Tag: voki

Get Creative with Voki – New Arts Lesson Plans!

Get Creative with Voki – New Arts Lesson Plans!

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Get out your paintbrushes, glue, and construction paper! Bring out the lights, your best smile, and a script! It’s time to have fun with Voki and Visual Arts! From color studies and collages to instructional videos and personal short films, you can use Voki to help bring out the artist in every student!

Ranging from 6th to 12th grade, these lesson plans are designed to help students explore art, contextualize its meanings, produce artwork of their own, and make connections with light, shadow, color and mood to create a certain effect.

Along with lesson plans that focus on visual arts, we have also included  two lessons regarding the art of film. Your students will be in charge of writing and producing their own short films and using their knowledge of basic art composition to create entertaining and visually interesting shorts.

(We went a little crazy with the art lesson plans; but hey, what kind of renowned art isn’t a little nutty?)

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not a requisite – you can use most 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.

Art Interpretations (6th Grade, Arts) –  Students are assigned one photocopy of a famous work of art. They research the background and context in which the work was created. Students then create a Voki that interprets the work’s significance at the time it was created, and follow up with a brief, impromptu personal opinion of the piece.

An Artist’s History (7th Grade, Arts) –  Students discover more about notable artists and create a brief presentation that showcases an artist’s information, famous pieces, and a student analysis of the work. Students use Voki to talk about how they feel about the art and what it means to them personally. By the end of the lesson, students will have constructed an artist database to refer to before tests.

Immediate Attraction (8th Grade, Arts) –  This is a quick exercise to help students discover their art preferences and interests. Students will have 45 seconds to flip through art books and find one piece that catches their attention. After they have gone through 3 books, students will analyze each of 3 pieces of art. Students will use Voki to describe the art, how it makes them feel, think, and what kind of reactions their chosen pieces evoke.

A New Family Tree (9th Grade, Arts) –  Students use copies of family photos and magazine clips to recreate a picture of their fantasy family tree. By using various mediums, students will make collages that use real life mixed with various aspects of their imagination to create an avant-garde piece of artwork. Students will then use Voki to describe the brief history of their made-up family.

The Meaning of Color (10th Grade, Arts) – Students work together, and alone, using color to convey a story. Students will be divided into two groups of warm and cool colors. As a team, students work together cutting out colored paper and “collaging” to create a group piece of art. After the group work is done, each student will create a Voki that tells a story that represents the artwork.

The Identity Project (11th Grade, Arts) –  Students use video to create a short film that explores their identity. Students are encouraged to use whatever they would like to make their video and have all creative freedom as long as they remain on topic or can justify any deviation from the topic. Students will then create a Voki that introduces the video to the class.

A Guide to What?! (12th Grade, Arts) – Students draw three cards from a bag that contains different words. Students then create an instructional video that somehow incorporates the three words into the activity or idea being taught. Students will create a Voki that begins the video presentation by explaining what words were drawn and what the instructional video is going to teach.

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

Start Fresh: New Year’s Lesson Plans

Start Fresh: New Year’s Lesson Plans

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It’s 2012 and school is back in session! Instead of forgetting about the happy holiday moments you and your students  experienced, extend the joy just one more day and try out one of our informative and fun New Year’s lesson plans.

With this new set of lesson plans, you and your students can talk about class resolutions and make a pact to work towards your new goals and be supportive of each other. You can also learn about different calendars used around the world and their New Year’s day celebrations.

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not a requisite – 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.

What is your New Year’s Resolution? (Elementary, Public Speaking, Writing, Other) – A new year can bring a fresh start to your class. With this New Year’s lesson plan, you and your students can reflect on the last year in class and how this year can be better. Students will learn about resolutions and be introspective in order to bring out the best from within.

Calendars Around the World (Middle School, Social Studies, Other) – Students will learn about other calendars that exist in the world and about the cultures that observe different New Year’s days. Each student will create a Voki that teaches the class about the history of a different calendar. They will also use Voki to talk about when and how certain cultures celebrate their New Year.

Celebrating New Year’s Eve (High School, History, Geography, Social Studies, Other) – Students will discover more about the history and traditions associated with the New Year’s Eve celebrations in other parts of the world. In this interactive lesson, students gather into small groups and use Vokis to give an in depth oral presentation about the history of different culture’s New Year’s traditions. They will also do a show and tell with a visual that the students construct that represents the culture they studied. After the presentations are complete, the class can have their own New Year’s party using all of the customs and traditions they learned about.

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 2012!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

The Voki Favorites of 2011

The Voki Favorites of 2011

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We are always impressed to see what educators and students can come up with using Voki. The year 2011 was a good one for Voki as was apparent through the emergence of class videos demonstrating Voki in action, well developed instructional videos for newbies, great lesson plans coming from all over the world, and so much more!

We decided to collect our favorite ways of using Voki here for all to see. Please browse through the list to learn more about Voki and how teachers from around the world use it to make class a virtual blast! Hopefully you will be inspired to come up with other ways to make Voki a part of your class. Below is a short list of some of our favorites but believe us, there are so many more out there!

10 Ways you can use Voki:

  1. Improve Confidence
  2. Learn Chinese
  3. Voki Introductions
  4. Interactive Instruction
  5. Break Barriers using Multiple Means of Engagement
  6. Become Digitally Literate
  7. Voki Dictation for Language Class
  8. “Pass it On” Buddy Method
  9. Update Students and Parents on Class Blogs
  10. Make Learning Exciting!

Thanks to all who made this list possible and to everyone that has made Voki a part of their classroom! We look forward to the new year and to hear back from you about the fun and innovative ways you use Voki in your lessons. Who knows? You and your students may find yourselves and your Vokis on our blog!

Happy New Year to all! May your 2012 be filled with happiness, gratitude, and new experiences!

Say Goodbye to Writer’s Block: Writing Lesson Plans

Say Goodbye to Writer’s Block: Writing Lesson Plans

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Another year has come and gone and so has the winter vacation. Students may be coming back to class clinging onto the remaining visions of sugarplums and fairies; but instead of trying to overcome their rapacious imaginations, work with them! Now is the perfect time to engage your students in exercises that bring out their excitement and indulge their enthusiasm.

Below are a few Writing lesson plans that will enable students to write freely and use their imaginations with confidence. Many middle-schoolers consider writing a dreaded task, and tend to suffer from Writer’s Block. Too many times, students are required to write technical and analytic essays, at the expense of developing their creative writing skills with prose and short stories.

The lessons below are designed to help students gain confidence writing out their thoughts by using repetition and creative topics. Each exercise encourages individual perspective, unique ideas, and thought with little imaginative constraint. By introducing students into an atmosphere that is largely dictated by their free thought, writing will hopefully become an approachable subject that will enable students to handle writing assignments ease and fluidity, no matter what the topic.

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not a requirement – 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.

Paragraph Practice (6th Grade Writing) – Students gain writing practice with a regularly scheduled, one paragraph writing exercise using Voki. By doing this exercise once a week, students will write in different styles and voices and will also be more accustomed to writing without preparation. At the end of the year, students will be able to listen to their paragraphs and evaluate their improvement in class.

Creative Writing Crunch (7th Grade Writing) – Students draw a prompt from a bag and have 15 minutes to write a creative narrative. Once the 15 minutes are over, students will use Voki to introduce their creative story and then take turns sharing their Voki and reading their work. This exercise will help students develop confidence in writing and technique. By using light-hearted prompts, students will have fun using their imagination.

Character Guess Who (8th Grade Writing) – Students will create a Voki and write a paragraph that describes their favorite book or movie character in detail.  Students will be encouraged to write using imagery and descriptive details with the goal of painting a picture with their words. After each Voki presentation is given, the classmates will try to guess who the character is.

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 New Year!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Season’s Greetings: Lesson Plans to Spread Cheer

Season’s Greetings: Lesson Plans to Spread Cheer

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You can feel it in the air and see it in every shop window. The holidays are here and there is a lot to celebrate! Students are already itching for Winter break. Now is the perfect time to indulge in those happy thoughts and wishes, and learn a little along the way!

We have created three Voki lesson plans that can be used for any grade level. These lessons will give students a chance to discover the perfect winter wonderland in lands unknown, find out how different cultures celebrate Christmas, and learn about Chanukah customs and traditions.

Remember: The grade level we assign to each lesson plan is not a requisite – 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.

Christmas Around the World (Any Grade, Geography and Social Studies) – Students will research Christmas traditions in different countries. They will prepare a presentation for the class that will consist of an oral presentation, a PowerPoint and a Voki. This activity will give students a chance to learn more about different cultures from around the world and how they celebrate one of the most important days in the Christian religion.

The Story of Chanukah (Middle School, Social Studies) – Students will learn more about the customs and traditions associated with the Jewish holiday of Chanukah. Students will gather into groups and be assigned a Chanukah research topic. Once the groups have completed their research, students will make a group presentation using Voki.

The Best Winter Vacation Ever (Any Grade, Geography) – Students will write a paragraph that describes a book or movie character in detail.  After the paragraphs have been written, students will be able to design their Voki according to the description and present their Voki character description. Classmates will try to guess who the character is based on the description.

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 Holidays!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

English Rules Are Cool for School with Voki

English Rules Are Cool for School with Voki

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 5 Comments

It’s time to give English grammar and writing the appreciation they deserve! Often considered to be a difficult language with more exceptions than rules, English has the ability to mystify students and teachers alike. In order to cultivate young minds that can distinguish the subtleties of the English language, teachers and students must be open to connecting many rules, in order to understand how they work together to form one language. With this in mind, we have dedicated this week to English grammar and all of its glory. From homonyms to helping verbs, we’ve got you covered on the basics.

Our new English Grammar lesson plans are now live in the Voki Lesson Plan Database. As always, Voki lesson plans are provided to teachers free of charge!

Remember: The grade assigned 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.

  • Helping Verbs (4th Grade) – In this lesson, students will learn the 23 different helping verbs and use Voki to make lessons for their peers. In order to gain an understanding of what separates a helping verb from an action verb, students will be asked to act out verbs that the teacher says. After the actions (or inactions) are done, students will have had first hand experience dealing with the two forms. The idea of verbs with no singular meaning may confuse some ESL students, so it helps to be fully prepared for this lesson in advance. By the end of this lesson, students will understand the grammatical importance of helping verbs.
  • Capitalize that! (3rd Grade) – In this lesson students will be in charge of exploring a capitalization rule out of the many in the English language. Students create a Voki that informs classmates of a capitalization rule, and then give an example. The Vokis can be combined on a webpage to serve as a reference for students before a test.
  • Homonyms (5th Grade) – Students will discover the subtleties of the English language by familiarizing themselves with the 5 categories of homonyms. Utilizing various homonym jokes, Voki avatars, and formal instruction, students will become more attuned to the details of English and hopefully never write ‘to’ in place of ‘too’!

When it comes to teaching English grammar rules, the power of repetition and an interactive atmosphere is not to be underestimated. If one student understands the rules, ask him or her to explain it to the students that need help.

Each of these Voki lessons contain tasks that ask students repeat what they learn, through various activities, before creating a Voki. Doing so will help students remember the rules and link what they have learned to other grammar rules they encounter in the future.

As always, we are interested in hearing about how you have used 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.

We hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

The Voki Team

Interviews with Educators | Kimberly Faith Hall Church

Interviews with Educators | Kimberly Faith Hall Church

by Voki Blog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Mrs. Kimberly Church is a Spanish teacher… Kimberly uses Voki in her Spanish classes, and she also teaches other  educators about the benefits of using technology (such as Voki) in the classroom. Below is an interview with Kimberly, as well as a couple of videos her and her class created about Voki. Here is Kimberly’s video on how she uses Voki in her Spanish classes. To view more of Kimberly’s class videos, visit her YouTube channel, evansspanishteacher. Below is Kimberly’s interview, as well as another Voki video about using Voki in oral tests.

Q: So, Kimberly, why do you use Voki? 

I discovered Voki 2 years ago and just love it!  Voki takes the stress out of “presenting” a memory piece in another language in front of the class, and students can  focus on the material on the screen in front of them.   The kids have fun, (dare I say the words “fun test?”), and of course, I as the teacher have fun reviewing their very best material.  🙂  I emailed the parents the link to the website to view their child’s oral test, (the Voki), and they loved it too.  Over the weekend, at least 15 parents embedded their child’s Voki to their Facebook.  It’s something the kids are proud of, and instead of dreading oral test day, they really look forward to it.  🙂  

Q: Has Voki helped you with assessment?

Using Voki for oral tests allows the student to hear what I hear.  I can’t tell you how many times students would ask, “Why didn’t I make a 100 on my oral test?”  I would point out that they mispronounced a word, or said a wrong word and they would reply, “I did?”  Using Voki allows the students to hear themselves, as an evaluator, and they can re-record until they’re happy with it, and attach the recording to a Voki, making the assessment creative.  Students who use to make low assessment grades on oral tests are making perfect scores taking their oral tests using Voki.  Efficient and Proficient!!!!

Q: We heard that you’re something of a Voki expert among your peers, right?

I actually enjoy using Voki so much, and use it for so many tasks and assessments in my class, I teach a workshop for teachers about how to apply Voki in their class, (even at the MWALLT conference at the University of Minnesota).   I have become known as “that Voki teacher” at my campus, and even in my district.  As long as I keep the content fun and integrate technology to make learning efficient, I’ll never stop looking for ways to infuse my lessons with great technology, like Voki.  As a foreign language teacher, I’m looking for “efficient proficient,” and Voki gives me that.

Q: Have you had a chance to use Voki Classroom?

I have to say, it has been much easier to sell the benefits, since you have come out with Voki Classroom. It is so much easier to have the students organized in classes, and have their assignments posted and ready to work on when they open up their account.   I look forward to spreading the word about Voki and Voki Classroom.  Thank you for all you have done for my students.  I can’t wait to see what Voki will come up with next, for uses in the classroom. 🙂  k. pura vida — And here are Mrs. Church’s students talking about using Voki in oral tests:

For more info, check out Mrs. Church’s links:

Want to be part of our Interviews with Educators series?
Send us an email (submit@voki.com) and we’ll be in touch!

Until next time,

The Voki Team
Lights, Camera, Action: Voki Drama Lesson Plans Are on Deck

Lights, Camera, Action: Voki Drama Lesson Plans Are on Deck

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Students who “act up” in class usually go to the principal’s office. However, students who act up in class using the latest Voki Drama Lesson Plans will learn, have fun, and become more attuned to the subtleties of dramatic character. Using various interactive exercises, and Voki, students will get the chance to discover their inner star and build confidence along the way.

Below are the Drama Class Lesson Plans, which are now live in the Voki Lesson Plan Database. As always, Voki lesson plans are provided to teachers for Free! 3,2,1, ACTION!

Reminder: The grade assigned 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!

Tip 1: Don’t be afraid to modify Voki lesson plans to fit your students and their abilities, or your requirements & ideas.

Tip 2: Take a look at the example Voki that is provided within each lesson plan.

  1. Everyday Items, Imaginary Uses (7th grade): In this improvisational exercise, students will use their imaginations to create new ideas out of everyday objects. Students will take turns passing around an object and coming up with its new name and new use. By constricting the amount of time each student has to re-invent an old item, students must use their gut instinct which in turn will help them develop as young actors and thespians.
  2. Drama in Motion (8th grade): In this lesson, students create a play using motion and nothing else. After the play has been completed, each student creates an interpretative Voki that tells the story in words. This exercise allows students to create a theatrical piece using non-verbal forms of expression and interpretation.
  3. Dramatic Feeling Charades (9th grade): Students explore the different facets of expressing emotion through an impromptu and rigorous acting exercise. Students will get the chance to perform in front of their peers and get constructive feedback. Through this exercise, students will learn about the subtleties of emotions.
  4. From Paper to Stage (10th grade): Students read a short play and are in charge of the creative direction. Students create a Voki that describes what elements should be added to the play to make it come alive. Once students make their proposition, the class votes on which play they would like to carry out as a class for an end-of-year performance.

Each lesson plan contains the intended grade level and subject(s), the time recommended for completion, resources needed, as well as a list of objectives and activities. Voki lessons are easy to follow and can be adapted according to your own personal teaching style.

As always, we are interested in hearing about how you have used 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.

Now go out there and break a leg!

The Voki Team

Tip of the Week – Viewing Voki in Full Screen

Tip of the Week – Viewing Voki in Full Screen

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 1 Comment

Can you make a Voki scene appear in FULL SCREEN?

Yes, you can!

If you’ve ever wanted to view a Voki in full-screen mode, there is a really neat trick we’d like to share with you. This can be useful for presentations, for those who are visually impaired, and just as a cool trick that you can teach others.

Follow the steps below to make your Voki full screen!

Note: The code may look overwhelming but if you follow these steps, playing your Voki in full screen will be a breeze.

  1. In My Voki, click on the Voki you want to display.
  2. Click the ‘Publish’ button.
  3. Copy the embed code and Paste into any word processing document.
Now, here’s the fun challenge… You need to be a little bit of a sleuth and pick out the right part of the code:
Tip: This is a great student exercise in attention to detail.
  1. A few lines from the bottom of the code, you should see a URL  (http://) in quotes
  2. Copy the URL beginning with: http://vhss-d.oddcast.com/vhss_editors/voki_player.swf?doc= (do not include the quotation marks) and ending with a number before the word “quality”
  3. Paste the URL into your browser and click Go
That’s it! If you copied the URL correctly, your Voki will now load in Full Screen mode.
Here is an example. You want to copy the highlighted part.

Voila!

Now, you’ll have the biggest Voki of them all!

What do you think? Share your comments below and we’ll be sure to respond.

Until next time,

The Voki Team

The Voki Back-to-the-Classroom Giveaway

The Voki Back-to-the-Classroom Giveaway

by Voki Blog ♥ 1 Comment

It’s a fact: summer is almost behind us, and a new school-year is starting. There’s no use denying it, so you might as well celebrate it! We’d like to help. In fact, we have a few things to celebrate.

To help celebrate the new school-year, the launch of Voki Classroom, and because we love teachers, we’ve decided to give away a whole bunch of Official Voki T-Shirts! These things are amazing! (You can see them modeled below)

Anyone can win a Voki t-shirt, and we are giving away plenty. You can wear them when teaching with Voki, or give yours away to a lucky student (or save yours in the hopes of one day auctioning it to the highest bidder…)!

How to win an Official Voki T-Shirt:

Here’s how to enter yourself in the daily drawing –
(Check out “How it Works” below, before entering.)

  1. Like Voki’s Facebook Page (if you don’t already)
  2. Follow @OfficialVoki on Twitter (if you don’t already)
  3. Tweet about why you love Voki, or how you use Voki in the classroom (add #VokiTee4Me).

Important: Make sure to include #VokiTee4Me at the end of your tweet so we can find it!

Tip: Getting your followers to re-tweet you increases your chance of winning…

Which Official Voki T-Shirt will you choose?

We have 4 types (as modeled by our very own Ashley):

How it works:

After every weekday (M-F), from Monday, September 5th to Friday, September 16th, 2011, we will randomly draw three (3) winners who have completed the 3 steps above during that day. If you are selected (and if you have completed the 3 steps), you win!

More Tips: Every day is a new day, meaning you can send out a different tweet each day and you’ll be in the running for that day’s selection. You can also send out more than one tweet per day, as long as each tweet is different. To be fair, each person can win only one (1) Voki T-Shirt.

If and when your name is selected, we will contact you via Twitter (via @ mention or DM). We’ll ask you to email us your info and we’ll send you an Official Voki T-Shirt! We’ll even pay the shipping!

Good luck to everyone and here’s to a great start to the new school-year!

The Voki Team