Voki's - Wow!!!!

I must admit, creating my first Voki was great fun. After creating my first Voki, I spent a great deal of time searching the internet looking for a free site that allowed personal photos to become the avatar. Unfortunately I didn't have any luck with any free sites, however I did find a number of sites that provide this opportunity for a fee.

A Voki can be utilised in the classroom as the 'hook' to engage students and introduce either a unit of work, lesson or even different topics within a lesson. Introducing information in this format, particularly in an environment that is not exposed to this everyday, will without a doubt capture the minds of all children, young and old.

Below, I have put together a couple of examples of how I think that a Voki could be utilised within the classroom setting.

Introduction to Virus' and Bacteria - Lesson Introduction.



I utilised a character that resembled a germ and ensured my background matched the intended theme.  The voice selection was also important as I didn't want my 'germ' to be a well spoken Englishmen.  The text spoken also related the topic back to the individual (ie. asking the students to pay attention and listen so they could prevent illness to themselves).

Introduction to Food and Nutrition - Lesson Introduction


Get a Voki now!



I chose a fast food item for this Voki.  I also chose a background that appeared to be a hospital setting with a monitor in the background.  Once again, I attempted to get the students to begin thinking about how food and nutrition affects them individually and why poor food choices can have consequences.

The authors, Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) note that the Engagement Theory emerged from their experiences teaching in electronic and distance education environments.  Voki's are a great example of this.  They can be utilised in the classroom - face to face format, or could also be used for distance education, in the same way Scot Aldred has done in ICT's for Learning Design EDED20491.  Kearsley and Shneiderman's  Engagement Theory idea is a "conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching" (1991, p.1).  They further believe that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others on worthwhile tasks.  They also note that technology can facilitate the engagement of learners in ways that may not be able to otherwise be achieved.

The above mentioned theory draws on the notion that meaningful learning occurs when students are able to work on something that is of importance to someone outside of the classroom.  Three components have been devised and summarised by Kearsley and Shneiderman as Relate-Create-Donate.  It emphasises that learning activities should occur in a group, are project based and have an outside or authentic focus, so students feel that they are doing something worthwhile.

I see that the possibilities for Voki's are endless.  Whilst they can be utilised as an introduction to hook the audience, students could also create their own, either as a group or individually on a particular topic and share their creation with their peers.

On a recent trip to Parkhurst school for a presentation on Electronic Whiteboards, one speakers words have stuck with me.  The speaker noted that students today have such a vast array of technology in their home life - computers, iPods, iPhones, Wii, internet, Nintendo DS to name a few.  With this in mind, why should we expect to engage children in a classroom with the old school method of 'chalk and talk'.  Voki's are such a great way to engage the class and I'm looking forward to being able to do this for a lesson in the future.

Reference List


Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning.  Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICT's for Learning Design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au