Tuesday, February 12, 2013

What is Google Voice?

In response to my last post, I have received numerous questions about Google Voice. So, rather than answer everyone individually, I thought I would write a quick post. (I don't want to grade these tests and projects anyway!!)

Google Voice is a website through Google that allows you to create a dummy number that is linked to your cell phone (I am not sure if you can use a landline). The website is www.google.com/voice . If you already have a gmail account you can use that, if not, you have to get one. Now, I do not remember exactly how to do the initial setup, but I know it was easy. My advice- make sure when you create a number, it is a local number. Last year, I set up a phone number that spelled the school and my name, which I thought was brilliant. However, it ended up being long distance which was the occasional problem. You can change the number (it costs $10), but instead, this year I just registered with a new email (shhhhh...don't tell!) and created a new number that is local, but doesn't spell out anything cool.

Basically I am using the Google Voice as a voicemail service. I record a new message every Monday, and the students have until Sunday night to respond. Then, I change the voicemail on Monday and we begin again. I grade the students fairly leniently. It is a 25 point assignment. 10 for demonstrating they understand the prompt, 10 for content/grammar/pronunciation and 5 for length. I require the messages to be 45 seconds to 1 minute in length. I encourage the students to call and say something, even if they don't understand the prompt, and depending on what they do, I give them 10 points.

Now, I realize that many of my students listen to the prompt together. Many listen multiple times. They talk about what the prompt says and some even ask me if they are right. To this I say, Hooray!! They did a listening 10 times to figure it out!! Woo hoo!!

I also realize that students write down what they are going to say and read that. Well, they are thinking about the grammar and vocabulary. They are still practicing their speaking. So, again...WOO HOO!!!

As for themes for the voicemails, I try to make sure that three out of five during the (five week units) are somehow related to the unit we are studying and then two on "every day" topics like current events, Homecoming, etc.

As I have mentioned in other posts, making sure I get listening and speaking done in class is something I really struggle with, so worst case scenario, using this, I know that they have done some. To be honest, I have yet, in the almost two years I have been doing this, have every student do the assignment. But, the vast majority do it, because as a weekly assignment, it really adds up if you skip it every week. It is also wonderful at conferences because kids have no excuses for not doing it. They have to take responsibility for getting it done when it fits into their schedule. And, yes, if they have time during my class, I let them do it in class.

I hope this helps all of you. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

**Another good point someone emailed to me- In the settings, you need to set the "do not disturb". That will keep your phone from ringing when the students call the Google Voice number.

6 comments:

  1. I'm testing Google Voice out this week, as a homework assignment. Students will call the number that I have set up and leave a message about whether or not they like to fly, who they typically travel with, where they like to go and what they do to pass the time while in the plane/form of transportation. I ask that students speak for at least thirty seconds. Students have to leave their name, if not, I will not be able to award credit. Also, Google Voice allows transcription of what is said in English, however, when testing the system in Spanish, it did not properly transcribe what was said in Spanish. What is also neat is we can play the sound files the next day in class and students will have to tell me a few points about what was described. Another, free!, site to consider is: http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/
    Also, vocaroo.com allow you to send sound files. But, these require students to have microphones built in or of external use in their computers.
    Also, I agree that this type of speaking activity does have some authenticity however, students may write up what they plan to say. I encourage (if you have access to this type of technology) to have students do speaking prompts in the classroom, without any prep time or time to read from notes they've made. It gives you a much better look at what a student is truly able to do. I'm hoping to earn grant money to purchase digital voice recorders, to keep my students more on task when speaking in Spanish.
    Thanks for sharing about Google voice!!

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    Replies
    1. We don't have the technology for vocaroo, but I have seen it. I do use speaking in class. On the last day of the week we do conversation circles with given prompts, and then they can do spontaneous conversation as well.

      I would be careful when you choose voice recorders. We bought some with a grant that make .wma files and then later found out for the AP exam you have to have .mp3 files, so we wish we had made a different choice.

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  2. Teaching English in China, I used a similar concept directly with mobile phones. Everyone had a mobile, and pretty well every mobile phone has a built in recorder. The students were given a weekly talking assignment, sometimes solo, sometimes in pairs. It was their responsibility to copy the phone recordings to the class computer out of class time and convert the various formats to MP3 (there is software for that). They were graded on various criteria (e.g. content, clarity, intonation etc) which I put on a spreadsheet as part of the final assessment. It worked well after they got over the technology learning bump. Another trick was to make them turn their phone recorders on in class discussion groups as "evidence" against switching into Chinese etc when I moved away to attend to other groups.

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