Crossword Labs is an amazing tool that can be used to develop custom crossword puzzles. It may take a little effort on the part of developing the questions as the word choices must not include spaces, but once it is made, it is yours for as long as you want. You can work this as an individual activity or a group activity and best of all it will assess student retention of information and won’t be seen just as busy work. Learn more at CrosswordLabs.com.
What is the benefit of this tool?
Although, low tech, crossword puzzles are a good way to gauge student retention of information. Students can complete this online (Works on mobile devices too), then submit it in a PDF or image format, but I would suggest keeping it low tech and have the students work on this in class on paper.
What is the disadvantage of this tool?
It may be challenging for some as there isn’t a word bank, only the clues.
Is there a cost associated with this tool?
No, the free version is sufficient. There is a lifetime membership and as of this post it was $9.95. There are additional features that the membership unlocks and the main one is that you can keep your crossword(s) private. This is not the case with the free version, but either way the answer key cannot be edited by anyone except the creator of the crossword. You have to enter a password when creating the crossword so keep the password in a safe place and don’t lose it as there are no password resets.
Thoughts…
I’ve noticed that with game based learning, you’ll have to deal with the competitiveness of some individuals. Keep this in mind if you decide to associate points with this game and make sure all rules are explained in advance prior to starting the game. You can have students work individually or in teams, but make sure everything is clearly defined in advance.