Tag: Teaching

National Hot Dog Day, Kindergarten Math, and More

National Hot Dog Day, Kindergarten Math, and More

by Voki Blog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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 “I’d rather hear it from an avatar.”

Who’s with us? We know the millions of teachers who use Voki worldwide can agree, but we’ll speak for ourselves—avatar technology rocks. No doubt about it, a new chapter of teaching and learning is making an indelible mark in the classroom—and Voki is helping write the story. Read on to learn our ed tech developments—it’s a page (er, paragraph?) turner.

Character Analysis Meets the Techie Teacher’s World

ELA was never so animated. This four-step lesson plan—story selection, graphic organizer completion, written reflection, and Voki creation—will get your students analyzing character development on a whole other level.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Avatars Teach Kids About Democracy

Bring current affairs discussion into the classroom using the Voki Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton avatars. It’s never too early to teach the merits of democracy.

Kindergarten Math: Shapes and their Characteristics

Can you classify a shape without using its proper name? Learn how to use your observe and describe skills in this all-new Voki Teach lesson for your kindergarten kiddies. Geometric vocabulary, including ‘side,’ ‘corner,’ and ‘curve,’ is discussed.

National Hot Dog Day is July 23!

You don’t have to tell us twice. In this hook activity, lend your ear to our Voki hot dog avatar and support his cause—post a picture of a frank on July 23 with hashtag #NationalHotDogDay!

Voki 2.2 Coming Soon

Did you like the above hook activity? Well, there’s good news for more than just our frankfurter fans: our Voki 2.2 edition is due out later this summer. What does this mean for you? More time, less search. Voki Teach will now house all Common-Core aligned lessons, hook activities, and tech projects organized by subject area and grade level and with the same layout as our favorite video resource, Youtube. Share links to these resources, and Level 3 users, edit lessons and hooks to your liking.

The Voki App is Now Available in the iOS App Store

Create Voki avatars at your fingertips with our Voki app. It’s the perfect tool for students to work on projects and assignments. Download it here.

Tune in for Live Coverage of the School Technology Summit, NYC

Voki is attending the Department of Education School Technology Summit on July 27! Catch live updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages to get the scoop on ed tech news from inside the event.

Has Voki had a positive impact on your student’s life?

If so, we would love to hear about it and inspire others! Please email feedback@voki.com and share your story with us. If your story is featured, we will provide your classroom with a free, one-year level 3 subscription valued at $100.

Stay cool, Voki fans!

Sincerely,

Catherine Alvino, Digital Marketing Coordinator

Tips on Teaching Creativity

Tips on Teaching Creativity

by Voki Blog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

dsc00022Creativity is important in order for a classroom to be successful. Every student has the potential of being creative. It is up to the educator to help them cultivate it. So how can you help them in class? Here are some tips that can help!

1. Think outside the box.

In order to help your students to be creative in class, you have to be creative too. Do not confine yourself to the set standards. Be open to new ideas and try to find ways that can transform some of your lessons. If you run of ideas, connect with other teachers and ask them how they teach their lessons!

2. Encourage your students.

Encourage your students to be creative by setting an example of what creativity is. If you show them, they are sure to follow. Always encourage multiple viewpoints and different ideas. There’s no room for creative thought if there’s always a definitive right and wrong answer!

3. Give feedback.

Giving feedback on your students’ work can help them understand their ideas better. Find out how you can provide students with effective feedback.

Many teachers use Voki inside their classroom to help students be creative. Check out our past posts to see!

What other tips do you have that can help teachers teach creativity in class!

Until next time,

Eva D.

The Voki Team

1560505_10152516453053764_8553617582835278394_nBio: Eva is the Community Manager for Voki and is part of the Marketing Team at Oddcast. She enjoys playing the piano and knitting on her free time. (She’s also a Rubik’s cube master!) She loves to hear your feedback and comments for Voki!

Qualities of a Great Teacher

Qualities of a Great Teacher

by Voki Blog ♥ 2 Comments

Did you have that one teacher who inspired you to go above and beyond? That one teacher who took their time and made sure all his/her students are on the right track? And that one class that you can’t wait to attend? I am sure we can all relate to that.  Teachers carry a huge responsibility in their classroom. They are placed in a position that will shape and mold the future generations and contribute to their students’ successes. Being a teacher isn’t just about spoon-feeding facts and data into student’s brain but about the attitude toward your students and your dedication to your job.

So, we put together a short list of qualities that a great teacher should have. (Keep in mind that this is not all the qualities that are important to being a great teacher.)

Being Organized.

Being organized and prepared is very important. Great teachers are always organized and prepared for class. Their lessons are clearly structured so that students can easily follow it. An organized teacher can quickly find their teaching materials so that there are minimal distractions in class. Besides, what would your students think when you tell them you misplaced all their homework last night? (Maybe “the dog ate your homework” excuse might work!)

 Have Patience.

Patience is a virtue. The most important quality that a teacher should have is patience. A great teacher is very patient with their students and their parents to deal with the same questions and problems over and over again.  You never give up on your students and would try out new ways to help them succeed in school.

Sets High Expectations. 

A great teacher should have set high expectations and work to raise the bar for their students. You should realize that the expectations that you set can greatly affect your students’ achievements. Setting high expectations can help challenge your students to work harder and prepare them for the future. It’s not easy (and they might hate you for it). It is up to you to inspire and encourage them to do their best!

 Cares about Students.

To us, a great teacher should also care about their students. This teacher is the one who students can go to when they have problems/issues or maybe just to share a funny story with! Great teachers are also great listeners and will make time to listen to their students. I’m sure that we all have this one teacher who you talk to after class and you are STILL in contact with him/her today! (Or am I the only one?)

Loves Teaching.

According to Robert John Meehan, “teachers who love teaching, teach children to love learning.” We believe that this is the most important quality that all teachers should have. Teachers should be passionate and love teaching. A teacher who does not enjoy and love their job cannot be effective at all. Also, you can’t expect your students to enjoy the class if you’re not enjoying the class!

We know that there are more qualities that make up a great teacher. What other qualities do you think a great teacher should have? Let us know!

Until next time,

Eva D.

The Voki Team

1560505_10152516453053764_8553617582835278394_nBio: Eva is the Community Manager for Voki and is part of the Marketing Team at Oddcast. She enjoys playing the piano and knitting on her free time. (She’s also a Rubik’s cube master!) She loves to hear your feedback and comments for Voki!