BP7_One minute Voicethread video

After exploring the possibilities of using Voicethread, the last deliverable for this assignment was to create a 1minute pitch video for the tool. Here is mine below. . .

PE5_Voicethread Continued

After spending some time in Voicethread and thinking about how I could use this in class, I came up with the following ideas. One could use voice thread to do collaborative research, collaborative critique on a movie and even a photo slide show sharing experience. I decided to create a voicethread about a Japanese book called The Boy Who Drew Cats. I found it in the NY Public Library gallery. I chose this as it would allow me to do reading comprehension exercises with my ESL learners as well as critique on the artwork and story content itself.

I had a few hiccups getting the voice thread together. I wasn’t sure about which order the slides went in when I selected it from the gallery.  Another challenge I came across was that it took me a a while to figure out how to create multiple identities and get the identities collaborating on the same voicethread. Luckily the support of voicethread is amazing. The tutorials are really helpful and easy to navigate.

In the end though, it is really simple and easy to use. Being able to watch the collaborative comments as a movie was really enjoyable.  I really look forward to be able to use this in class and really use it collaboratively. I would make sure that proper directions are given to the students so that time isn't wasted on trying to create an identity or trying to draw on the screen. This could be done in a previous class.

Other good functionalities were being able to moderate the comments before they were published or not if you decide. One can also add comments to individual slides and the voicethread as a whole. The examples of how voicethread can be used are diverse and transcend all groups and environments. Here is a link to my first voice thread. Get Involved!

My first voicethread

PE4_Voicethread

In this post I will be sharing my practical experience and a new Web 2.0 tool named Voicethread. 

http://voicethread.com/

After watching the tutorial I was rather excited to get started, it looked like a super efficient product to use and I jumped right in. The initial signup is easy, due to the use of flash it takes a little while to navigate efficiently around the program. I did have initial reservations as to how I could implement this in class as one of the feedback comments was that they didn’t want to sign up to all these platforms. Luckily with Voicethread, you can create multiple identities under the same account.

What does this mean? Take for example the following scenario. A group of students get together and do research, rather than wasting time on creating an individual log in for each student, you can use the generic login for the class. Once logged in, you can create multiple identities under the same user. In case you were wondering, learners can still personalize their identity by adding a picture and a name.

The different media that can be uploaded is phenomenal I was really impressed by the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery. Being able to view through all this amazing art is definitely an amazing tool to be utilized in the classroom.  You can also add input from facebook, flickr and even your other voicethreads. I experimented with using input from the NY Public Library gallery. I did have to watch some tutorials to figure out how to doodle on the screen (drawing on the media playing). Luckily the tutorial voicethreads allow you to practice the directions right then and there.