VoiceThread

VoiceThread - ISTE 2010


http://edtechvision.wikispaces.com/VoiceThread
VoiceThread on Twitter: voicethread
ISTE10's VoiceThread on Twitter: #istevt
Backchannel: http://todaysmeet.com/istevt

What is VoiceThread?
I attended a session at ISTE this summer about VoiceThread that provided me with some wonderful teaching ideas. First, let me explain what VoiceThread is. VoiceThread.com says:

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice, text, audio file, image file or video. With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world -- all with no software to install.

To get a better idea of what VoiceThread is, watch the following VoiceThread about VoiceThread:



Creating a VoiceThread
The first step in creating a VoiceThread is planning. Before beginning the technical process, be sure to answer the following questions: One: What is my goal? Two: What kind of presentation is this going to be? Once you have decided the direction of your VoiceThread, prepare the media you plan to use in your project. Save all the needed documents, video, audio, and pictures in a file ahead of time so they are ready to be uploaded when the time comes.

Once you have a plan in mind, the technical process begins. First, you will need to register and create a VoiceThread account. Once you are logged in, you will see the three steps to create your project. Step one: Upload the media you have prepared. Step two: Record your comments. Step three: Share your project. To edit, use the tools located around the VoiceThread's window to alter your project's elements, pages, comments, and settings.

Visit the VoiceThread support page to find more detailed instructions, answers to frequently asked questions, and helpful hints for creating projects.

Tips and Suggestions
There are a lot of things you can do to improve your projects, to make the creation process easier, and to adjust your projects to better fit the needs of your students:

• You can upload the pictures you plan to use in your VoiceThread onto Flikr and automatically add a folder to your project.
• Use your computer's built-in microphone or a USB headset to record audio for your VoiceThread.
• You can input your cell phone number onto VoiceThread, and the site will call you to record your audio.
• PowerPoints can be easily uploaded onto VoiceThread. Save your PowerPoint slides as jpg files and upload them to your VoiceThread.
• If you need to include copyright information for photos you have used, you can screen capture the copyright information and upload the image onto your VoiceThread.
• Record your voice or use video clips to upload to your VoiceThread.
• Upload a variety of files to your VoiceThread including pdf, docs, etc.
  
• You can record up to 15 minutes of audio per slide on the VoiceThread site.
• The VoiceThread site will automatically scale photos so they fit the allotted space.
• When recording, to avoid all the classroom noise, you can put a box on the student's head or hold a book up behind the microphone to block out the noise.
• Allow anyone to view and anyone to comment on your VoiceThreads, but be sure to moderate all comments.
• If you are concerned about sharing student work, you can opt to not allow your VoiceThread to be shown on the browse list.
• You can create sharing groups to choose who can view and comment on specific VoiceThreads.
• You can export your VoiceThread as a .mov file and burn copies for your class.
• You can subscribe to VoiceThreads that you like.

Teaching Ideas
Using technology tools in your classroom can increase student engagement in the learning process and help them connect to the curriculum in an authentic way. Following are some ideas of how you can use VoiceThread in your classroom to enhance student learning. As you read through these ideas, keep in mind that with VoiceThread online discussions can be had with anyone anywhere in the world. Students can interact with classmates, or students and experts far beyond the walls of their school.

• Asynchronous Debate - Students research, plan, and prewrite a debate speech, then record and upload their speech to VoiceThread. They find images to go along with their speech. Each debate team listens to the opposing speech and then takes five minutes to plan a rebuttle and record it on VoiceThread. Such a debate can be held between various class sections, between different schools, and at different locations.
  
• Explorers - Students create slides about different explorers and record information about them. Later, students can compare and contrast the explorers they have learned about on the pages of their class VoiceThread. They can record their findings on their original page.
• Civil War Simulation - Students record first-person accounts of historical figures from the Civil War.
  
• Middle Ages Feudal System - Students post pictures representing all the different classes of people in the medieval social system. They record either a description of their rolls, rights, and lifestyles or mock first-person accounts of their lives.
  
• Interview an Expert - Help an expert set up a VoiceThread about their field of expertise. After learning from the VoiceThread, students record questions for the experts to answer. The expert then records answers to the students questions. Finally, the students create a VoiceThread as a report (ie. on an animal), and the expert views the report, listens, asks questions, and makes comments.

For additional teaching ideas, visit the VoiceThread idea page or simply browse through VoiceThreads that others have created.

Benefits
There are many benefits to using VoiceThread in your classroom:

• Creative Process - Creating VoiceThreads is fun and a great chance for students to be creative!
  
• Motivation - Students are often motivated by using new tools and technology to create projects.
  
• Collaboration - Students are able to work with a variety of people in their own classroom or from all over the world.
• No boundaries - Students can communicate with others without the restrictions of time and location.
• Writing - Those who may not be big writers yet can express themselves through VoiceThread.
• Speaking - Students who are not yet comfortable with public speaking can get experience with speaking and gain confidence through VoiceThread.
  
• Multimedia - Students learn to combine audio, pictures, video, etc. in creative and effective ways.
• Audience - It is highly motivational to create a project that will be viewed by a real world-wide audience beyond just one teacher or class. A live, responsive audience adds validity and vitality to student work.
  
• Feedback - The "conversation" between the creator and viewers of each VoiceThread are invaluable.
  

Examples
Following are some great examples of student VoiceThreads:

Math Strategies


Class Art Collection


Explorer Journals

Mission US

http://www.uen.org/missionus/
http://www.mission-us.org/

Register - they don't track the accounts except to allow you to jump in and out of your game



Interactive game that allows students to make decisions as if they were a person living during the revolutionary war.
Historical fiction - some of the characters are real people from history, some are fictional
The decisions that the students make build and impact the events in their game later on, especially as it starts to show whether they are a patriot or loyal to the crown.
Students develop relationships with other characters and collect items that will affect the rest of their game.
Sometimes, you have to break the rules that the other characters tell you. You've got to decide whether you are going to follow what they say you should do or not. The teacher can help students make these discussions by educating them on the topics. For example, when told not to buy supplies from South Carolina, you need to decide if you should or not -- are they British imports or are they not?
It takes about 3 hours to play the whole game. Teachers could take as long as they want to guide the students through the game -- an hour and the rest at home, or a few days in class.
There are a lot of lessons that could be taught along with the game. Teachers can teach as many of these lessons and hold as many class discussions that tie into the game as desired.
Teacher resources include lesson plans, copies of the historical documents referenced in the games, etc.
There are EXTENSIVE resources for the teacher.
Recommended for 5th or 8th grade. Great for 5th because of the game/cartoon aspect. But, great for 8th grade because of the decisions that need to be made, and therefore the discussions that can be had.
Teachers should preview the game and the decisions before hand so they can help the students make the decisions they would like them to that will enable them to focus on the topics they would like most to discuss.
This is great at presenting multiple points of view in history. For example, when the Boston Massacre happens, each student may get different events and decisions. Then, they can discuss with their