Student engagement can be an elusive entity for today's educators. There are many possible causes for learner apathy which range from boredom to socio-economic issues to a lack of ability. The goal for educators is to find resources that inspire students to actively participate in their learning. One such resource is Voki - a speaking avatar web tool. Even the most reluctant learners embrace Voki as it gives them the opportunity to express themselves without the need of standing in front of their peers - a very terrifying experience for some. From an educational standpoint, Voki provides all students with an equal opportunity to earn the best grade possible! But who is really best suited to explain the educational benefits of Voki? The students, of course! Below are some student testimonials that will further highlight the educational benefits of Voki. "I liked it because it was an unique and fun way to introduce yourself to your class and your website. You could also customize your Voki differently than what you look like ... You can have fun!" - Sydney
"It is good for Grade 8 introductions. Students can find things out about their classmates without the stress of being in front of the class." - Noah "I think it's a good tool because you can use it to present a project or a speech with it." - Chase "It's fun to use and it could be helpful in other ways such as sending it to a family member for their birthday, etc." - Keisha "I like Voki because you get to know more about your classmates. It's fun, new and a good way to start the year." - Lizzy "I liked it because we can express our creativity and get to know others." - Shaelyn "It is good for auditory learners." - Heidi "If you weren't comfortable with speaking in front of the class, you could use Voki to speak instead." - Sarah
As you can see, Voki is a fun and engaging web tool that motivates students to creatively share their knowledge. Click here for a detailed explanation on how to get started. If you haven't yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a try!
Lynda Hall originally wrote this post for Voki for Education November 2012.
Voki breathes life into any avatar! Give it a try. As demonstrated, Voki is a fun and interactive web tool designed to create speaking avatars. Students enjoy creating avatars with Voki as it is a fun and creative way to verbally demonstrate their knowledge in a safe environment. Other features of Voki include: 1. Voki offers many opportunities to share avatars including email, embed code or direct access to your favorite social media site. 2. The free version of Voki includes an educational section with many lesson planning ideas for all grades and subject areas. Lesson ideas are easily accessed using the site's search tool. 3. Voki offers a paid version as well which provides educators with a class management system, ready-made lessons, and how-to tutorials. There are several pricing plans available but it is wise to try their 15 day free trial first. A quick how-to guide to get your students started with Voki is available below. Getting Started with Voki
Sample Classroom Activities: 1. Ice Breaker Activity - to get the school year off to a positive start, have students create a short autobiography to introduces themselves to their new classmates. 2. Website Homepage Introduction - verbally introduce yourself and the purpose of the website using a Voki avatar on the homepage of any website. 3. "Exit Ticket" - before students leave class, have them outline what they learned. 4. Reflection tool - have students reflect or summarize the key points/issues of a literary work. I am confident your students will enjoying using Voki. Give it a try! Click here to get started. This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.
