Voki

Going to [|www.voki.com] is an outstanding way to integrate creative characters with student writing. A stock gallery of avatars can be tweaked for further customization. Once designed, the user brings them to life by providing a voice in one of four ways: via telephone call, mic, text or an uploaded file. Backgrounds can be changed to represent settings around the world or cartoonland.

Classroom uses:
 * President's Day Biographies: there are a limited number of presidents in their database, but Lincoln and Washington are there
 * Dogs and Cats: good for literature connections and written responses to Help Me, Mr. Mutt, The Dog Diaries, Love the Dog, Hate the Cat, and more
 * Christmas Around the World: holiday themes for sharing details of celebrations throughout the world
 * Autobiographies: students can present themselves in animated form and share details of their lives

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