Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cuddles The Dog
Avatars and Learning Styles
An avatar enables users to express themselves using their own or computer generated voice by means of a talking character. Your avatar can be developed with personal or fabricated attributes using a variety of identities, characters, animals and much more.(Voki). There are many avatar programs available, for the purposes of this assessment I have used Voki.
Felder and Spurlin (2005) state that students have different strengths and preferences in the ways they gain and process information. This is known as 'Learning Styles'. One of the many challenges in education today is the ability to cater to an individuals learning style. Providing an environment that allows students the opportunities to learn in a manner to which they are comfortable, is difficult, but may provide a foundation where intended outcomes can be achieved.
The implementation of avatars in conjunction with other mediums such as narrative writing could be an excellent tool to encourage the engagement of students from all learning styles. This would allow an individuals strengths to be utilised in one or many areas of the learning process.
Springwood State school incorporated the use of avatars into literacy lessons. The year two students created their own books which were bound and utilised in the library. The students then developed their own avatars to record a virtual report of their book. These avatars where then downloaded onto their digital portfolios. Visit Springwood State School web site to view how Springwood Primary used these avatars.
By providing an interesting twist to the process of learning, students engage in the challenges of creating their own avatars and adding their own personal attributes. The applications and possibilities of this technology is endless, and I personally can not wait to introduce this strategy into my future classrooms.
Regards
Kellie
Reference
Felder, R., Spurlin, J., 2005. (citing computer references. Retrieved July 30, 2009, from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/ILS_Validation(IJEE).pdf
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Hi Kellie,
ReplyDeleteAvatars are a creative and engaging way for students to express themselves in a meaningful context. The benefits, especially for the quieter students in your class, are enormous.
During both of our group assessment tasks in the last couple of weeks we have used an avatar to introduce ourselves to the audience. Students, both big and small, find this engaging and it instantly creates a feeling of wanting to know what is in store.
All the best with your blog, it looks great.
Kerri.