Voice Tools 1

Last week I had to think of a lesson plan using a voice tool. The topic I chose was culture shock. Part of the lesson plan was to include some kind of authentic material. As I looked for something to use as input I found some studies on cultural adjustment and very often they showed a curve like this:

That made me think about my own experience here in Ohio and also what my students, who are all from other countries, must be going through. I am surely going through these stages, although it feels more like a roller-coaster. There is much involved in the process and how you deal with the opportunities you have can speed up the whole thing. In this sense, what is better than hearing from other peole who's been going through the same things? The activity I proposed asks the students to give tips on how to make the whole cultural adaptation easier. For that they had to use a voice tool called Voki. Aside the fact that using a voice tool was a requirement for the lesson plan, I think it serves very well the purpose of the activity. Listening to real voices sharing their experiences and giving advice is much more comforting than simply reading a text. Here is the Voki I prepared for the activity. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to use with one of my groups, but I can't wait for it.