VoiceThreads might best be described as interactive media albums
The technology is particularly accessible because viewers can comment using just about any technology -- including a good old landline. "We've tried to make it fairly universal in access," says Ben Papell. "If you don't have a microphone
This is why I like Voice Thread the most because it is accessible to everybody even teachers and students that are new to the world of technology.
when he discovered he could engage his kids online in a collaborative, multimedia slide show called a VoiceThread, he decided to see if he could use it to, as he puts it, "steal some of their online minutes."
Teachers can keep VoiceThreads private or publish them, either on the VoiceThread site or embedded on their own sites. Participants can post from anywhere, at any time, making it easy to involve groups in disparate time zones, or even different countries, in a single conversation.
I also like it because it also allows for interactivity and facilitate learning through communities.
"Take it slow -- don't upload 600 images and try to get fifty people to comment on each and every one," he says. "One of the great things is that it will take off on its own."
I see this benefit--giving voice to students who might normally not speak because of shyness or because of a few dominant personalities in the class--as one of the main benefits of online video/comment tools like VoiceThread.
It is good to have a free tools, because when we ask school to buy it for us it takes a long time and sometimes we do not get approved, if you know more app that are useful for class luse ike the VoiceThread, I hope you can share it with me.
When designing your course, ask yourself: What do I want students to get out of the class? Are videos essential or even helpful to the learning objectives of your course? Can I do it some other way?
Thanks for sharing this, Greg!
I've noticed that trying to share 20+ video feeds doesn't seem to lead to anything productive, and has a tendency to cause connectivity issues on my end.
For my upcoming virtual class meetings, I I'll ask students to check in on video/audio when they join, and then mute themselves for the first bit of class. I'll then shift them into small breakout groups as soon as practical, where they can complete activities with cameras and mics on.
I definitely understand zoom fatigue from experience. This gives me some thoughts to contemplate to approach this differently. I am considering an exit question each student must answer...
Lucy Norris and Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme explain how teachers can help language students get on top of their own learning by using mobile phones.
The website says "Set up a voicemail widget on your website or add the voicemail application to your Facebook page" - Like the AudioDropbox, but sends it to your email?
Isis, I wanted to comment on this tool, stating I like the fact that is free and one does not need an account. Anyways, I wanted to add sticky note but I accidentally clicked on Vocaroo and the page popped up on my screen ready for me to provide my voice. Pretty cool!
Vocaroo is a free service that allows
users to create audio recordings without the need to install any
software. You don't even have to create an account to use Vocaroo. All
you need to provide is a microphone. I used the microphone built into
my MacBook to make the recording below. To create a recording just go
to Vocaroo.com, click record, grant Voca
roo access to your mic, and
start talking. After completing your recording, Vocaroo gives you the choice to publish it or to scrap it and try again. Vocaroo provides
the option to embed the recording anywhere.
Online classes often unknowingly " dehumanize" individuals simply because they are reduced to an e-mail address without the " personal" closeness that often occurs in a synchronous class setting
I think we would all agree with this professor and you through the activities you created these past weeks. We have played and created Voicethread activities and see the benefits of it to help integrate and motivate students to be creative, participate and not go unnoticed.
"the easiest way to communicate and work in groups" - might be good for classes?
- communicate via group email, text, and voice messages
- host web meetings, conference calls, chatrooms
- keep shared calendar
- store and edit files in one common folder
-poll group in real-time
- keep track of group's task, resources
A virtual learning platform that looks very simple to use and can create an environment much like Facebook without the security issues or Twitter exposure
Versatile, easy-to-use presentation tool featuring talking puppets Pros Shows are easy to create and puppets' mouths sync well with the voices. Cons Recordings are limited to 90 seconds. Bottom Line Engaging presentation option for both creator and audience. Learning Scores Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing?
smartphones, have Vocaroo generate a QR code and your students can unlock the message behind the code with any QR code reader
If your students are in need of extra practice with the past tense, have them email you a Vocaroo recording every Sunday night describing their weekend.
For homework, ask your students to collaboratively author a story in which they elaborate on the details of the previous recordings and then either post or email the recordings to their classmates
no account is needed to use this tool
embedding a Vocaroo recording into a set of instructions
Typically, your students will use their cell phones to take pictures and (where possible) record audio and video. Alternatively, a voice recorder or a video recorder can be shared among students. Many students have an IPod or other types of Mp3 player that can be used to record speech, which are ideal for interviews or self-recordings. By making use of the devices students already have, you minimise the need for the school to provide them.
rationale
Planning a digital storytelling activity
Here are some options to consider when planning for the activity:Preparing the students
-What the learning outcomes are
-What instructions and resources will be needed
-When and how you will give feedback
This is a very helpful article; I agree with the author about students' cell phone use and engagement, and using google voice in a cell phone activity like this would seem to engage students and keep them on a productive task. My students have much more access to phone than to computers with recording functions.
Hi Jan,
Good article--it definitely addresses the common concerns and potential problems of using Twitter with students. I liked the part about the kids building a story with students from China! I also thought it was a good idea that the teacher created one account and then shared the password. I wonder how he achieved this on an international level?
Thanks for sharing!
I checked out the "Youth Twitter" website - unfortunately it looks like it has disappeared, but there must be others out there?? Anyone know of others?
I think my school has one or two class sets of iTouches...
Otherwise, it would be more likely that in a University class more students would have thier own iWhatevers to use...
I just logged into my twitter page, put the hash tag into the search and watched the tweets load onto the page. If you like twitterdeck check out wiffiti.com
We don't "parse" verbs in Spanish... I don't really know what that is... conjugate? We also don't do much translating... I wonder how a person could use this idea in a more communicative way?
It could be like a waterfall of tweets...
hablar
hablo
hablas
habla
hablamos
hablais
hablan.
Teacher calls out the verb and tense and each student (or student group) tweets in the collection of conjugations (parses??).
This is so cool! I know it would keep my students more engaged and focused on what could potentially be boring grammatical exercises. I do not currently use an on-line notebook and want to use Google docs more often. Lots to think about!