Let’s Talk CD

Using Let’s Talk, teachers and students can create computer generated:

• Talking Lessons
• Talking Verses
• Talking Quizzes
• Talking Reflections
• Talking Responses to your questions
• Talking “Virtual Puppet”
• Talking Prayers
• Talking Bible Characters, teachers, students

…all using your computer’s ability to speak aloud !

WHAT IS LET’S TALK ?

Let’s Talk CD is a bit hard to describe to first-timers because it’s so unique, -but it’s level of engagement and versatile use with any subject has made it a go-to favorite in many computer labs.  If you’ve played with the “talking text” feature in Kid Pix (another Sunday Software recommendation), then you have an inkling of what Let’s Talk can do for your lessons.

Let’s Talk gives you the tools to create an onscreen animated character –and then put words into his or her mouth.

Whatever you or the kids type, their character will speak aloud.

This makes is a great classroom tool for answering, discussing, debating, reflecting, rephrasing, -even praying, …because kids WANT to use this tool.

Let’s Talk has four built-in modules:

1. Talk Now

In Talk Now you quickly create a character, type what you want it to say, and press “play” for all to hear.

2. Conversation Now

In Conversation Now students create two animated characters who can “instant message” back and forth to each other in an ‘instant messaging’ or chat-like interface. One of the characters could be Jesus, for example, and the other character could be your student, or someone in the story. “What would Jesus text message to you?”  Our Lesson Ideas have many more examples for this module.

3. Create a Lesson

In Create-a-Lesson, students fill-in several fields in an interface to create a multi-faceted speaking presentation that includes: Introductory Comments, Story Content, a 3 Question Spoken Quiz, and 3 Spoken Discussion Questions  –all hosted by your onscreen character.

4. Select a Lesson

In Select-a-Lesson your students can access previously built lessons from other students or from the teacher. We’ve included two sample lessons in this module: Psalm 8 and Mary & Martha.

The Lesson creation screen in Lesson Builder.

All lessons can be saved and edited. You can start a presentation and have students complete it. You can update the language and questions in your presentation for different age groups.

Students can make a presentation to share with the entire class, or if you have multiple computers, they can make presentations for another computer group, then invite another group to view the presentation and take their quiz (kids like that).

We call Let’s Talk a “discussion making tool” because your students can use the animated character to ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS with, or pose questions, or speak prayers, or tell a story in new words.  In that sense, it’s a bit of “mis-direction”.  For many kids and teens, it is lesson threatening and they are less-self-conscious about expressing themselves through the computer than in front of their peers.

Of course, in most of our labs, our students SHARE THE COMPUTER, and thus, will have to talk to each other at the keyboard to create their group responses (pinch me). See our Let’s Talk Ideas and Lessons for lots of examples.

One of the most surprising ways teachers are using Let’s Talk is at the END of a lesson. They invite the kids to create a character and type a prayer for their character to speak to the class.

Let’s Talk is particularly great for working in verses and stories where there is dialog and you want the kids to “re-script” the dialog in a new way (such as “in their own words” or “what were the people thinking to themselves during the story?” and “how would you have responded…”).  See our Let’s Talk Lesson Ideas and Lesson Plans Page for lots of example.

DOC BOX

View our Let’s Talk Ideas and Lesson Plan Webpage

 

We continue to post new Let’s Talk lesson ideas to it, and invite your brainstorms as well.