Creating Audio Files and a Voki

Audio Files and Creating a Voki

Creating a Voki was actually a lot of fun.  Choosing hairstyles, clothes, facial features and accessories brought back memories of my nine year old self and the many hours spent dressing up Barbie in let's face it, clothes that are really only appropriate for the street corner.  Fun, nonetheless.  And on a side note: Voki gives you the option to make a Borat Voki.  Or a Julia Gillard Voki.  And then you can make them say anything you want... I'll let you dwell on the possibilities for a moment.

But back to business.  Creating my Voki was easy.  Then it came time to record a sound file to add to it using my iPhone.  Simple stuff right? 

Picture Source: babble.com

They say that no one likes the way they sound on recordings.  That's probably true.  I recorded a brief audio file on my iPhone in which I sound strangely like a perky American woman who is on their third cup of coffee for the day.  Which come to think about it, I do drink too much coffee...  So that explains a bit.  

Then came time to add my sound file to my Voki.  After fruitlessly trying to set up my iPhone to sync to our new computer using the wireless, I gave up and got the cord.  iTunes then helpfully informed me that I had already used up my 5 authorised computers and must deauthorise one.  I had no idea how to do that, so I hit up Google.  Turns out I had to deauthorise all of them if I no longer have access to the one I no longer use.  Ok iTunes, done.  I reauthorise current computer.  Now I can't find where the voice memos are stored.  Turn to my good friend Google again, who sends me to my other friend YouTube.  Now I try to add the file to my Voki.  Voki doesn't like mp4 format.  My eye develops a twitch from frustration.  I have no idea how to convert it to mp3, so I hit up Google again, and get bounced back to the original helpful YouTube lady.  I follow her idiot-proof instructions and FINALLY I have success!  I upload my sound file to my Voki, then go to embed my Voki to my Wiki.  

I go into my wiki and have a play with the menus for just long enough for the eye twitch to come back.  Again I turn to Google and again find a helpful lady on YouTube (how did we survive before this marvellous invention?!) and am finally able to embed my Voki into my wiki.

So to cut a long story short; (too late) I found creating the Voki and the audio nice and easy, it was all the fiddly bits I had to do to put them together that chewed up and spat out the better part of my day.  And gave me a twitchy eye.

If you would like to check out my Voki-enhanced wiki, click here.

Now in terms of using a Voki in my learning context?  I can see how they could be effective for teachers;  

• Using Voki's could potentially enhance learning engagement as they are a fun and attractive way of presenting information.
• They can add a personal touch so that learning materials are catered toward the specific group you are teaching.

I can also see how Voki's could be used as an effective learning tool for students;

• One of the contributors to the Voki Blog attests that the biggest advantage of having students make their own Voki is that it allows the quieter students to "make their presence felt, and be heard" (Picardo, J. 2011). 
• Most of the students in classrooms today are digital natives, and often respond more positively to using web-based tools which often results in better learning outcomes.
• Creating a Voki is a fairly straightforward process, and students of most ages would be able to do so successfully.  They often have experience in creating similar avatars from game play outside of the school setting, and being able to show off these skills would in turn foster a sense of achievement.  

Overall I believe that Voki's could be used very successfully in a Primary school setting by injecting a sense of fun to increase student engagement, and utilising technologies that are familiar to most students to increase confidence in the classroom.

References

Picardo, J. (March 3, 2011). Vokis in the Languages Classroom. Retrieved 3rd April, 2013 from http://blog.voki.com/2011/03/03/voki-in-the-languages-classroom/