Back in the day, I would often make cassette recordings of my young French students. Not only did this give learners the opportunity to hear themselves speak and sing in a new language, but it was a wonderful MOTIVATIONAL tool as well. The children were eager to record themselves and hear their voices played back.
Of course, our modern technology makes this little activity easier and more enjoyable than ever. Here are my favorite iPad apps for recording speech and encouraging oral skills in any language.
1. Talking Friends: Pierre, Ben, Gina, Robo, and more. Simply talk and the cartoon characters repeat what you say in their cute cartoony voices. Funny, engaging, and very silly! Check out the developer’s site (Outfit 7) to see the selection of Talking Friends.
2. Puppet Pals: Select your puppet actors, backdrops, and record away! You can save the shows for future viewing. The voices are your own. Check it out here in the iTunes store.
3. Sock Puppets: This app is SO fun and my son’s favorite. Choose your sock puppets, props, and scenery and create shows to save. Great for two(-or-more)-person dialogues. Kids love to hear their “cartoon” voices and major bonus . . . the mouths move. Check it out here in the iTunes store.
4. Toontastic: Kids can create their own multi-scene cartoons, and can even draw their own scenes and characters. Love the background music. Hours of entertainment in this one! Awesome, awesome, awesome. What a way to encourage and develop foreign language skills. Learn more at LaunchPad Toys.
Have fun with speaking languages on your iPad.
