle is wonderful - an excellent tool for students.
I'm recommending it as a language tool for university students in the second edition of our book Essential Academic Skills.
I really like: the way wordle can show just which words need to be understood in order to make the reading of a difficult piece of text possible; the fact that it intuitively and creatively reveals something of the meanings of the key words; and, of course, its user friendliness and fun.
So - YES I'd say to anyone recommending it to any students at any level!
I love Wordle,it is FUN! I have 3 kids and they know more about IT than their IT teachers, and that's by playing around with stuff on the internet, experimenting and not sticking to stupid rules. When something doesn't work I tell them to Google it, there's an answer out there somewhere :)
I hope there is often a chance of convert a negative approach into a positive one.
For instance, after an inner anger reaction, this lady could have just express a request for help.
And as a developer I would be interested in the reason why this gorgeous piece of software didn't work.
I ran her angry response and posted it as "Angry User of Wordy."
Looks like a lot of random thinking - odd. Maybe this was therpy for her. Personally, I love the program and am planning on using it im my writing classes to get different ways of looking at their writings.
Fascinating reaction to Wordle.
I find it brilliant to use to demonstrate my family history lines. I'm in my late 70s.
My grand daughters use it to decorate their homework folders. They are aged 5 and 8.
I find it useful (as well as fun).
They find it fun (as well as useful).
What more can you ask? As they say down Somerset (England) way, "There's nowt so queer as folk".
Thanks for a great resource!
That person should have taken a step back and breathed before firing that off. How unfortuante that she lay blame for her frustrations at your door. I came across Wordle today and am using it for a couple of work-related illustrations and love it. Thanks for sharing your skills.
just a stressed out mom.... was nothing personal just a mom venting... just maybe to the wrong person- can relate- been there done that... love Wordle... just seeing it now for the 1st time... thanks :)
Haha, I am a student who used this in the classrom as an assignment, it worked completely fine with me! haha i love it! It's a new way to express my self and it can make me think about a lot of things sometimes. Sorry for the crazy mother who was having a bad day, im sure you weren't the only one. : )
Couldn't agree more;
Wordle is not the problem
Homework is
When Wordle (unadulterated delight)
outlives homework (bleugh)
we will know we have arrived :)
Ouch - well I understand a parents frustration with homework assignments and technology challenges but obviously they directed their problems to COMPLETELY the wrong avenue. Forgive them for they are stupid.
Happy fish, mad fish, glad fish, sad fish...
Why are some fish mad and sad?
I don't know, go ask your dad.
I have just created my first Wordle today, what an awful email for you to have received! I think it's AWESOME! In a lovely fake US accent but I really do love it - HMx
Hello dear person,
I'm sorry that some people don't get that you are offering a free wonderful and fun service! I use wordle when I'm editing my manuscript - it shows me in a way that my sort of brain likes - how I use the word Just about 783 times too many and Like and One are not far behind! Thank you very much. I completely appreciate your brilliance and I know LOTS of writers who do too.
I love wordle! My Language Arts teacher assigned a project for her class, she was obsessed with it! She makes us use it for every book report we do now!
Beautiful and so much fun, better than a coffee break!
I am a high school world language teacher and constantly use Wordle because it is easy to use, it makes for great vocab reviews.
Chuckle.
I got this link from my preacher. I love it! Don't know when or where I might use it, but I'm giving it thought. BTW, I'm a retired teacher of 30 years in elementary...that mom was just having a bad day. Believe me, I have heard a lot of venting from parents who relaxed after the dust settled. Her child probably didn't tell her about the assignment until 10:30 the night before it was due! Keep up the good work! You get an A+!
Chances are, that mother has an old, not-updated computer and that is why things dont work. I word in a lab at a college and we have had no trouble at all. BUT, we do get calls from users who have old computers who never update anything.You cant please everyone.....
I sadly don't agree. My children's teacher uses Wordle to make learning fun and my kids love it! I did not find it difficult to get going at home. The teacher uses in the Grade 2 class to teach the kids personal identity by making a wordle of things about them i.e. sister, good friend, kind person. She also uses it in the class to encourage kindness toward each other - they use one student and everyone offers up a word that they think describes that person. Thanks for Wordle, we love it!
"I've NEVER had a problem before this trying to get something to run." Somehow I have a hard time believing that.
You're reminding me: I need to turn my kids onto Wordle. I LOVE IT!
Now her letter is in the gallery... http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3383233/RAGE!
Wow.
I just found Wordle earlier today.
What a FABULOUS tool.
Like a Speed Reading recognition lesson, only on steroids.
I am going to use this a LOT in WorkPlace Learning, at my company (along with all of those second- and third-graders, ahead of me on the learning curve!
Thanks for this fun site!
OMG, that parent is clueless. They should have their computer removed from their home. Wordle as homework? Perhaps that school's ciriculum should be looked at but I guess it's an upgrade from Microsoft Word WordArt project they did last year.
Those of us who can, you know, upgrade our browser, thank you for all of your hard work.
Rod Salm
_________________________________
Death At Your Door a weekly webcomic
Funny how people who say they don't have enough time to do stuff have time to write really long rants on the internet.
I think Wordle is great - very fun indeed.
My wordle didn't work. It took me all of 1 min. to follow the steps listed in your trouble shooting section. I am a parent. I am not a programmer. It really wasn't that hard. I think she must have been having a hard day, as moms do. ;)
Well that's just sad! She's probably a frazzled mommy and is trying to help with homework and took it out on you. I on the other hand LOVE it and even blogged about it a little.
http://wedemeyerfamily.blogspot.com/2011/06/wordle.html
i am computer savvy enough to be DANGEROUS. i have never had any problems with wordle. i have even figured out how to save it to a pdf file and use it in Photoshop and other programs. i think you've done an excellent job with making it user friendly and fun!
She's a freak. Worked fine for me. Sometimes, you just can't please anyone... I love it!
I have to use Wordle for my Spanish class and so far it’s fun, sorry it doesn’t work out for everybody.
I may be an old person (41) with an old computer (5yrs) but this woman actually put words to my frustration. I use java applications all the time for what I consider "fancy computering' like scanning my checks to deposit instantly online, but I get an error trying to use wordle and none of the fixes seem to work. I'm really disppointed because I think it looks like a fun and cool tool.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Wordle!!!!!!!! Thank you for your creativity and your willingness to share your creation! Bravo on a job well done!
Post a Comment