VOKI

What: Make a speaking avatar - and have it relay a story.

Ease of use: Voki is straightforward, fun and easy to learn.

Writing application: Building a story using Voki is easy, and great for character analysis! Introduce the tool to students and allow them to experiment with it for 10 mins. It's easy to get the hang of.

Once students have explored some of the features - get them to close Voki, and draft dialogue for a character of their chosing, an avatar they will build themselves. Students must then build a character to suit the dailogue using Voki.

You can either paste your dialogue into the appropriate field when requested, or you might decide to get the students to record their own voices instead (Visit the Media Library for suitable tools) - the results can be far more effective, but it's an additional step you can leave out if pressed for time.

Share stories with the class when they're done, discussing who's characters and dialogue were best suited and why.

Additional questions might include: What about the more effective stories was distinctive, was it the characters or the story? Stories are almost always character driven, we engage with the characters and their needs and wants. Do Voki characters elicite an empathy in the reader? Why / why not?

Suited: Upper primary and above.