Voki

Appropriate ELT tools

This is the first of a series of posts on appropriate ELT tools for today's classes. An old dog? Don't worry, these are user friendly and your tech-savvy learners are experts anyway. They will absolutely love these tools! There's a deep basket of these handy, trendy tools which include voki, triptco, kahoot, and quizzlet among others. For today, it's Voki.

Voki

voki create page with easy tools.

Voki is basically a speaking avatar (animated character) which allows learners and teachers to record their voices, upload audio files, type in text, select a voice and get computer generated speech. It presents limitless possibilities for the ELT class as it caters for different kinds of learners.

How it works

Accessing Voki is pretty straight forward. Learners simply sign up and create accounts. Although some functions will require subscription, the basic one, Creator, is free and sufficient for fun language learning. The basic features (above) are interactive and easily navigable. For a step by step guide check out this YouTube video:

You can also search YouTube  for more tutorials on Voki. As you discovered, Voki is very thoughtful: learners access a variety of avatars like historical figures, animals, even cartoons! What's more, learners can customise avatars as they please, change backgrounds and add voice as described in the video. I am sure your students will love the creativity this brings to English language learning. They can, literally, play God and learn in fun and enjoyable ways!

Teaching with Voki

This super tool allows you to do almost anything as long as you can imagine it. While pupils can do many exercises with Voki, it lends itself more to speaking and listening, speeches, introductions, dialogues and monologues. Wouldn't it be refreshing to compare say American and British pronunciation to local varieties? Learners can explore these autonomously.  Therefore, learners use language in real-life-like situations which adds authenticity to produced language. Imagine a speech that sounds just like the iconic Barack Obama, created and published in a Zimbabwean classroom! Movie and book reviews; short text reading and even comprehension questions can be handled using avatars created by learners themselves. In Literature, the potential is mind-boggling. Imagine bringing Macbeth to life on the screen or experimenting with different tones in Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech. Voki should up motivation right through the ceiling.

Advantages 

Voki is just the perfect tool to get every student involved. The shy and insecure can be loud with Voki's hidden identity, which appeals to a range of personalities, especially through the customisation features. It is just ideal for formative assessment leading to traditional summative tests. The teacher is rescued from the stress of furiously jotting notes and keeping an eye on proceedings in class. With Voki, assessment  is possible anywhere any time. The play, pause and rewind functions allow detailed feedback. Learners collaborate through comments, allowing editing and improvement, while teachers easily  track progress. Voki, is easily embedded in PowerPoint- definitely a great way to introduce activities and projects. Finally, tasks completed in Voki can be shared on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter . Learners can self-publish for free!

However...

The dependence of Voki on internet availability can be a bit limiting. Before using it ensure that all learners have internet access. One way around this, especially in Zimbabwe, could be asking learners who can collaborate out of school to work together. Access mobile network internet should make this unnecessary as most students have smartphones and tabs. Make students aware of the pitfalls of publishing their work on social media. They should be reminded of the importance of net etiquette and how to protect themselves from cyber bullies and other unsavoury characters.

So, put those books and papers away; save a tree or two. With Voki, all you need are your fingers and a fired mind. Click on https://www.voki.com/site/create and learn and laugh!😂