YackPack

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**YackPack**
====YackPack is a web 2.0 tool that can quickly improve educational communication. With YackPack, teachers are able to motivate students, give quality feedback, and communicate with students, parents, and administrators.====

Resources:

 * This is a video presentation of YackPack
 * __ A Heterotopic Space __ is a website that breaks down the the pedagogical benefits of using audio commentary to respond to student writing, and it also has some practical advice and resources to help you put audio commentary into practice without too much trouble.

Strengths

 * Free
 * Voice: faster & easier way to communicate
 * Access any time, anywhere via the Internet
 * Asynchronous
 * Messages are stored and archived for future reference
 * Private and safe
 * Simple: no typing or navigating menus required
 * Fun: share music, poetry, and stories. Add sound effects to stories and messages.
 * You can belong to several groups at one time.
 * Similar to using walkie-talkie push to talk enabled cell phones
 * Turn based communicating instead of real time chatter

Weaknesses

 * Any technical difficulties and you can not access your site.
 * Retrieving messages can be a bit difficult
 * Not as simple as using Skype

Opportunities

 * Students can create a verbal blog to communicate their thoughts or opinions of a certain topic.
 * Parents can also have access to the account and view feedback.
 * Collaboration with other classrooms.
 * Verbally answering student's questions.
 * Assigning oral practice for foreign languages.
 * Enhances traditional classroom by using the expressiveness of voice in a virtual learning environment.
 * Students can easily create accounts and join the classroom pack.
 * Students can ask and answer each others questions and can discuss the topic of the teacher's choice.
 * Teacher can verbally answer questions and give verbal explanations of math, science, etc.., problems.

Threats

 * Verbal abuse

Ideas for the Classroom
> presentation skills.
 * Offer encouragement on assignments
 * Give assignments for oral practice in foreign language learning as well as speaking and
 * Grade student work, giving quality feedback and saving yourself time.
 * Invite guests to join in from around the world.
 * Discuss topics as a class, as staff, as a district, and with other educators.
 * How to use in the classroom Video