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Voicethread: Create, Collaborate, Moderate and Share!

Written by Elizabeth 15 April 2010 7 Comments

Last week I was asking about which tools LOOK cool but you haven’t really had time to play with them or you don’t really know what they’re all about. Well, folks. By recommendation, I’m here with another “why you should use this in your classroom” post with a GREAT tool you should absolutely make time to play with and use.

Voicethread!

I feel like this is a little buzz word that’s been running around the edtech community but I’m realizing not many people know what it is actually all about. I’ve actually briefly mentioned Voicethread in past posts on the SimpleK12 blog, but never realized how awesome this tool really is. So, what is Voicethread? To put it simply, Voicethread is a grouped conversation that is collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. Say you upload a picture, document, or video – anyone you share it with will be able to communicate with you and comment on the media you’ve shared. There are five different ways someone can comment/communicate with you on Voicethread – Record (mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (webcam).

So, why and how would you want to use Voicethread in your classroom?

Ok, wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up for a minute. Before I go into detail about how and why you would use this tool in your classroom, I’d like to show you how to use the tool! When you open up a Voicethread and there are comments that already exist on it, it will look like this:

Once you click our icon, you’ll see our comment:

Then you can add your own comments! Easy, right?

Ok…now back to the good stuff – how to use it in your classroom! Well, luckily for you, our friend, Colette Cassinelli, has started a WIKI that’s all about Voicethread and has already had so many teachers contribute on how and why they use this tool. Simply click a picture on the side, and listen or read!

Kind of awesome, huh?

There are TONS of ways to use this tool in your classroom. Just to name a few:

  • Have your students upload their work. Then other classmates can critique them with comments and opinions
  • Have your students compare/contrast artwork from different time periods
  • Have your students create short story!

The possibilities are truly ENDLESS. But what I REALLY want you to do is head over to the Voicethread 4 Education Wiki that Colette Cassinelli and tons of other educators have created and check out by grade level or department all the different ways you can use this great tool in your classroom! Additionally, my friend, Michael Walter, created a Voicethread for his 1st graders about Earth Day! Be sure to check that out here.

Until next time, folks!

7 Comments »

  • Jackie said:

    I love voice thread.

    I have students using it to download science projects and then narrating the slides and asking for student feedback.

    the 39 Clues Maze of Bones unit – developed character, and 6 clues and then inserted in voice thread for students to solve and comment.

    Elizabeth Reply:
    April 26th, 2010 at 8:27 am

    Wow! That’s a great idea, Jackie!
    Thank you so much for sharing your ideas!

    18 April 2010 at 9:34 am
  • SerenaF said:

    I’m so excited to see your post, as I have been using VoiceThread for almost a month now in my kindergarten classroom and I LOVE it. I’ve been blogging about the experience, so for those interested, reasons why I love VoiceThread in the link below. In another post, “VoiceThread: Student and Parents Comments”, there are pictures of my students reacting to hearing their comments as well as their parents.

    http://sinkorswim.posterous.com/why-im-falling-in-love-with-voicethread

    Oh and thanks for letting me know about the VoiceThread wiki and of course, spreading the VoiceThread love! =)

    Elizabeth Reply:
    April 26th, 2010 at 8:31 am

    Serena! I’m so happy to seem someone else loving Voicethread too! I LOVE how you pointed all the different benefits for teachers, students, and parents in your blog post! Keep spreading the Voicethread love, and thank YOU for sharing!

    21 April 2010 at 11:49 am
  • Bill said:

    I’m so excited to see your post, as I have been using VoiceThread for almost a month now in my kindergarten classroom and I LOVE it. I’ve been blogging about the experience, so for those interested, reasons why I love VoiceThread in the link below. In another post, “VoiceThread: Student and Parents Comments”, there are pictures of my students reacting to hearing their comments as well as their parents.

    http://sinkorswim.posterous.com/why-im-falling-in-love-with-voicethread

    Oh and thanks for letting me know about the VoiceThread wiki and of course, spreading the VoiceThread love! =)

    28 April 2010 at 12:45 am
  • Carolyn Stanley said:

    I am a computer technology facilitator in a middle school. Recently our Mandarin teacher used Voice thread to collect comments from student in her classes at our two sister middle school on the topic of Chinese New Year. She was not only able to hear and assess pronunciation, but she got insight into how well her student understood all the customs associated with celebrating Chinese New Year. In addition, they shared their own celebration experiences during the Western new year.

    On of my Spanish teachers is experimenting with Voice Thread for the very first time next week. She will be using it as a vehicle for her to assess students pronunciation and sentence construction skills -previously done, one-on-one, and hurriedly during valuable class time. I hope the experiment will be a productive one for her and her students.

    CS
    Carolyn Stanley recently posted..A Great Find!My Profile

    9 April 2011 at 11:42 am
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