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LACUE 2009 “ Are you talking to me? ” Using Avatars in an elementary Classroom

LACUE 2009 “ Are you talking to me? ” Using Avatars in an elementary Classroom. Presented by: S. Slavinsky, I. Claude, T. May, B. Lopez, M. King, L. Bankston. Special thanks and appreciation to Vicki Martinez for the use of her resources and expertise. Avatars.

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LACUE 2009 “ Are you talking to me? ” Using Avatars in an elementary Classroom

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  1. LACUE 2009“Are you talking to me?” Using Avatars in an elementary Classroom Presented by: S. Slavinsky, I. Claude, T. May, B. Lopez, M. King, L. Bankston Special thanks and appreciation to Vicki Martinez for the use of her resources and expertise.

  2. Avatars • An avatar is a character that can be personalized and used to present information or to interact with other characters online.

  3. Free and Easy Avatars • www.voki.com is a website where students or teachers can design and create avatars. • One minute presentations can be recorded using a microphone. • Very short TTS (text to speech) can be inserted.   • These are great for Teacher Sneak Peaks or announcements for class websites.

  4. Avatars for a monthly fee • www.sitepal.com Site Pal offers a free 15 day trial. • You must leave a credit card number, but can cancel before the 15 days. • This type of account allows the freedom of not having time constraints. • The downfall is that there is a monthly fee.

  5. Equipment – A webcam • The most important equipment for creating avatars is a webcam with avatar software. • The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 webcam is one example. The price is around $100. It is easy to use, attaches to a laptop or a regular computer, and can stand alone. • Unlimited use of a variety of avatars

  6. Audio – How do I get the sound? • Many computers are equipped with built in microphones which would make a headset unnecessary. • For those without a microphone, an earphone headset combination can be purchased at discount stores for about $15.

  7. Why use avatars? • Making a good video requires planning. • Planning usually involves writing. • Writing involves editing. • Recording the video requires fluency and expression. • Keeping an interested audience requires elaboration and interesting words. • Working with a group requires cooperation and is a real life skill. • Making an avatar is motivation for writing.

  8. Ideas • Avatars can be used by students to present their writing assignment to fellow classmates. • Avatars can be used by teachers and administrators to present information and instruction to students, teachers, and parents. • Avatars can be used to explain and instruct.

  9. Optional Equipment – microphone/ earphone headset • Many computers are equipped with built in microphones which would make a headset unnecessary. However, many classrooms contain a little extra background noise. The headset helps to alleviate some of the noise, but not all. • Head sets can be purchased for $10-$15 at local discount stores.

  10. How do I begin? • The first step is to install the webcam software on the computer. • The webcam will come with a CD and set up can be completed by following the directions on the CD.

  11. Step 2: Attach the webcam • Plug the webcam into a USB port. • Place it on the computer or a convenient location for the person who will be in front of the screen creating the avatar.

  12. Step 3: Attach the headset/ microphone • Attach the head set to the appropriate locations on the computer. This is usually located in the same area that external speakers are attached to the computer.

  13. Step 4 Locate an avatar • Double click on the desk top icon of the webcam. • To locate an avatar, click on the Mardi Gras mask icon on the side bar. A couple of examples will be listed. • To find more examples click on “Get more video effects”. • Click Open.

  14. Step 5: Select and open an avatar • Clicking open will save the avatar to your chosen list of avatars, which will be available to you on future visits. • When you click on the avatar it will appear in the video effects. Click on the image. It will appear in the webcam screen. • Calibrate. This allows the camera to track your face.

  15. Calibrate:

  16. Step 6: Begin Recording • Begin recording by clicking on the “Record Video” button. • To stop recording, hit the button again. • To play the video, click on the icon under the screen.

  17. Step 7: Save the video • Saving the video will vary according to the version of Movie Maker that is downloaded to your computer. • In older versions, once the video begins playing, there will be a menu bar at the top of the screen. Go to “File”, • “Save As” and choose the location. Be sure to save the file as a wmv.

  18. Step 8: Upload to Teacher Web • Short videos can be uploaded to Teacher Web. • Additional web space can be purchased for a fee of about $10 per year. • Go to the Photos and Docs section and select your video from the saved location. • Link the video to your webpage.

  19. A Review and How To: • How To: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/webcam_communications/webcams/devices/3056&cl=us,en • Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRxBKw9cITs&feature=related

  20. Avatars in the classroom: Why? • Making a good video requires planning. • Planning usually involves writing. • Writing involves editing. • Recording the video requires fluency and expression. • Keeping an interested audience requires elaboration and interesting words. • Working with a group requires cooperation and is a real life skill. • Making an avatar is motivation for writing.

  21. Ideas • Avatars can be used by students to present their writing assignment to fellow classmates. • Avatars can be used by teachers and administrators to present information and instruction to students, teachers, and parents. • Avatars can be used to explain and instruct.

  22. Some sites for children • www.millsberry.com is a site that many students enjoy visiting. They are able to design an avatar that may or may not resemble them, give it a name, and design a room, a house, and a community for this avatar. The avatars earn money and spend money. What a life lesson!

  23. Examples: • My Favorite Food Students created essays on their favorite foods. • Deitrick’s Seafood • Meet the Teacher A fun way to start the year. • Math This Week Inform students and parents on work for the week. • Fabulous Fish -Boast about positive behavior

  24. Web Pages: Special thanks and appreciation to Ms. Vicki Martinez for the use of her resources and expertise. • Lights, Cameras, Action, Avatars: http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~vmartinez/ETEC644/lacue_2008.html • All About Avatars: http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~vmartinez/ETEC644/avatars.html • Movie Making: http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~vmartinez/ETEC644/prof_dev_camera.html • Other sites: http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~vmartinez/ETEC644/prof_dev_etec665.html

  25. About Voki • What is Voki?Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters… animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone.Voki lives on your blog, social network profile and will soon be integrated in various instant messaging platforms. You will also be able to download it to most video supported phones.What's with the name?Voki is a combination of "vox", which is Latin for voice, and "Loki", which, is a prankster character in Norse Mythology.Who made Voki?Voki is brought to you by the folks at Oddcast, a New York based company that has been creating speaking characters on the web for years. These are the same people behind the popular Careerbuilder Monk-e-mail.Will Voki always be free?Yes, you will always be able to come and create a character for free at Voki. However, we may offer special items or characters for sale at some point. Also some of the things you can do with your Voki, like downloading it to your phone, may cost money. It is also likely that you will see different kinds of sponsorship on the site. No matter what we do to make money through Voki, we'll make sure we keep you in the loop, get your feedback, and try not to do anything that makes Voki less entertaining to have.Can anyone use Voki?Voki is solely and exclusively for personal, non-commercial use only. If you run a business website where you sell things or you run a site about your business – a real estate agency, for example – then Voki is not for you. We have a product called SitePal that costs a small monthly fee for business class users.Suggestions, Issues, Problems?Let us know! Drop us a line at talkback@accounts.voki.com

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