Google Voice

How many times have you tried to do some really cool speaking activity using a Web 2.0 tool, only to have a student say…”But I can’t do that, I don’t have…a microphone, a computer, internet access, etc.”? That is why I LOVE google voice. At the beginning of the school year I sent away for a google voice invite not really knowing what I would do with it. I got the “muy guay” phone number of 407-60-bueno! Now my students have no excuse to not doing an online speaking project because we all know that they ALL have a cell phone!! J I use google voice in several ways.

First, as a quick formative assessment to see where they are at during or at the end of a lesson. I can have several students step outside and answer a prompt.  I can have them call and list all of the vocabulary that they can think of regarding the topic being studied. Another way I use google voice is as an alternative to a summative assessment that was assigned. For example, if they had an assignment to record their voice in a voicethread and did not do it – I will give them a visual and have them call google voice to replace the assignment. It isn’t ideal but it eliminates excuses and once they realize they can’t get out of an assignment they usually choose the more creative one that they had been originally assigned. Lastly, my students are used to being assigned a google voice assignment as homework to practice speaking and pronunciation.

As far as grading their speaking activities, I can play and save their recordings so I can compare their progress over time. I can also listen to their messages on my smart phone whenever I have some spare time!

A few hints and tips:

*Depending on your school’s cell phone policy you may need to make make a nice big sign for students to hold when they are calling that says “I am using my phone to take a test. Please do not disturb! 🙂
*Make sure you enable the “Do not disturb” option if you don’t want 100 phone calls going to your phone! This will send all messages directly to voicemail.
*You do not have to grade EVERY message. Just like you don’t grade everything they say in class, you do not have to record every message that is recorded. Sometimes the experience and the practice is enough.

Google Voice is simple, low tech, engaging way to increase students opportunites for speaking practice and assessment.

Do you have a google voice account? How do you use it with your students?