VoiceThread

VoiceThread




What is it?

VoiceThread is an online collaborative tool that handles images, documents and video and allows people to comment on the prepared with this tool presentations using voice, text, audio or video.
It supports PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and enables users to import photos from the web (eg., Flickr, Facebook ). Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities. Creators of Voicethreads can decide themselves which comments are shown through moderation options. It can be easily embedded into a webside and even into Moodle. It's secure- participants of a VoiceThread project are added by its creator, so only they can contribute to the work being done. Presentations can be shared with the whole world or just among the group members.

How to use in your projects?

-It can help participants of the international projects to get to know each other better as it enables them to combine photographs or other visuals with written or audio comments. Teachers start by introducing themselves and invite students to talk about their lives etc.

-It can be used for practicing pronunciation of words as well as vocabulary and structures that students need for their projects. In that case, teacher records the words/phrases and students listen and record these words as well. It can be also used for the preparation of an audio 'dictionary' with pictures.

-It can provide an introduction into the topic and encouragement for students to start their research

-Students can record their own voices when telling a story, collaboratively doing research or sharing their opinions about a certain issue. They may also comment on their colleagues' work or just leave messages for their partners living far away from them.

Pedagogical value

It's a multimedia tool that enables interaction between the student and the material, the student and his/ her projec partners as well as the student and the teacher. It's easy to operate, free of charge and its attractive, as it gives lots of options for its users. It enables those students who are shy to take a more active part in an oral tasks of the project.