Our students learn to protect their identities online while young. We use pseudonyms like Samuel Clemens did. You know he was the real Mark Twain.
Although we have created avatars on paper, we haven’t created online avatars yet. The Picasso Head perfectly presents a way to create our pseudonyms with pizazz. It is easy and fun. I’ve tried art creations before and, if I were only a tech class, the time spent playing would be acceptable. However, my class is writing with reading, so we don’t have oodles of time for play. This works for simplicity.
I created one in a few minutes that shows my personality. I spiked out my hair because every day is a bad hair day for me, my eyes could be wearing glasses
, and my spider arms hold pen and paper.
Another way to make avatars is with a free mac download of Noble Avatar Generator. I used it years ago to create an avatar, which the kids say, “It looks like you!” (Well, I was thinner then…)
Ms Edwards
It is also easy to use and students can be wild or conservative in creating their avatar personas.
In Photo Booth on the Mac, filters allow you to generate unique images from a photo; I’m sure Windows users have similar programs (add them to our comments, please ).
I like avatars that look like the person or their personality. I require avatars to be carefully created with purpose — Why did you choose that image? How does it relate to who you are? This represents your person, so make it sparkle and make it sophisticated!
The important thing to remember is that as students grow into the age where they can be online on their own, that these avatars tell part of their story. When they are online (even with pseudonyms and avatars), they should always represent themselves in positive ways. As an adult, I need to take ownership and responsibility of my work; people should know who I am. Younger students create avatars to sparkle, but also to say, “This is me, and I have something to say.”
Although I tried to use the voice to record my words in this Voki, the recording skipped around, so typing worked better for me.
So, what do you think students? Do you know a way to:
- Create an avatar?
- Make it match your personality?
- Add pizazz to your pseudonym?
So, what’s your plan?
Photo Credit
Mark Twain Cartoon Public Domain by Ferdinand Keppler
Blog Challenge: Avatar Brains Challenge 4
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Hi Ms. Edwards,
I liked your avatars here and thought your line in your post “I like avatars that look like the person or their personality.” is important. I have found myself writing that I like avatars that look like the people behing the blogs or comments, but I liked how you connected avatars to personality.
In your blog you have done a great job of showing both what you look like, and your personality. We’re kindred spirits with the everyday’s a bad hair reality!
Thanks for sharing,
Tammy
http://www.tammydewar.wordpress.com