Use a Voki on Your Website to Create Interest

by Dale Borgeson
(Temecula, CA)

Voki.com is a site where you can create talking avatars and then add them to your website. They have a basic free version as well as enhanced subscription options. I have found the free version just fine for my needs. It's quite simple, just select an avatar, record what you want it to say, or just type away and select a voice. Then just embed it into your site. I have used a variety of these charactars throughout my site to stimulate interest and just provide some fun entertainment. I move one around the classroom website and have it say a secret word, if a student tells me the word they earn a classroom bonus.

I have also had the students create Voki characters for biography book reports. They can select a character and then have it say a brief summary of the indivual's life. You can see a few examples on this page from my website:(http://vhes.tvusd.k12.ca.us/bookreports)

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ideas for Teachers.

Daily Teaching Tools: Links Library Software Tools Free Teaching Software for Language Arts Middle School Kids Teaching software: Talking avatars teach 30 language arts mini-lessons via digital projector or SMART Board while you relax, 20 writing tutorials, 60 multimedia warm ups . . . Free Writing Software: Great for Journalism and Language Arts This free writing software is designed for individual workstations. 20 step by step tutorials are available for producing articles, reviews, essays . . . Middle School English: A Dynamic Collection of Multimedia Warm Ups Free download of middle school English warm up activities for display via digital projector, SMART Board, or the classroom TV. 5 activities for each of 12 categor . . Language Arts: Great Free Teaching Software for Middle School Talking avatars teach 30 language arts mini-lessons via digital projector or smart board while YOU relax. Author's purpose, how to summarize, main idea . . . Strategies and Methods Tools Motivating Students: This Set of Strategies Really Works with Kids A comprehensive strategy for motivating students: enhance classroom participation, teamwork, individual effort, and more. Free downloads are available. Using Teaching Strategies to Increase Participation, Interest, and Motivation Teaching Strategies: Step by step examples for planning, implementing, and evaluating inductive and deductive activities that really work with kids . . . Teaching Methods: Deliver Meaningful Content with the Deductive Approach Teaching methods: The deductive approach is a great way to deliver concepts quickly and efficiently. Start with the objective and use students' responses to structure the lesson . . . Teaching Methods: How to Effectively Use Inductive Teaching Activities with Kids These inductive teaching methods are guaranteed to increase student motivation and participation. Kids learn content while sharpening processing skills . . . Teaching Methods: An Awesome Inductive Teaching Approach for All Subject Areas Of all the inductive teaching methods, this one, is clearly my favorite. Students learn content while establishing their confidence as learners. This REALLY works! Teaching with Technology: Using the Internet, Classroom Computers, Elmo, and Wow them by teaching with technology! Useful tips on using digital projectors, classroom computers, the Internet, Elmo, and SMART Board. Free downloads. Classroom Management Tools A Comprehensive Classroom Management Strategy that Really Works with Kids Classroom Management: Establishing classroom routines, providing warm up activities, structuring instructional time, the "Going to the Movies" approach, setting expectations, and . . . Effective Classroom Management: Organizing to Enhance Discipline and Order Organizing for effective classroom management: Use these reliable strategies to greatly improve discipline and order. A place for everything and . . . Establish Effective Classroom Routines to Guarantee a Successful School Year Classroom routines: Controlling traffic, preparing students for instruction, obtaining materials, managing the pencil sharpener, maximizing instructional time, more . . . CHAMPs Classroom Management: Designing and Implementing the System CHAMPs Classroom Management: How to develop strategies for multiple instructional approaches, tips on how to implement strategies, examples of CHAMPs strategies, and . . . Tools for Teaching Writing Writing Prompts: Over 200 for Practice Essays, Journal Entries, and More Persuasive and expository essay writing prompts, reader response questions and statements, and journal writing prompts for every day of the school year. 180 Journal Writing Prompts: Enough for Every Day of the School Year Journal Writing Prompts: These high-interest prompts will encourage kids to describe, explain, persuade, and narrate every day of the school year . . . Reader Response Questions and Prompts for Fiction and Nonfiction Reader Response Questions: These prompts give students focus and purpose as they respond in writing to fiction and nonfiction they have read . . . Essay Writing Prompts For Persuasive and Expository Compositions Essay Writing Prompts: Over two and a half school years' worth of prompts for persuasive and expository compositions. Use them for practice or for the . . . Tools for New Teachers
First Year Teachers: Great Tips for Enhancing Effectiveness Ideas for first year teachers: Establishing connections with kids, showcasing relevance, managing the classroom, using classroom routines, communicating with parents, and . . . First Day of School: Absolute Musts for Getting Off to a Great Start Ideas for a great first day of school: Use the Wow! Factor, create immediate opportunity for success, establish the tone, provide motivation, describe expectations, and . . . Establish Effective Classroom Routines to Guarantee a Successful School Year Classroom routines: Controlling traffic, preparing students for instruction, obtaining materials, managing the pencil sharpener, maximizing instructional time, more . . . Teaching Resource Tools Classroom Libraries: Acquiring Books, Establishing Procedures, More Classroom Libraries: Everything from acquiring and organizing books to establishing procedures. Free downloads of several pertinent documents. Online Teacher Resources: Free Websites Offer Great Classroom Tools These free online teacher resources offer a wide variety of useful tools: activities, incentives, reference resources, downloadables, lesson plans, and more . . . Ideas for Teachers: Please Help Us with Your Experience and Expertise What ideas for teachers could you share with us? A strategy or procedure, perhaps? Something that you have found to be effective with kids? Tools for Your Students (much more coming shortly) 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers Language arts graphic organizers: story maps, double entry diary, concept wheel, 5 paragraph essay planner, think-pair-share chart, Venn diagrams for 2 or 3 topics, Tools Coming Soon Ideas for Bulletin Boards Bulletin Boards: All you need is card stock paper for this pile of ready-to-use, fully-customizable signs and posters. These downloadables are entirely free of charge. © Copyright 2012 by Chad Manis, DailyTeachingTools.com. All rights reserved.

SBI!