BP9_2009122_Voki

Voki is a fun Web 2.0 tool that I discovered in my last class. Instead of speaking, students can create an image and type what they would like this image to say. This would help the shy students speak up. The Vokis are very easy to make and you can create any image from an animal to an imaginary image to a person. You can change the way they look or dress or speak. This would be a good tool to add onto another presentation. You can add your Voki to other websites, send it to other people and do fun creative things with it. It is a sure tool to get your students engaged and is also free to sign up for.

When researching Vokis, I learned that they could be used to help ESL students. They can use the avatars to practice and listen to their own speech. They can use the computerized voice at first and then record their own voices and practice pronunciation and reading and writing. This is a fun way for students to learn English. Many are embarrassed to talk at all because of their accents. They can use their Vokis to express themselves.

Teachers can use Vokis also to teach online classes or to teach a lesson in their own class. This is a way to change the classroom lesson instead of constantly having their students listening to them lecture. It grabs students' attention just because it is something different and non-traditional being done in the classroom.