Author: Ashley Chaney

Interviews with Educators | Chantelle Sekerak

Interviews with Educators | Chantelle Sekerak

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This week’s Interview with Educators features Chantelle Sekerak and her grade 2 class. Chantelle is a teacher in Ontario, Canada and first started using Voki to increase commenting activity on her classroom blog. From the looks of it, she and her class loved Voki so much that they made  it a regular part of their lessons!

As you see in her SlideRocket presentation, Voki  evolved from being a blog buddy to a lesson supplement. Now, she and her students use Voki to showcase their class activities such as math riddles and book talks!

Check out the presentationto see how Voki has been used in Chantelle’s class plus get some great tips and tricks! Be sure and click through to the end to hear her students share what they like about Voki!

Click here to view Chantelle Sekerak’s Voki SlideRocket Presentation

Financial Education Starts in the Classroom!

Financial Education Starts in the Classroom!

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Economics and Personal Finance are important topics for students of all ages and should be incorporated into the   standard k-12 curriculum. Educating kids about how to responsibly manage their finances not only improves their mathematical reasoning, but also provides them with meaningful life skills.

This week, we would like to share 3 new lesson plans based on Personal Finance. By introducing lessons that draw on the importance of saving and responsible spending, students will practice basic math, learn economic principles, and gain experience managing their finances.

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan to is not a requisite – feel free to use lesson plans from different grade levels than the one you teach, if you think they fit! Also, remember that you can adapt Voki lesson plans to fit your style, goals, or your students’ abilities.

Tooth Fairy Economics (Economics, Elementary) – Students learn about the value of currency and the cost of goods and services on a small scale. In this role play activity, the teacher will act as the “Tooth Fairy” and leave different amounts of change under each student’s pillow. Students will compare the amount of money they receive from the tooth fairy to the cost of the items that are available to purchase in the classroom. Next they will have to opportunity to exchange their money for an item within their Tooth Fairy budget. Students will create a Voki that explains how much money they received and what they could and could not purchase.

A Penny Saved (Economics, Middle School and High School) – In this lesson, students will learn about saving money by reading and discussing the comic book, “A Penny Saved,” published by the New York Federal Reserve Bank.  Students will learn how the choices they make with money can determine their quality of life. At the conclusion of this lesson, students will create a Voki that explains how saving money affects the economy and the importance of personal savings..

Let’s Buy a Car! (Economics, High School) – Students will look up cars online and calculate  which one is the best investment over an extended period of time.They will pick a car, consider different interest rates, and explain the costs over a 5 or 10 year period.

As always, we would love to hear how you are using Voki in class. If you have a lesson plan that uses Voki (or that can be adapted to incorporate Voki), please email us at lessonplans@voki.com.

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: Use Voki to Make an Announcement

Voki Tip of the Week: Use Voki to Make an Announcement

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You know those days. You’ve spent the whole night grading and preparing for class, then wake up late only to find you’ve run out of coffee.Now a classroom full of  bright eyed children are waiting for your performance…

This is the perfect morning to have a Voki introduce the day’s lesson and assignment.

Check out these examples and create your own savior Voki today!

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: How to Embed Voki Using Presets

Voki Tip of the Week: How to Embed Voki Using Presets

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 4 Comments

Embedding Voki with the publishing presets is easy! Showcase your Voki on Facebook, Friendster, Twitter and more with just a few clicks.

Step One: After you have created your Voki, added text or voice, and have it ready to go, click Publish Your Voki.

Step Two: Select the size in which you would like to display your Voki. We recommend choosing large for the full Voki effect!

Step Three: Choose the platform where you would like to post your Voki. If you do not see a quick option for a particular site or blog, grab the embed code below. Once you click the code, it is automatically copied and ready to paste on your website.

Some sites, such as WordPress, require a bit of massaging to embed your Voki on the page. For WordPress instructions, please check out our past Voki Tip of the Week, How to Embed Voki on WordPress.

We hope you have fun creating your Vokis and sharing them with your students, teachers, and friends! If you have any questions or issues with embedding, please let us know in the comments section or by sending us an e-mail to feedback@voki.com.

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Interviews with Educators | Vivienne Roberts

Interviews with Educators | Vivienne Roberts

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Every month, we like to get a teacher’s perspective of Voki and learn more about how he or she uses Voki in the classroom. Usually, the teachers we interview have been Voki fans for quite a while. This month, we got the chance to talk to Vivienne Roberts, a Curriculum Leader and Assistant Vice Principal at All Saints Academy Dunstable in England and a Voki newbie!

Check out Vivienne’s interview below which offers a fresh perspective on Voki, especially when it comes to her ideas for Modern Language classes.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am Curriculum Leader for Communications and Assistant Vice Principal at All Saints Academy Dunstable in England, which caters for students aged 13 to 19.  While I am responsible for English and Literacy, my subject specialism is Modern Langauges.  I discovered Voki only very recently and noticed immediately how useful a tool it could be for my students.

How do you use Voki?

I’ve begun by using Voki with my 14-16 year old students as part of the preparation for speaking assessments.  I’ve set up a classroom for them and have created a number of lessons, using the types of questions I plan to ask in the test.  In the instructions for each lesson, I include some hints as to the language structures I would like them to use.  The students then create a Voki for each one and type in their responses to the questions.  By changing the language and the voice, they can hear accurate pronunciation and intonation.  By listening to their Vokis, they can learn their material for the test more thoroughly and they really enjoy creating the characters and playing around with the different voices, accents and special effects.

What are your 3 favorite things about Voki?

I love the fact that Vokis give my students greater independence in their learning.  There is only one of me to go round a whole class but the foreign language voices in Voki allow them to listen and learn at their own pace.  They forget that they’re learning because they have so much fun making weird creatures and trying out the different voices.  Without being aware of it, they listen to their work several times over, thus consolidating the language content.

We can also create Vokis using sound files of the students speaking. Many students are reluctant to speak in another language in front of their peers but attaching the sound file to a Voki allows them to ‘hide’ behind the avatar and feel less self-conscious.

I can create my very own bespoke Vokis for my students as listening comprehension activities.  The Voki will allow me to include exactly what I want, rather than relying on resources create by another person based upon what they think my students should learn.  Vokis are very liberating!

What is one of your favorite lessons you have taught using Voki? 

I’m still a Voki novice but using the Vokis for preparation for speaking tests has inspired my students.  They want to add more to their Vokis – the Vokis are funny and the more they say, the funnier they become.  Having a different Voki for each question really helps them.  They can visualise the creature and this helps them to recall what it says i.e. their own answer to a question.

Do you have any Voki tricks up your sleeve?

As for tips, I’m sure I’ll acquire a few as I become a more competent user!  At the moment, I’ve only really got the basics, but I know I’ll find a few tips and quick fixes as I get better at it.  In the meantime, we’re having a lot of fun in Spanish and French lessons and that is priceless.

Want to be interviewed for this section? Send us a note and a link to your blog/ twitter: submit@voki.com!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: Recognize Student Achievement with Voki

Voki Tip of the Week: Recognize Student Achievement with Voki

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Voki is a useful tool that makes lessons interactive, educational, and fun.We love seeing how teachers around the world incorporate Voki into their classroom activities.  Voki isn’t only a great supplement to lessons, it can also serve as a cute message bearer that recognizes student achievements, good work, or birthdays! Just imagine a student’s delight upon receiving a Voki in their e-mail on their birthday that delivers a special and personalized message.

Below are a few examples of how Voki can help you give your students a virtual pat on the back.

Have a great week!

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: Edit Student Usernames on Voki Classroom

Voki Tip of the Week: Edit Student Usernames on Voki Classroom

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

If you are a Voki Classroom user, you have probably already noticed the changes we implemented  to make student logins much easier. Along with a simpler default username, Voki Classroom now allows you to edit your students’ login information as you or your school district deem most appropriate.

The new student logins are comprised of the student’s first name initial, last name, and 3 randomly generated numbers. If you do not want your students’ last names to appear or you would like to change any aspect of the username, go to your student roster and click the name in blue to edit.

Once you click the blue username, the ‘Change Student Login’ box  will appear.

The rest is up to you! Once you enter the new login, click ‘Change’ and you are  finished!

We hope you are  pleased with this update. We are  always  eager to hear your your suggestions for Voki as we continue to improve your experience.

Should you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will be happy to answer you, or email us at feedback@voki.com.

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: Give your Voki a Human Voice with a Microphone

Voki Tip of the Week: Give your Voki a Human Voice with a Microphone

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 23 Comments

Are you looking to get the most human-like Voki voice possible? Why not try recording your own voice on your Voki? Recording your voice on Voki is fun and adds the dimension of hearing your (or a student’s) actual voice. Whether it will be used to practice public speaking, foreign language pronunciation, or to add a dramatic effect to an assignment, voice recording is an easy-to-use tool that can prove to be very useful for Voki lessons.

In our latest “Interview with Educators“, music teacher Lyndell Allen used a Voki voice recording to help create a fun, interactive environment in her music classes.

We have many lesson plans in the Voki Lesson Plan Database that make use of recorded voices, especially in public speaking, ESL, foreign language and arts classes. The ways of using Voki voice recordings are endless!

In order to get the most out of your voice recording experience, it is important to be prepared with the right tools. There are two ways you can record your voice. One option is to use a computer microphone (either internal or external), and the other is to use a phone. Below, we take you through the steps for using a microphone to record your voice on Voki. Get your microphones ready and your voices warmed up!

Voki Voice Recording with a Microphone

You will need:

1.  A computer

2.  A microphone that works with your computer

Steps:

1.  If your computer does not have a built in microphone, plug in your external microphone to the computer.

2.  Test to make sure the microphone is properly connected to your computer:

a.  Go to My Computer

b.  Click on Control Panel

c.  Choose Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices

d.  Click Sounds and Audio Devices

e.  Click the Voice tab

f.  Under Voice Recording, click Test Hardware

If you have trouble setting up your microphone, ask your IT administrator.

3.  Once your microphone is properly connected, you are set to use Voki voice recording.

4.  Go to http://www.voki.com and log in or go to the Create section.

5.  Design your Voki as you wish.

6.  Under the Give it a Voice section, click the microphone icon.

7.  Choose “Allow” on the screen that pops up asking for Voki permission to access your microphone.

a. Starting with the first tab: 

i. Make sure the box by “Enable Hardware Acceleration” is checked.

ii. “Allow” vhss-d.oddcast.com to access your camera and microphone.

iii. The local storage tab is set at default and should not be changed.

iv. Slide the record volume to max and check the box next to reduce echo.

8.  Close the pop-up.

9.  Prepare what you want to say and press Record.

10. When you have finished recording, press Stop.

11.  Once you are happy with your recording, press Save and Name your audio file.

You will have 60 seconds to record your voice using Voki and 90 seconds with Voki Classroom. Don’t worry if you or your students don’t get it the first time. You can always try again until you are happy with you recording!

Tip: Your saved recordings are available by clicking the Folder icon under Give it a Voice.

Go ahead and try out Voki using a microphone to record your voice! If you have any great lesson ideas that use the voice recording function, please share it with us below in a comment or email to feedback@voki.com.

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team

Healthy Living Lesson Plans with Voki

Healthy Living Lesson Plans with Voki

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Being healthy is a lifestyle habit that requires guidance beginning at a young age. With some schools serving lunch options  that are highly processed and lacking in nutritional value, students may be confused as to what “good food” actually is. In addition to the difficulties of making healthy eating decisions, students have to balance their personal life with school work, which is often the source of major stress.

In an effort to help students learn how to maintain a happy and healthy life, we have created 3 lesson plans that touch on important health topics. Middle School and High School students will learn techniques on how to cope with stress,  create realistic body image expectations, and understand the potentially harmful effects of some common consumer products.

Stress, unhealthy eating habits, and a lack of regular exercise are a combination that threaten the well-being of many students. These topics deserve much more attention in school than they currently receive, so open up the discussion in your class and let your students share their ideas with Voki!

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not a requisite – you can use most Voki lesson plans that were written for a higher, or lower, grade than the one you teach – if you think they fit! Also, remember that you can adapt Voki lesson plans to fit your style, or your students’ abilities.

Coping with Stress (Health, High School) – Students explore the issue of stress in school and daily life, and understand that it is an issue many people have to cope with. Students make lists of things they have to do in the week and organize them in a way to try and reduce stress. The class discusses different ways to cope with stress and decrease it in daily life. The teacher will lead the students in a meditative yoga practice at the end of the lesson. Students will create a Voki that talks about how they plan to deal with stress in the future.

Body Image and its Influencers (Middle School, Health) – Students think about and discuss body image and where body image ideals come from. Students explore different body image influencers, such as the media, family, and culture, and compare and contrast these ideals with reality. Students will analyze their own perceptions and use Voki to talk about positive perceptions of their, and others’, appearance.

Voki Health PSA (Middle and High School, Health) – Students are assigned various popular consumer products and supplements to research and evaluate. After viewing examples of different health PSAs online, students will have the chance to create their own using Voki. Students will learn about how to maintain good health and the insider information on products that should be avoided or reduced. Students will think about healthier alternatives to the products they research.

As always, we would love to hear how you are using Voki in class. If you have a lesson plan that uses Voki (or that can be adapted to incorporate Voki) and you would like to share, please email us at lessonplans@voki.com.

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Voki Tip of the Week: Sharing Voki via E-Mail

Voki Tip of the Week: Sharing Voki via E-Mail

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 11 Comments

Have you ever made a Voki that you wanted to share with specific people (like a teacher, a student, parent, or a friend)? Do you have their e-mail address? If you answered “yes” to both questions, you are in luck!

You can easily email a Voki to anyone using the Voki “Send to a Friend” option. Follow these simple steps and you will be able to correspond with people à la Voki.

1.  Once you have saved your Voki, click the “Send to a Friend” button (under the Voki preview).

2.  Enter the email to which you want to send the Voki and hit “Enter.” You can repeat this step to add up to 5 email addresses.

Tip: Make sure to enter an email Subject and a message.

3.  Click “Send.”

Step One: Enter Sender and Recipient Information
Message Sent

Once your message has been sent, the recipient should receive your Voki immediately. The email that they receive will look like this:

Voki Email

Tip: To make sure you or your recipients receive Voki messages, ask them to add notifications@voki.com to their safe senders list.

When the email is opened, the recipient will be able to view your Voki and will also have the option to reply back with another Voki or forward it to someone else. They will also have the option of saving the Voki to their account.

Tip: Since you can save an emailed Voki to your account, this is also a way to Copy a Voki (just email it to yourself!)!

Recipient Voki View

Have fun using Voki and sharing with your friends! We hope this clears up any confusion you may have had about how to send Voki through e-mail. If you have any questions about this process, leave a comment below and we will be happy to answer you!

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team