Introduction
Voicethread is a Web-based digital-storytelling application that allows users to share their stories through audio, images, videos or text. It also allows visitors to make comments on stories in five different ways: 1) voice with a microphone, 2) or voice with telephone), 3) text, 4) audio file, or 5) video with a webcam. The stories can be shared with anyone in the world or they can be kept private for selected individuals. Like many Web 2.0 applications, you can get a free basic account as well as a VoiceThread Pro account with unlimited creation and advanced features for a fee. However, VoiceThread is offering free educator accounts for all k-12 classroom educators. These free accounts are identical to the Pro account in almost every aspect.
VoiceThread is a great classroom tool and has a great potential in education. The interface is very user-friendly and creating and sharing a video thread is a simple process, requiring only a microphone or WebCam. Teachers and students can upload their PowerPoint slides (saved as JPEGs) and expand on the info with audio snippets. Teachers can even set up an account for individual classes that allow students access to the account for group projects. Also, VoiceThread presentations can be embedded in blogs and Web sites.
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Discovery Exercise
Watch the VoiceThread presentation, What is VoiceThread Anyway?
Explore a few Voicethreads created by students and teachers in the classroom or library:
- Going and Coming
- What is Bellwork?
- Multimedia Venn Diagram
- What is Function?
- Measurement and Uncertainty
- Measuring Volume of Weird Objects
- Web 2.0 Promises and Potentials
- The Industrial Revolution
- Library from A to Z
Learning Activity
Write a reflective blog post about Voicethread and how you might use it in your personal and/or professional life.
Stretch
Locate a Voicethread you might be able to use with your students and post it to your blog.
Stretchier
Create a Voicethread of your own and post it to your blog!
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