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Foreign Langauge - Voki

Page history last edited by Paul Reynolds 12 years, 5 months ago

 

 Welcome to Lexi and Will's Wiki (2010).

 

Reviewed & Updated by Paul Reynolds (2011). 

 

What is a Voki  and how does it work?

 

What is a voki?  Voki is a website and software that allow you to create your own avatar or digital personality.  With that avatar, you can communicate with others via email, web blogs, social networking sites and even some other mediums such as ringtones and text messages.  This is a free service for students and teachers alike, so use it all you want! It is a great resource, because it can be embedded on your own blog and social network profile (like Facebook). In today's technologically-driven society, Vokis provide a fun way for students work on their target language skills. In this particular Wiki, we will be exploring how Voki can be effectively used to create meaningful opportunities for students to practice and strengthen their foreign language speaking and listening skills.

 

Here is a brief tutorial on how to register for your own Voki account!

  

First, visit the Voki website! http://www.voki.com Easy enough, right?

 

The homepage of the Voki website will look like this:

 

 

In the upper right hand corner, you can see an orange button that says 'Register.' It is FREE to register (one of the many great qualities about Voki!) When you register, you can save multiple Vokis and recordings under your account, so you can keep track of everything you have done on the website better -- you can keep the same avatar, find old recordings... Registering makes it much easier to navigate around the Voki website (rather than having to dig up each individual URL every time you want to review a Voki). Registering is quick and easy! You need to give your name, e-mail address, birthday, and create a password. The form looks like this: 

 

 

 

It is highly recommended that you register before creating your Voki. This makes it so much easier to edit, change, or update your Voki whenever you would like to! Once you click on the 'Sign Up' button, you will be receiving an activation e-mail from the Voki server-- click on it, and your account is instantly ready to go!

 

Once you're back on the Voki website logged in to your own account, it's time to get creating! You can be as conservative or as creative as you like-- it's your Voki! You will want to put your own personality into it-- whether you make an Avatar that looks like your real life self, or if you make a funny toon... just have fun with it! The following images show you how you can create your own Voki, and you can see two examples below of a snail and a dog!

 

Step One.  Choose a character.

Step Two.  Give the character a back ground.

 

Step Three.  Give your character a voice.

 

               

Click here to comment on this Voki.             Click here to comment on this Voki.

Get a Voki now!                                        Get a Voki now!

 

 

 

A little background about how Voki works is necessary to fully understand the idea behind Voki and its uses in the foreign language classroom.  To create a Voki, you simply chose how you want your character customized.  From its head, to its eyes to its bow-tie, you can control many aspects.  Characters range from ANIME to TOON characters including political characters, animals and VIPs like Abraham Lincoln and John Stuart.  Once you chose their lips, eyes, eyeglasses and hats, you can move on to a background image which can be a preloaded image or you can load your own image. When students make their own Vokis, they can be as creative as they want with their own avatars. However, a word of caution: never get too caught up in the making of the avatars, as it's more important that students work on their listening and speaking skills!

 

Finally (and this is the really useful part!), you get to add a voice.  Voices can be added by entering your phone number and having Voki call you to record your voice, via text-to-speech in a multitude of langauges, via microphone directly into the system, or via an upload of a previously recorded voice (MP3, WAV, etc) file. The following image below shows what the prompt screens will look like for the four ways of importing audio to your Voki!

 

 

The phone program is quite easy: simply click on the image of the phone, call the phone number provided and enter the PIN you are given, and talk away! The audio will then be transferred right into your Voki account! The text-to-speech options are very impressive, in that not only can you choose what language you want, you can choose specific dialects! For example, under the Spanish language, you can choose a person who speaks with a Castilian influence, or you can choose someone who speaks with a Mexican accent. In the two examples above, you can hear great examples of the text-to-voice programs that Voki has: the snail speaking in French and the dog speaking in English! They are fairly strong computer programs; however, as an educator, you may wish to give your own voice to your own Voki if you plan to post it on your webpage. It makes it much more personal for the students to hear and recognize their teacher's voice. The microphone option is probably the easiest, especially if you have an internal microphone built into your computer. Simply click on the image of the microphone, and record yourself speaking for up to one minute! If you do have a recording of a voice that you would like to put a 'face' or 'character' to, simply upload that audio file by clicking on the link. Once you’ve loaded the voice, the Voki is done, and you’re ready to save it and post it on your blog, webpage, facebook or email.

 

How can my students use this?

 

Digitize Me - Students and their "Alter Ego"

 

Voki is a great opportunity for students to become someone else, to be come something else.  They can use Voki to talk to other people on student-only chat boards and wikis and can be anything from a Rock Star to a Snail.    Teachers and parents can use this software without worrying about students true identity being revealed to people that it shouldn't.  Students can use their imagination to deside whether they're a Rocker in Space or a Snail at the White House and then they can come up with the dialog for the Voki.  If the teacher decides to have their students make their Vokis during class time, they can use the opportunity to stress new vocabulary about physical characteristics in the target language! For example, teachers can present students with the names of different parts of the face (Ojos = Eyes, Nariz = Nose, Orejas = Ears, etc), as well as descriptive adjectives (Amarillo = Yellow, Morado = Purple, Guapo = Handsome, etc).

 

An Alternate World to Describe 

 

Another use for the alternate persona, would be for a student to describe themselves as this person and describe their life. This could lead to diverse activities from a linguistic point of view. Students could describe their looks, interests, personalities, jobs, family etc from the point of view of their Voki avatar, in the target language. Small assignments could be given throughout the course of a semester that would have students completing different tasks through the lives of their Vokis. For example, the student could be asked to describe their avatar's favorite food in three sentences and then email their avatar (using their own voice recording) to the teacher.

 

Historical Avatars

 

Another cultural aspect could be creating an actual historical figure. If the students were studying the French Revolution, they could create an avatar that looked similar to someone like Robespierre. They could then record themselves speaking as this historical figure (in the target language of course) and describe the main reasons why this person impacted French history. All of the students' Vokis could then be compiled and used as a sort of jigsaw activity, to teach the rest of the class about the different historical figures. Students can even describe to the class why they chose certain physical features and backgrounds for their historical figure Vokis.

 

Reading Aloud

 

Students can also be given a passage of text in the target language to read, such as a short poem. Each student can read themselves reciting this passage into their Voki program. The teacher can then review each of these for correct pronunciation. This can be very helpful, as the teacher may not get a chance to hear each individual student everyday. Now they can listen to each student speak, on their own time, and make sure that the students get the important feedback they need to grow in their language skills.

 

Encouraging Growth!

 

Students are all diverse learners, and it is important to remember that each one of them have different learning styles and needs. Some students, for example, may be extremely shy, and may not feel comfortable with public speaking in a classroom. This can create a bit of a dilemma, because one of the key requirements to acquire any new foreign language is to use it! A Voki can give students the chance to not be 'in the spotlight,' but still practice their speaking skills, and have the chance for feedback from a teacher! Obviously, face-to-face interaction with students is ideal, but a Voki can be used to help students 'break out of their shells, to speak.

 

Around the World in 2 Minutes

 

Students can use the Voki to present a news story.  Teachers can load pictures from countries who speak the target language.  Then, assign the students a picture, which they can use as the background of the Voki.  Then the students can make up a news story happening at that location, and they can record themselves reporting the news.  Then use the MP3 upload feature of Voki to upload their voice as the voice of the Voki.  Instantly, you news reports from all over the world.  Depending on the level of the students, they could record a 20 second news report, or they could be asked to record a 3 minute news report.   

Click here to comment on this Voki.

Get a Voki now!

 

 

How can I use this as a teacher?

 

As a teacher, keeping students interested in a topic can be difficult.  Any usuable method, with a pedagogic background, can help keep their attention for just a little bit longer, and any amount is better than none!  Using Voki in your classroom can be a great way to keep students attention, keep them interested, and keep them activley learning and participating.

 

If your school provides websites for you to use as teachers, you can embed your Voki onto the page! Some teachers typically update their page weekly with upcoming assignments, projects, and quiz dates. You could easily use a Voki to record yourself speaking, allowing students to practice their listening skills in the target language by logging on to your website to find out information about the current unit! If you follow the link below, you will see an example of a Voki in Spanish, with the context being a teacher welcoming back students from summer vacation. It's a great way for students to be exposed to the language, for them to improve their listening skills, and to make your teacher website more personable and interactive!

 

Bienvenidos, clase! 

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=4562538&height=267&width=200

 
But how do I use it in my classroom?  Here are some creative and fun ideas.  A few of them we borrowed from other professionals, and some of them we thought up right here.
 
 

Checking In On A Student's Listening Skills

 

One of the great things about Voki is the audio component. It can be used to help test a student's listening comprehension abilities! While some schools may be able to provide textbooks that come with listening testing CDs, other schools may not have the financial resources to do so. In this case, a teacher can design as many Vokis as they want to to help test a student's listening skills. One of the unique features of Voki is that you can choose different voices that represent different dialects in Spanish (which is very beneficial to the students' growth, as it exposes them to distinct voices!) Using voices from different dialects allows for a unique approach to listening comprehension, and also allows students to note differences and compare them! In addition, a teacher can use the text-to-voice feature to type in whatever content they want, to focus in on targeted vocabulary words, grammatical functions and unit goals.

 

Welcome to America - Virtual Blog for ESL Students

Steve and Shelly, virtual Americans, love to share their blogs with the students learning ESL from Shelly Terrell.  Each week, Steve and Shelly update their virtual blogs.  Talking about their life, their free time, their school work.  They talk about things that are culturally relevant to the students they are talking to.  What's so unusual about that?  Shelly and Steve do not actually exist.  They are Voki avatars, made by Ms.  Terrell.  Her students "enjoy listening to weekly conversations from Shelly and Steve".  Conversations can be made in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian, and a host of other languages.  Because of the ability to type the text and have the Voki read in the foreign language, you can "switch it up" a little, and have different voices.  You can also have two native speaker friends record a prepared text and use that for the voice!

 

Putting Voices to Words on a Page

 

Again, the audio component of a Voki is invaluable. It is a great tool for teachers to use, as students can work on their listening skills. Something that could help develop students' understanding of a target language is the narration of a story in the target language through Voki. After listening through a story, such as "Rizos de Oro" (Goldilocks & the Three Bears), a teacher could check for comprehension by asking some questions about the plot of the story. Afterwards, the teacher could provide students with a written copy of the text and play through the audio of the story again. This would allow students to first work on their listening skills, then be able to match up spoken words to written words. Students would then be able to see how certain written words are actually pronounced, and would therefore increase their understanding of the target language.

 

We All Live in a Yellow Sub-stitute Teacher!

 

Gone are the days when the Substitute Teacher came to the class and gave busy work, or a simple video (en français!).  As a teacher, using Voki is an excellent way to give students directions while the substitute does busy work.  Gonna be out tomorrow?  Create a Voki today, giving students directions to what they're supposed to be doing while you're gone.  Give them hints for what they're studying, remind them that you'll be back and will know EVERYTHING that is going on, or use it however you think is best.  Woke up sick?  Create that Voki before the students get in, and leave the link to your wikispace for the substitute.  Then, when the substitute gets in, he or she can access the Voki and let your students know what's going on, and what they should be doing.

Click here to comment on this Voki.

Get a Voki now!

(As you can see, you can control the size of the Voki as well, so if you want to have it a bit biger, so the students can see it better, set the setting to "Large" on the publishing screen.  If you want it small or medium, that's a choice too!)

 

It's not Homework, it's Homefun!

 

Why give students homework?  Of course, to insure that they continue to use the language skills you're fostering in class.  But why does it have to be work?  Why can't it be more fun?  Now it can!  Using Voki, you can send the voki to all of your students emails along with a worksheet.  By having the students access the Voki, listen to the Voki, and respond to the questions on the sheet about the Voki, students are making connections to the foreign language outside of school.  If you're really feeling darish... let them make a Voki to respond to the questions as "homefun"! 

 

To whom it may concern...

 

Tuesday morning, and Timmy is absent.  Is Timmy okay?  Well, how about giving students a little bit of classroom management tools, usable when they are not able to be in class?  Give your students, in the beginning of the year, the following instructions:

     "If you are absent, on the day following your absence, your Voki will need to send me a message telling me why you were absent

     (nothing "personal", saying you had a doctor visit will do), and asking for the homework, classwoork and notes or anything that

     you missed over the day(s) you were gone.  If I do not receive anything from the Voki, I will assume you do not need it, so make

     sure you send that as soon as possible after you get back.  After three days of you being back, I'll assume you didn't want the

     information."

Now, your students have a policy for dealing with missed work/assignments and you also have another way to hear them speak the target language.

 

 

How can I keep my students safe?

1.  Create a Voki account that each student in the class will use.  For example: MrWestPD2FR could be the user name and the password could be MRWESTBONJOUR.  Then, all your students can access the same account and make their Vokis.  How does this keep your students safe?  Access at this point would not have ANY personal information for the students.  Also, you could keep track of any Vokis that are made and their content.  If something is not appropriate, you can delete it or remove it before there is a problem. It's important to remember that students do not have to create their own accounts!

 

2.  Post Vokis on a private Wiki page that is blocked by a password.  Then, have each student request access to the Wiki, so you can tell who acesses it and when.  This also allows you to verify that contect is acceptable for all of your students and that no one outside of the classroom (and parents) have access to any information about your students.

 

3.  Make sure that students know that personal information (name, date of birth, address, email and phone) is not acceptable to post on any Voki.  Also, make sure they understand that using information about their school is not acceptable.  Have them use their French name and the first initial of their real last name to idenify themselves or find another way to identify the students without compromising their security.

 

4.  Probably the most important step is to keep track of what is happening.  Make random checks on the Voki page and on the Wiki page to verify that information is acceptable.  Encourage parents to visit and to check up on what their student is doing.  Giving parents access codes to the Voki can make the parents feel more secure about the usage of internet by their child.

 

Where can I find more information?

http://www.voki.com

http://www.squidoo.com/VOKI

http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Voki

http://cegsa.editme.com/voki

http://www.slideshare.net/kbrooks/tutorial-for-voki-2834271

http://forums.voki.com/forums/list.page -- This is a great place to go with any questions or suggestions, and is also a great resource to chat with other teachers about how to use Voki in the classroom!

http://technology4kids.pbworks.com/w/page/24535850/Voki%20Talking%20Avatars -- A great Wiki page that has some interesting, fun examples of kindergarten students' Vokis! 

http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/voki/ -- A great, informative video about how to make Vokis!

http://blog.voki.com/ -- This site from Voki has interesting blog posts from the Voki team, and some great recommendations about using Voki in the classroom.

http://www.boxoftricks.net/2011/06/voki-classroom-is-nearly-here/ -- A blog post about Voki classroom (a paid service), and some of its features.

 

References

http://www.voki.com

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/02/engaging-students-with-voki.html

http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Voki

 

 

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