Reward Students with Technology

While I was at some training this week I learned about a site called, Voki (voki.com.) It allows you to create an avatar and record 60 seconds of audio to go with it. Don't have a microphone on your computer? No problem. You can also call a phone number and say your message into the phone.

I thought this sounded like a cool thing, but I wasn't sure how to use it in my classroom. Just to try it out I told the kids I would choose someone with excellent behavior to record our lunch choices for the next day as a real life cartoon. They of course, loved it! We get to watch the avatar tell us our lunch choices (we have 3 at our school) in the morning before we start our work. 

I like it because I am  exposing and training my kids on how use to technology as a presentation tool. I hope this will inspire them, and me, to use this in other ways. It is also a great motivator for good behavior. 

I also used an app on the Ipad called Tellagami that does something similar, although I think you can record for more than 60 seconds. 

I am so excited to find a manageable way to begin introducing my students to presentation methods using technology! I can't wait to begin to use this in other ways too. After all, it's part of the Common Core! Right now though, it's been a great new motivator just in time for Christmas craziness!  What do you use to motivate your students?