VoiceThread: Audio Production
By Jennifer Staidl, High School Special Education Teacher at St. Croix Central High School
Hammond, Wisconsin.
[email protected]
VoiceThread Introduction
VoiceThread is an online interactive collaborative tool that allows users to share documents, videos, and images so that other members can create feedback via voice, video, audio, or text. This tool is accredited with being one of the newest more innovative collaborative tools because it utilizes so many forms of media in which members can create different layers of interaction. Due to the authentic innovations, VoiceThread is used in the K-12 school settings as well as higher education settings and the business world. VoiceThread is unique in that members can use the voice feature for commentary and feedback so that other members can hear the intonations and voice patterns that are often misconstrued in text.
Applications
VoiceThread can be used as privately or as publicly as the moderator chooses. Although VoiceThread can be used in the business sector, the purpose of this page is centered on the educational setting. VoiceThread can be used in the classroom as a community building tool through peer collaboration, sharing, and storytelling. This can also be used as an excellent assessment tool in which the teacher, or even the students, can create an assessment rubric. VoiceThread is a great differentiated educational tool that can also give sound and voice to those that may struggle due to disabilities or English language learner concerns. A unique and progressive application for VoiceThread would be providing communication experiences and opportunities between teachers, students, parents, and the community.
When working with VoiceThread in the classroom, there are some helpful tips that can be used to ease students into a sometimes overwhelming world of online collaboration. First, start slow. Create clear and simple objectives for your students to follow. Next, have students plan, prepare, create, and edit their work before they publish to VoiceThread. Lastly, have students create a sample artifact in which they can explore all of the options provided to them via VoiceThread. This gives students a chance to 'play around' before having to use the program for assessment purposes. This may eliminate glitches that may occur due to inexperience.
How does VoiceThread work?
VoiceThread is a free cloud based application that allows users to communicate simply and authentically. To begin, users should create an account in which they create and edit a profile so that members can easily identify each other.
By Jennifer Staidl, High School Special Education Teacher at St. Croix Central High School
Hammond, Wisconsin.
[email protected]
VoiceThread Introduction
VoiceThread is an online interactive collaborative tool that allows users to share documents, videos, and images so that other members can create feedback via voice, video, audio, or text. This tool is accredited with being one of the newest more innovative collaborative tools because it utilizes so many forms of media in which members can create different layers of interaction. Due to the authentic innovations, VoiceThread is used in the K-12 school settings as well as higher education settings and the business world. VoiceThread is unique in that members can use the voice feature for commentary and feedback so that other members can hear the intonations and voice patterns that are often misconstrued in text.
Applications
VoiceThread can be used as privately or as publicly as the moderator chooses. Although VoiceThread can be used in the business sector, the purpose of this page is centered on the educational setting. VoiceThread can be used in the classroom as a community building tool through peer collaboration, sharing, and storytelling. This can also be used as an excellent assessment tool in which the teacher, or even the students, can create an assessment rubric. VoiceThread is a great differentiated educational tool that can also give sound and voice to those that may struggle due to disabilities or English language learner concerns. A unique and progressive application for VoiceThread would be providing communication experiences and opportunities between teachers, students, parents, and the community.
When working with VoiceThread in the classroom, there are some helpful tips that can be used to ease students into a sometimes overwhelming world of online collaboration. First, start slow. Create clear and simple objectives for your students to follow. Next, have students plan, prepare, create, and edit their work before they publish to VoiceThread. Lastly, have students create a sample artifact in which they can explore all of the options provided to them via VoiceThread. This gives students a chance to 'play around' before having to use the program for assessment purposes. This may eliminate glitches that may occur due to inexperience.
How does VoiceThread work?
VoiceThread is a free cloud based application that allows users to communicate simply and authentically. To begin, users should create an account in which they create and edit a profile so that members can easily identify each other.
After establishing a profile, users can begin to create and share artifacts. The artifacts can be sent out as a link or embedded into an already existing website.
Once the link is shared or embedded, the fun begins! Time to collaborate! Using the same tools that the creator of the artifact used, members of the community can view and add comments using voice, video, audio, or text. Remember that just because a user can use text, please encourage them to use voice, video, or audio as it adds another dimension to the communication.
For a step-by-step guide in creating a thread, please watch this video:
Advantages and Disadvantages to VoiceThread
Advantages:
+Members can connect on a personal level
+Expressions and meanings can be easily captured through audio, video, and voice
+This is not a live application, collaboration can easily fit into schedules
+Can be used with Learning Management Systems and class lists can by synced
+This is a cloud application; no downloaded software needed
+Over 50 forms of media can be used
+Free!
Disadvantages:
-Internet access is needed
-May not function uniformly on all browsers
-Simultaneous interactions on one account are not allowed, may need one class log-in
Class Objective Example
Objective: Upon completion of reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and viewing "The Kite Runner," students will demonstrate an understanding of cultures and social standings by creating a video based on a letter the students create from Amir's point of view to Hassan. Letters must address: apologies, social standings, family, forgiveness and beginnings/endings.
Rationale: VoiceThread would be an excellent assessment and collaboration tool to meet this objective. Students would write their letter from Amir to Hassan, then video record themselves reading that letter as Amir to Hassan. Peers would provide feedback through the voice feature, and online collaboration/discussion could occur. A teacher, or even a student, created rubric could be utilized to score this objective.
Conclusion
In the growing world of online collaboration tools, VoiceThread accesses over 50 types of media in which members can create and share knowledge, provide feedback, or create storytelling experiences. Through the diverse communication of voice, audio, video, and text members can add voice patterns and intonations that can be lost through the written word. VoiceThread provides an opportunity to differentiate lessons as an interactive collaborative tool for students that may struggle due to disabilities and English language learner concerns. Based on the information provided, the advantages of VoiceThread far outweigh the disadvantages as an online collaboration tool.