Task 3

I didn't know anything about Voki before but now that I learnt about the tool a bit, I got very excited about the possibilities it could offer. One of the benefits is definitely its suitability for learners of all stages. As for the assignment, I could think of following ways of applying Voki in speaking exercises.
a) Less advanced learners. The target group would be 7th graders that have learnt English three to four years. The assignment is introducing your home and neighbourhood to your classmates. First, you need to choose a suitable character to do the job. This could for example be your pet or a mouse living in your cellar. After that you write down the introduction (what kind of a house it is, who lives there, who live nextdoor, what your neighbourhood is like, what you like about it and so on). Finally you record your introduction and save it online.
As the teacher I would then review it, make sure it contains all the required parts and give my feedback. It would also be an option to play some or all of these in the class. Another option would be to assign the pupils to listen at least one or two introductions and ask some additional questions about the houses/neighbourhoods etc.


b) More advanced learners. The target group is a group of high school seniors. The assignment is to give a presentation in Voki that would then be played in front of the class. The character should be chosen according to the topic of the presentation. The assignment could, for example, be to give a speech about a certain topic. The basics of writing/giving a speech should be taught beforehand and it might be a good idea to watch parts of some inspiring speeches to get an idea.
If all speeches were to be played in front of the class, the benefit of using Voki here would be questionable. However, if this particular course contained more than one larger oral exercise, all the exercises could be done in Voki and be reviewed by the teacher. However, only one presentation per student would be played in front of the whole class. Peer evaluation is, of course, one suitable option here, and would probably work quite well, since students could watch each other's performances at home, too.