Vokis by Solana

Vokis for Nonfiction

I know: another post about vokis. But the more I use them, the more different ideas I have for how to use them. We're working with some students on reading nonfiction and I'm wondering if this could be a way for them to share their facts, thoughts and questions about what they read. In one fifth grade class, we read a short article from the Comprehension Toolkit (great resource!) about war. In a seventh grade class, we're reading about financial literacy. Here are my examples from my own reading:

Vokis for paragraph writing

I'm working with some teachers who are using voki to work on the goal of having students write a complete paragraph that sticks to one topic. I modeled brainstorming about my interests, family, and experiences and had students help me choose the most interesting ones to use for my paragraph. They helped me write a first draft of an "About Me" paragraph last week. Next week, I'll show them these final drafts. If we had more time, this would lead really well into digital storytelling. (I had a little difficulty getting my voki to say "La Mega se pega," but I think she got close enough.)

More vokis from Solana!

This was interesting for me because Solana created four characters (two of them below) and started building a narrative around all three. I had never thought about this use before. Then she asked if she could email them to a friend. 21st century student at work!

Voki for ESL vocabulary and Elephant and Piggy

I'm trying out voki with an ESL student: posting this voki using a vocabulary word to Moodle for gained exposure. My student and I are big fans of the Elephant and Piggy series by Mo Willems: great for buddy reading, reader's theatre, and laughs! I first saw this series when my friend's daughter was having the best time shouting the lines of the dramatic elephant character. Highly recommend elephant and piggy for early readers, ELLs, and below level readers in the early grades.

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Meowla

More talking cats from Solana! She immediately asks to post to the blog after she creates a voki. This makes me think about authentic writing and what that means for today's student.