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Avatars as Presentation Media

Avatars can be used by classroom teachers when designing digital stories or delivering content. Avatars can represent a tour guide explaining travels along the Silk Road, or represent real life characters like Mark Twain giving a lecture on his home or Einstein introducing the solar system. Most avatars are known as “bots” and are powered by Natural Language Processing. Some avatars like Crazy Talk allows users to record natural voiceovers along with secondary sound recording like music. 

Avatars like GoAnimate allows the user to program several characters within a single lesson narrative. When incorporating avatars into a lesson they can be used to define terms, give directions to an activities or reinforced content. Avatars can also be integrated into a PowerPoint presentation as they are incorporated into a collaboration website lesson.

Students can also use Avatars as they make presentations that are supported by media based technology as they post authentic assignments to a collaborative website such as a wiki. Developing avatars is a great way to have students learn vocabulary and uset their writing skills in creating literary or informational text. 
Article Source:Talking Avatars in Education - The Virtual Teacher Comes of Age!
Reference:The Benefits of Interactive Online Characters

Crazy Talk

With Crazy Talk teachers can make famous historical people come to life as funny talking and animated characters. Students can demonstrate their many talents in design and digital storytelling through unique and creative works made with their own narrations and voiceovers. Students can also create projects through teamwork by sharing and collaborating their creative ideas with others and then producing the projects together. As a creative project develops, using project based learning; some students could be assigned writing a script, another group developing sound tracks, while one group puts together the voiceover and as a the entire group develops the charter in the storyboard.

iClone

iClone software allows for character creation for digital storytelling, introduction of interactive lessons, and multiple ways to increase depth to lesson design. Through the unique features of 3D movie making software; content expression can be brought to life by incorporating historical characters. History teachers can introduce the exploration of Christopher Columbus through an early explorers narrative; science content of the planetary system can be explained by Albert Einstein and a Samurai Warrior can bring the travels along the Silk Road to life all through 3D characterization. To learn more about iClone features go to http://www.reallusion.com/ 

Logitech Web Cam Avatars

To express unique characterization to project-based activity teachers can have students use Avatar characters to write and read the content of the lesson or script. The script is a specially prepared narration that allows the viewers to hear and see a presentation in a creative format. Through 3D Avatar characterization students can animate facial expressions and head movements while narrating a script. Due to the Avatar imaging the three PC Logitech web-cams listed below are the only type of cameras that will support Video Effects Avatars and can be downloaded at no charge: (See Logitech Software Applications)
MovieMaker or iMovie is a video editing software application that can be used to incorporate video into an Avatar production. Using video editing software enables students to create an Avatar presentation by adding edible video using transitions, sound effects, and special features. Get special effects that put more fun into digital lesson design. Be sure to check the Compatible Webcams to see which effects work best with your equipment.

GoAnimate

GoAnimate is a web-based tool that will allow students to experience the creation of an animated flash production using cartoon characters. The free open source software application provides easy to use templates such as cartoon characters, the ability to mix audio tracks, develop background, themes, to produce and post creative animated projects. Teachers who use this service, with their classrooms will need to sign up with GoAnimate. After log in a step by step guide is provided to start a project from scratch using animated templates. The templates allows project developers to create and edit speech bubbles, add characters, prolong the animation, add extra scenes, change the characters’ facial expressions, and add sound tracks. Once the animation project is completed students can save it to their account to review, edit, send a link by e-mail or to post on their project page such as a wiki. later.
GoAnimate.com: The Monster Mash Music Video by CoadyTNP

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
GoAnimate.com: Sneak Preview of Chaostoon's Sonic the Hedgehog by Chaostoon

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Voki

Voki is a fun tool that allows you to create your own personal avatar and give it a voice. You can choose from a wide selection of characters, as well as animals, anime looking characters, and more, and you can personalize them with different hair styles, clothing options, accessories, and more. You can also choose the backdrop behind them and the stage for that backdrop. Once you´ve created your character, you can bring them to life by giving them a voice. You can do this by either adding a message via your phone or microphone, or you can just type in a message and voice to speak what you´ve written. It´s fun to watch the avatar´s mouth as it “says” what you´ve recorded, since it looks like the avatar is actually speaking.

Get a Voki now!