Voki is a Talkie

Get a Voki now!

This is an incredibly cool tool for online. Voki.com allows you to create an avatar, record some audio, and then combine the two to create a talking character for your online course site. Use these characters as introductions to case studies to add interest and engagement. I'm trying to figure out if there are ways to capture the video of separate characters to build up a story line which goes back and forth between characters (as a normal video would). I'll post later if I come up with a simple solution.

Comical Content

If you have very little artistic ability, Toonlet.com is just the site for you.
Easily create cartoons using their built in tools. For each of your characters, you can specify hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, body, arms, and other attributes, and then you can stretch, move, and rotate any of these parts -- which is helpful in having your characters express emotion and movement. Save each of these snapshots of your character - and then simply click them into the cartoon cell you wish to edit. Add some words, and presto! Custom comical content!

Wordle.com Turns Your Words into Art

I stumbled upon a great new site that turns your words into art.
wordle.net generates a word-cloud from your writing, and the size of each word is related to the frequency to which you use the word.

My example above comes from my "Growing Your Online Course" article at www.PedagogyOnline.com.

The application is free to use, and it allows you to cut and paste content into an edit window, or allows you to scrape a blog with an RSS feed, or allows you to enter in the username of a del.icio.us user.

Updated Teleprompter Script

Updated Teleprompter Script for Word 2007

Here is an updated macro script for Microsoft Word 2007. This turns your script into a WHITE text on black background, auto-scrolled text.

Remember that you can continue to use your MOUSE's SCROLL WHEEL while this macro is running - in case the script gets ahead of your (or behind you).

Sub VideoPrompter()
'
' VideoPrompter Macro
' Macro created 8/13/2007 by James Falkofske
'
' Autoscroll Window
Dim PauseTime, Start, Finish, TotalTime
Dim i, iMax As Integer
Dim i1, i2, i3, i4 As String
Dim fTiming, fFontSize As Double

'How big should the text be?
i3 = InputBox("Enter the Font size in points", _
  "Font Size", 32)
fFontSize = CDbl(i3)

'How many lines of movement are needed?
i1 = InputBox("Enter scroll-down-clicks for script", _
"Teleprompter Motion", 1000)
iMax = CInt(i1)

'How much of a pause between each movement of script
i2 = InputBox("Enter the delay moves (decimal seconds)", _
"Movement Timing", 0.35)
fTiming = CDbl(i2)



 With Selection.PageSetup
     .LineNumbering.Active = False
     .Orientation = wdOrientPortrait
     .TopMargin = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .BottomMargin = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .LeftMargin = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .RightMargin = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .Gutter = InchesToPoints(0)
     .HeaderDistance = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .FooterDistance = InchesToPoints(0.5)
     .PageWidth = InchesToPoints(8.5)
     .PageHeight = InchesToPoints(11)
     .VerticalAlignment = wdAlignVerticalTop
     .TwoPagesOnOne = False
 End With

 ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.ForeColor.ObjectThemeColor = _
     wdThemeColorText1
 ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.ForeColor.TintAndShade = 0#
 ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.Visible = msoTrue
 ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.Solid

 Selection.WholeStory
 Selection.Font.Size = fFontSize
 Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
 ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Zoom.PageFit = wdPageFitBestFit

For i = 1 To iMax
    PauseTime = fTiming        ' Set duration.
    Start = Timer    ' Set start time.
    Do While Timer < Start + PauseTime
        DoEvents    ' Yield to other processes.
        
    Loop
   'Move down a small scroll increment
   ActiveWindow.ActivePane.SmallScroll Down:=1
Next i

End Sub