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Tool of the Month - Voice Thread (May, 2012)

What is Voice Thread (VT)?

Voice Thread is a simple and safe environment for a collaborative classroom. Educators, students and parents share ideas by adding thread comments to a multimedia document. www.voicethread.com is a service that lets you create collaborative presentations by collecting comments – both text and voice.

It is popular because it

• supports conversations in one place from anywhere in the world with no software to install
• allows users to share different types of docs: images, videos, etc.
• provides 5 ways of commenting
• encourages accessibility, embeding and exporting opportunities
• is mobile: Available on the App Store

How to create a Voice Thread file?

1. Register and Sign in
2. Choose “create”
3. Upload an audio file (you might take it from your computer or media sources, insert an URL or create it with your web cam)
4. Comment on it
5. Share it

To explore more options see the VT tutorial.

Why to use Voice Thread in education?

VT is one of a class of applications like Cooliris or SlideShare that make it easy to assemble visual media in a presentation [Educause].
• To reinforce motivation
• To improve autonomous work
• To practise communicative skills
• To develop digital literacy
• To involve those who are absent and to stay in contact with their parents

How to apply Voice Thread in education?

They widely implement VT not only for language classes but for teachers’ professional development and sharing ideas as well: 100-ways-to-use-VT-Teachers' collaborative project. Summary of VT integration methods:
• Language practise: pronunciation and speaking tests
• Communicative exercises: brainstorming
• Sociocultural competence development: press reciting
• Project work: research and presentation
• Portfolio creating: semester archive

See Voice Thread for Education project examples: http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/

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