Monday, April 1, 2013

VoiceThread


Original Caption: Students in a Classroom at Leakey, Texas, near San Antonio 05/1973
U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 412-DA-12386
Photographer: St. Gil, Marc (1924-1992)

VoiceThread is an exciting addition to the classroom. This versatile implement stores group conversations on threads that the instructor sets up. Students and instructors alike can collaborate in an interactive environment via microphone, webcam, text, and doodling. Each multimedia slideshow can hold images, documents, and videos; users can even pause videos to comment upon certain stills. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs.

I viewed Joseph Belfon's VoiceThread and Kayla Douglas' VoiceThread. Joseph's VoiceThread discussed the basics behind VoiceThread in a concise slideshow, then he discussed his cultural background. Afterward, the users were encouraged to share their own personal background. I shared my story of being a second generation German-American citizen. Kayla presented an image relating to hobbies, wherein users were implored to circle two objects that the user enjoyed playing with as a hobby. This allowed users to circle their favorite objects and offer a narrative surrounding their choices.

VoiceThreads are a great tool to use in the classroom, and very versatile. My VoiceThread includes a quiz on music theory, wherein users listen to a musical interval, describe the interval, and then circle two notes on the keyboard that fit the given interval. As demonstrated by my use of VoiceThread, this website is highly flexible and allows for educators of all disciplines to present content and elicit student feedback. 

However, educators need to ensure that assignments administered on VoiceThread allow for uniqueness of answers, it is easy for students to copy others' answers. It is for this reason that we should encourage students to attempt assignments that emphasize creativity. The possibilities are endless when it comes to VoiceThread! Educators need only think of assignments within their discipline that encourage thinking outside of the box. In ESL classrooms, this is a great opportunity for students to speak, type, and identify concepts in the target language. 

1 comment:

  1. The two VTs that you commented on and your own definitely show that this tool is only limited by the creativity of the creators of the threads.

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