Hooper+Humperdink..?+Not+Him!

=Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him?=

=Hooper Humperdink...? Not HIm?= Can you tell who these people are? Of course not! That's the whole idea!

Avatars, digital represenations of yourself, are a unique way to let your students post their work without their own picture. A free tool, that does not require registration is Build Yourself Wild. Most avatar sites allow you to pick hairstyle, hair color, shape of eyes, eye color, mouth, skin tones, and clothes. Allow the students enough time to explore

Did you ever worry about putting your sutdents' photos online even though the parents have signed a release form? Most parents are fine with posting their child's photo online as long as their name is not attached to it. To be on the safe side, have your students create their own avatar (a visual representation of oneself). These avatars can be used all year long and every time your students post something online: in a blog, in a wiki, or in Moodle. Each student could even have their avatar in their documents folder. When you ask them to print their work they can add their avatar to it. You'll soon recognize each of your students by their avatar! = =

The term 'avatar' might be a new term to you, but it isn't to most of our students. They are making avatars on their video games.

Students should try to make their avatar as much like themselves as possible. = = = = Most avatar sites allow you to pick hairstyle, hair color, shape of eyes, eye color, mouth, skin tones, and clothes. Allow the students enough time to explore the site before they actually create their avatar. You want them to be satisfied with their avatar and keep it for the entire year.

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 * //Main Character.// Have students create an avatar at the Build Your Wild Self site. Let them get wild with it: add wings, horns, fur. This will become the main character of a science fiction story.
 * //Bulletin Board Border//. Print the avatars for each of your students all the exact same size. Print the real photos of your students the same size as the avatars. Make a border for the bulletin board out of the avatars and photos.
 * //Story Character.// Have students make avatars to represent the characters in a story or book that they are reading. Then write a bio-poem for the characters.

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 * //Trading Card.// Have your students make trading cards using their avatars on the front and a bio-poem on the back.
 * //Powerpoint .// Students can add their avatar on the title slide of their presentation.
 * //Interactive Whiteboard clip art.// Use the students' avatars and their first names in word problems in flipcharts. They'll love seeing their avatars on the board! [[image:pic1.jpg width="416" height="148" align="center"]]