VoiceThread

=[|VoiceThread]=

VoiceThread is web 2.0 tool that allows the user to combine images, text, and video to create a multimedia slide show. Once the presentation has been created other users can leave video, audio, and text comments.

Resources

 * [|About VoiceThread]
 * VoiceThread for Education Wiki
 * [|VoiceThread Webinar from Classroom 2.0]
 * [|Ning VoiceThread community]
 * [|http://voicethread.com/#q.b26224.i0.k0] - 100 ways to use VoiceThread in education
 * [|www.twitter.com/voicethread] Voicethread for Twitter (Gaston Rubio)

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=__SWOT ANALYSIS__=

Strengths:

 * Free to use; Pro version is free for educators
 * Large number of identities can be created for each account (great for class accounts)
 * The ability to zoom in on pictures and move navigate each one.
 * Comments can be made so global learning can take place outside the classroom.
 * Nothing is more true than "A picture is worth a thousand words."
 * May be edited for content focal points
 * Moderation is available for comments
 * User friendly - the creators of VoiceThread have developed quick videos, examples and ideas for usage
 * In the absence of a microphone, a phone can be used to record voice comments. This enables students to quickly and easily contribute from home.
 * Engaging - VoiceThread conversations can be built around interesting images and interactive video content, capturing the attention of today's visually driven learners
 * More personal - being able to hear the voices and even see faces of other participants makes digital communication through VoiceThread more personal
 * Great way to share class projects among students and parents
 * Comments can be made through text or sound
 * Motivational and engaging

Weaknesses:

 * Account is shared by all the identities using it.
 * Volume seemed low or none at all on several examples I visited.
 * Be careful with identity information.(parental approval needed sometimes)
 * Setting up classroom identities takes a bit of time
 * Free account has very limited space and number of threads you can create
 * When moving images from one file to another file, Cut and Paste is not an option for editing. Image has to be totally deleted from one file, then uploaded to new file.
 * Must have additional speakers for sound to be effective

Opportunities:

 * Wow...there are so many learning opportunities here. In science for dissecting, art for creating,step by step lessons, etc.
 * Providing the choice of organizing thoughtful responses orally or in written form.
 * Voice becomes powerful
 * Speaking and listening of content knowledge is supported – brings projects to life
 * Student thoughts, learning, and resources can be documented and built upon from year to year.
 * The teacher can create the original slideshow and have students participate, leaving the teacher with the ability to help struggling students and offer them more individualized attention.
 * Teachers can create different kinds of presentations, for example ones that only include pictures, which leaves out wordy lessons to help students who are more auditory learners
 * What a great opportunity to collaborate with students across the country or the world
 * Voice Thread could be used to write a procedural speech. Students could take pictures and explain a recipe. (See Houisin Steak above.)
 * Combining thoughts with audio and visual aspects could be inspiring.
 * Powerful tool for digital storytelling
 * Ed.VoiceThread version - one time $10.00 fee
 * Classroom subscription available


 * $60.00/100 users or $1/user after the 100 fee for year
 * Creates an account for each student
 * VoiceThreads that are create are only available in the Ed.VoiceThread
 * Students can choose to share their VoiceThread with their classmates, with their group, or with the whole Ed.VoiceThread
 * Slide-show presentations can become collaborative learning experiences by incorporating voice comments and multiple voice recordings.

Threats:

 * Comments from unwanted sources/ Irrelevant comments (Although moderation is available)
 * Some students are more comfortable recording than others.
 * It has to be relatively quiet when other students are recording. This takes a little time.
 * Some students more than others may need helpful content tips for desired final outcome.
 * Shy students can have trouble recording

=IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM=
 * Share reflections about a historical photograph.
 * Share favorite characters in a novel read by the class.
 * Use historical pictures, do research and give the report orally while viewing the visual.
 * For art, language arts, math and science lessons can become more alive and realistic using this technology.(explaining art work/techniques, book reviews, book advertisement, science labs/dissecting, doing hobbies, sewing, etc.)
 * Geography comes alive with photographs of people and places.
 * Students can present digital book reports.
 * Students can create a get well card for a home bound friend.
 * Students can create a year end class thread.
 * Students can share facts or reflections about a field trip
 * Use Voice Thread as a writing prompt. See example above.
 * Students can reflect on a speaker they just heard.
 * Get input from community members on your student’s work
 * Find collaborators for VoiceThread projects here
 * Use Voice Thread to leave prepared lessons when teacher is absent and assist substitute teachers.
 * Create a power point to explain the life cycle of a plant and then use voice thread to explain each step.
 * After writing a story, students can upload images that correspond with the main events of the story and orally record their story.

Examples of Use in the Classroom

 * [|Second Grade Spanish - Muzzy and Friends]
 * [|Science Experiment]
 * [|Area of a Triangle]
 * [|What do you know about Anne Frank?] (Amy Cobb)
 * [|Ed Tech blog about Voice Thread]
 * [|Gregor the Overlander Character Map]
 * [|To Kill a Mockingbird - Tenth Grade]
 * [|Faces of the World]
 * [|What Do You Value?]
 * [|Recipe for Houisin Rice]
 * [|Using Voice Thread as a Writing Prompt]
 * [|Clever Voice Thread about Pants]
 * [|Forest Animals]
 * [|Peace]
 * [|Civil War ABC's]
 * Questions for Expert Collaborators vC
 * [|Pecha Kucha Presentation for the Immune System]

I have personally used Voicethread for personal introductions to a classroom as well as for presentations of other materials. One of the greatest aspects of voicethread is its ability to be a presentation within a slide show. This slide show allows for viewers, with permission, to leave comments on each slide about the content presented. Each slide allows for a video to play or a link to be displayed. I have thought about using Voicethread to have students present their Science Experiments. As a 4th grade teacher with 38 students the less Science Boards I have the more space I have in the classroom. If I could give students access to a voicethread in the library in order to record and post their science exprerient their classmates could visually see the steps or procedures taken by their peers throughout their science experiment. Showing the steps necessary in your experiment also eliminates students whose parents complete their projects and place their names on it. (Gaston Rubio)