“Studies show that role models can boost academic performance,” (Kao, 2025) and the use of avatars in the classroom is a way of introducing role models. Avatar creators are also an engaging way to make students work in the classroom. They empower students to express their creativity by designing digital representations of themselves or characters. These tools can enhance language learning by providing a visual context for descriptions and storytelling. 

Furthermore, avatar creation encourages digital literacy skills and provides a platform for collaborative projects. We ask our students to create characters for a play, design digital classmates, or express emotions. Avatar creation is a safe environment that can help our students in many stages of their lives to discover themselves under the safe cover of virtuality (Yee, 2011). Additionally, talking avatars can help shy students or those suffering some sort of speech impediment (Burditt, 2019).

In this section we will explore a very simple tool to create a face avatar. In just a few steps you can create a cartoon person-like face or ask your students to do so and even young kids can handle it since it is very easy. Let’s start…

The first step is choosing the gender of your avatar. Here’s the first limitation, since it excludes the non-binary community. It is also strange to start the creation from a caucasian character. Inclusion was not part of the site creators.

References:

- Burditt, R. (2019). VOKI: Speaking Avatars for Education
https://clifmims.com/voki-speaking-avatars-for-education/ 

- Kao, D., & D. Fox Harrell. (2015). Exploring the Impact of Role Model Avatars on Game Experience in Educational Games. https://doi.org/10.1145/2793107.2810291 

- Swanson, G. (2013). Talking Avatars - Great for Submitting Talks
http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2013/08/talking-avatars-great-for-submitting.html 

- Yee, N., Ducheneaut, N., Yao, M. Z., & Nelson, L. (2011). Do men heal more when in drag? https://doi.org/10.1145/1978942.1979054