Blabberize

//**Tool Summary:**// Blabberize is a free online tool that allows users to create a voice recording to go with a 'moving mouth' picture. Pictures can be uploaded and mouths can be placed at the user's discretion. This tool has had high appeal whenever I have used it in my classroom. it can be a quick tool for helping students share, or in the below example it can be the culminating activity for a writing piece. //**Web Location:**// http://blabberize.com/ Free //**Sign In Required:**// In order to save work, an account must be created, but in our case we used one account for all recordings. //**Cautions:**// The Blabberize library (of previous work done by various authors) is not screened, therefore students should not navigate this, but should instead be shown specific examples selected by the teacher. It is important to have a reliable connection when downloading work. We found that in some cases the recordings were lost due to possible flaky connections in our building, but also the speed of the site (it appears to have more traffic than they have planned for--at least in late 2011)
 * Cost:**

//**Example:**// We introduced a second grade group of ten students to the Blabberize tool. I used a clip art image and projected it onto the class board. Various students came up and tried the tool so that they could get a feel for how it worked. After they had spent several days researching non-fiction topics, their goal was to write a nonfiction piece that they would then read on a Blabberize picture which they created. Here are a few examples of their work.

We supported students during the recording process and I did the file conversion off line on my own time.

//**Great Things I Noticed:**// Student engagement increased based on the uniqueness of their end goal. Student writing pieces gained incredible voice because they wrote from the perspective of their topic......they all had personality! Student drawings were detailed and of high quality. Student's wanted to read and re-read their pieces before recording....thus improving fluency and diction (and they didn't think this was boring!!)

//**Other Possible Uses:**// As a tool to help students who are not comfortable presenting in front of a group (the picture can do the talking and displace some of the attention from them. As a intro tool for teachers to ANY topic!