Voki, a Useful Tool for Language Learning
ELT research has being chasing technologies as and when they appear, considering how to make the best use of these technologies. An interesting study on the efficiency of e-speaking portfolios for EFL students (Huang & Hung, 2009). It shows that students benefit from the online speaking portfolios in six ways: they make students conscious about their speaking pitfalls, act as an extra context of practice, reduce speaking anxiety, improve students' proficiency because no immediate communication is required, allow rehearsals thus develop better proficiency and give teachers a better view of learners' competence. in this topic, I will deal with Voki which can give similar results to those mentioned.
An avatar is an electronic character replacing a real (or imaginary) person in games, movies, forums etc. Examples of famous avatars from movies can be found in Shrek, Madagascar and Aliens. Avatars are connected to having fun because the characters live in a virtual world where everything is possible.
Why is it useful?
Language teachers can use avatars to give students instructions or simply if a teacher doesn't want to show his/her own character on an online platform. The character changes but the voice is still recorded by the teachers. Some teachers adopting blended teaching can have 2 characters; a real one in the real world class and a virtual on online. Teachers who blog and want to add more fun to their posts can create an avatar and say something to their audience. In addition to these advantages, teachers can use recorded avatar videos to assess students performance in the spoken language, this way students, especially the shy ones, won't be put under pressure or stress, allowing more opportunity for them to show their real language competence.
This tool is not only for teachers, but students can really learn a lot from using Voki. I remember when I was learning French my teacher advised me to use a mirror and talk to myself. I haven't met him for seven years but I am sure he would recommend creating an Avatar as another option if he learnt about it. Autonomous learning can occur by just recording oneself then reply it as many times as we want and identify our own speech problems. We can also encourage our students to form pairs or small groups and exchange their avatar videos then give feedback. The following video contains my avatar to a group enrolled in the University Preparatory Programme (UPP).
How can I make my own avatar video?
Creating an e character is not challenging and you can learn it and teach it to your students. All you need to do is to follow these simple steps:
1. Go to http://www.voki.com/ home page and click on register on the top right-hand corner then fill in the form.
2. You will be sent an email containing a link to activate your Voki account, follow the link and you will find options for free or paid avatar. The free versions will be cool but for extra features you can try the paid one.
3. From the user's interface, click on Voki then pick the option Create. There are lots of varieties and you can choose a specific colour for the eyes or the hair, clothes or other features of your avatar. However, if you are working on a free version, like me, you will not be able to use some characters which have a limited access to different drawing features.
4. Once you like the avatar, you can then add your voice. You need a microphone in order to upload the voice. You can also upload a voice file but with either ways be aware that with the free version, you have a limit of sixty seconds.
5. After getting the desired shape and voice, you will see the avatar saying your speech and you will also be able to see a Play icon and watch it as many times as you want. Don't forget to save the changes.
6. Finally, if you like the avatar, you can now publish it. You can share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, WordPress or blogger. You can also have a link of it or send it via email.
Restrictions
The free version of Voki allows learners to record up to sixty seconds. This means advanced students and students who want to debate in English are unable to enhance their language unless they subscribe. This restriction extends to presentations when students want to talk for three minutes and have some slides to show. Voki will show only avatars on screen, so you should consider three factors if you want to use it in your classroom: the level of learners, your objective of the activity and the time allowed.
Try Voki to teach languages in the suggested ways above or you can have your own creative ideas of using it. It is really simple ... get your avatar and if it fits, wear it.
