Affiliation:
1. Department of Foreign Language Education, Faculty of Education, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey
Abstract
This paper evaluates Voki, a digital platform for creating speaking avatars, in the context of Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT). It firstly outlines the benefits of using animated characters in online tools to personalize language lessons and engage students. As a web-based application, Voki offers various customization options, including different characters, backgrounds and speech voices in over 30 languages. The paper describes how Voki can support GELT pedagogy by exposing students to different English accents and dialects and enhancing their listening and speaking skills with reflections from a ‘Listening and Pronunciation’ course. It is concluded that despite certain technical difficulties and pedagogical limitations, Voki seems a valuable tool to support GELT pedagogy.
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Education,Language and Linguistics