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)