Tag: voki voice

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

Public Speaking? No Sweat!

Public Speaking? No Sweat!

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 2 Comments

Public Speaking, like any other subject, takes practice — lots of practice.  Just think about the most common nightmare experienced by children and adults worldwide: You’re palms are sweaty. You’re feeling nervous. You finally take the stage to make your speech, then from the audience bursts laughter from corner to corner. You wonder what is wrong and you look down…

Luckily, that scenario rarely happens in real life, but the fear is real. Avoiding anxiety can actually be easy if you practice public speaking regularly. Students may not know it now, but the truth is, feeling confident speaking in front of a group will help them tremendously later in life.

From a professional atmosphere to an informal gathering, the skills acquired in a Public Speaking class can be a great personal asset. Below are a few lessons we have created to help make the subject more approachable by students. By using Voki and recording their voices (instead of using the text-to-speech feature), students will be able to deal with public speaking with greater confidence. As time goes on, students’ will develop their own style and techniques.

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not set in stone – you can use Voki lesson plans from 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.

Personal Introductions (6th, Public Speaking) – Students will break the ice in their public speaking class using Voki. In an informal introduction, students will talk about who they are, what their goals are for the class, and who they admire. After presentations are done, classmates will know more about each other’s personal lives and in turn feel more connected and less shy.

Impromptu with Voki (7th, Public Speaking) – Speaking on the spot can cause anxiety and sweat but by practicing impromptu speeches with Voki, students will ease into a difficult task and remain calm. By using this lesson as practice once a week, students will become more adept at thinking on their feet and develop a personal style. Who knows, maybe your next student will run for president…

The Leader of the School (8th, Public Speaking and Writing) – In this exercise of imagination, students will have 60 seconds (90 seconds with Voki Classroom) to convince their classmates to elect them as leader of the classroom after being stranded on an island. The idea is to form a compelling written speech and then use Voki in order to present a concise redaction of the speech that emphasizes the main points of the student’s reasoning. Students will have fun using their imaginations and learn about persuasive speech techniques.

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.

Happy learning, and have fun!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team