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 Online speaking avatars are easy to create and open up many educational possibilities. Among their benefits:
 * === Why Speaking Avatars? ===
 * Can connect visualization with spoken content
 * Creative outlet and Fun!
 * Easy to use technology
 * Great for students with social anxiety and second language learners
 * Can embed in blogs, wikis, Web sites, or can email a link
 * Allows presentations to be performed by multiple members of a group

Voki for Creating Speaking Avatars
Voki is a free service that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them on your blog, profile, and in email messages. Creating a Voki is a simple step-by-step process. Choose or customize an avatar, record your voice, and play the animation. Share it via a link or embed it on a web page. Voki offers a Teacher's Corner discussion forum where you can learn about using Voki in the classroom.

Speaking Avatar Tutorials
** 20 Ways To Use Voki In Education - ** gathered from various people, resources, and personal reflection. Please enjoy, share, and add to the list so that others may benefit! 1. ** Classroom Newsletter – **Provide information for students and parents using a unique style. Remember you can put a talking avatar in a classroom or school wiki, blog, or email. 2. ** Student Book Talk – **Students persuade others to read a book. Along with title and author, students could either review, summarize, or encourage others to read. 3. ** Persuasive Speech ** – Assign a speech and have the Voki avatar give the introduction, three supporting details to defend or rebut a given topic, and the conclusion. 4. ** Course Annoucements ** - Use Voki to create and embed online course announcements for students. It can be a fun and engaging way to present otherwise routine information. 5. ** Testing ** – Give a test with the Voki avatar asking questions or integrate it with a written test to assist students with reading difficulties, second languages, or to clarify questions for all. Merge it with a current online test in order to provide another modality for students. 6. ** Create a Dialog ** – As a lesson, the teacher can interact with an avatar, or have students write a script to interact with an avatar. Could be used in any subject and could involve interviews with famous people, subjects, or objects. Could also be used to present a topic or explain a concept. 7. ** Vocabulary ** – Use Voki to present a vocabulary list of words. Using real speech allows students to hear correct pronunciation. Students can stop, pause, rewind at any time. 8. ** Foreign Language ** – Great way to help students learn words through teacher prepared lessons. It also allow students to practice their new language by creating short stories, poems, or content informational pieces. .  10. ** Media Reports ** – Students can write and produce a news story. This could include current happenings or historical events. Other options include an on the scene report, a public service announcement, or an interview with a well know figure. 11. P** oetry and Music Composition ** – Students create poems or lyrics that can be spoken or sung by their favorite avatar. This can include text-to-speech and real voice. They may even want to include musical instruments. 12. ** Voki Your PowerPoint ** - In PowerPoint 2010 you can insert Voki embed codes to place avatars on your slides. From “Insert”, click on the arrow under the “Video” on the right hand side of the tool bar. Here you can insert “Video from Web Site”. Click, then copy and paste the embed code. It will be inserted into your PowerPoint slide. 13. ** Story Writing and Telling ** – Students can read their stories and have others listen, including other classmates, parents, or distant relatives. Teachers could create story starters and have students finish the stories either through writing or with an avatar. 14. ** Avatar Conversation And A Flip Camera ** – Have students in a collaborative group write a dialog script. Use two computers and have the two avatars talk to one another. This would work for any subject or idea. With a flip camera use just one computer and edit the two conversations together. For added fun, include even more avatars. 15. ** Put A Voki In Your Glogste **r – Students love to use Glogster. Wouldn’t it be great to find a way to put a Voki inside of a glog? You can learn how to do it by watching this video. 16. ** Scavenger Hunts ** – Teachers can develop a set of directions telling students where to find different objects in the classroom, school, or on the web. Think how this could be used in an environment with portable devices. Some possible GPS opportunities? 17. ** Exchange Voki Avatars With Others ** – If a class is collaborating with another class or communicating with e-pals across the state, nation, or world, why not send Voki messages? It can be fun and engaging. 18. ** Developing Characters In Stories And Books ** – This could include a favorite character from a book or a story the student wrote. Make great use of avatar composition and then have the avatar talk. Use text-to-speech, or real voice. It could be a speech by the character, a quote from the book, thoughts from the character related to the story or a description or biography of the character done in first person. 19. ** English As A Second Language ** – An awesome way to help students feel more comfortable with a new language. Students may use the computerized voice first. Next, they record their own voice when feeling more comfortable. The skills of writing, reading and pronunciation are all included when using Voki. 20. ** Test review ** – How about creating a test review, a chapter walk through, a highlight of content?Students can playback, pause, and listen as many times as needed. Note that you can embed a Voki in numerous social platforms. Some have even used educational platforms such as Edmodo, Blackboard, and Moodle. The graphic below helps illustrate the wide number of websites that play well with Voki. Realize that Voki speech can include text-to-speech, real voice recording with microphone, audio files, and telephone calls (including cell phones). Students and teachers can even download a Voki message to their phone. At the time of this publication, the maximum recording time was sixty seconds. At the present time Voki does require a log in and email address. In the near future it is hoped that Voki will set up a classroom environment for teachers. In the meantime check your school AUP and Voki Privacy Policy. Be aware that students should be instructed regarding proper Web 2.0 usage procedures, including never giving any private information as part of their Voki presentation. Teachers may wish to set up their own classroom account for usage under the guidance of their school AUP. Last, remember that Voki has many outstanding uses, even if the teacher is the only creator of avatars. Take a moment and soon you will have a chance to hear voices of learning in your school and classroom! Samples
 * How to Make an Avatar**
 * 1) Create an account for no charge at Voki . Once you make your account, go back and login to it.
 * 2) Press your mouse on the "Choose Your Character" feature. This button appears directly beneath the words "Customize Your Character." Wait for the selection of different categories to come up on your screen.
 * 3) Find a character you want to have represent you as an avatar. Press down on the button of the category to show that selection.
 * 4) Figure out the type of character you want to make. You have the option to make either a male or female avatar. Once you decide on the form of avatar, your selection comes up in the portrait box on the left portion of your computer screen.
 * 5) Modify the portrait. To perform this operation, alter the color of your portrait in the "Color" section below the portrait. Press down on one of the part buttons, and then select the particular color you want to use.
 * 6) Change the facial features of your avatar. Press your computer mouse over the word "Tweak" to modify the parts of your avatar's face such as the ears and mouth. Press "Done" when you finish this process.
 * How to Make an Avatar Speak**
 * 1) Click "Give It a Voice" to add a voice to your avatar. You can use your computer microphone to record your own vocals, or use an audio that you have on your laptop. When you determine the vocal selection you desire, use the "Text to Speech" function and wait for the palette to come up on your screen.
 * 2) Input each word that you plan to use into the box that contains text. Select the type of voice you want from the drop-down menu.
 * 3) Find the "Play" function that sits below the box for text. Once you press this feature, your avatar begins to talk. Hit "Enter" on your computer keyboard to complete the process.
 * 4) Press the "Publish" feature. Wait for the window that says "Name" to show up on your screen. Select what you want to call your creation and save your avatar.
 * 5) Publish your avatar. Decide how you wish to show your avatar. The share box gives you the option to place the avatar on a Web page, send it via an email or create a cell phone ring that talks.

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