Voicethread

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=__Overview__= With Voicethread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with **no software to install**. A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 different ways- using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too. Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded (such as the one below) to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.

=__Voicethread Walkthrough__= Please watch the following Voicethread walkthrough to gain some familiarity with this resource:

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Having watched the Voicethread walkthrough, create a new page in your virtual notebook entitled Voicethread. On this page, write a summary of your initial impressions of what Voicethread is and the various ways it might be useful in your classroom. Make sure to create a link to Voicethread.com within that summary.

__Voicethread Exercise__
As you may have noted, Voicethread allows for students to use and hear their voices as part of their work. It allows for creativity and individuality, as well as for group work and the arena for ongoing conversations. Students can even use their cell phones to call their thoughts into a voicethread. Voicethreads may be used for summarizing, for reviewing, or for providing fact and opinion pieces. Having read some of these thoughts, revisit your reflection on using Voicethread in your classroom and add to what you wrote.

Next, go to Voicethread.com and create an account. Be sure to write your password down in a good place. You should also upload a picture of some sort as your voicethread identity picture (some people use their own faces, some use a pet's picture or an another image they enjoy). Once you have an account you will be able to contribute to or create a voicethread. We will ask you to first comment on a voicethread that we have created, then create your own from scratch.

Below is our voicethread that includes 3 cartoons related to technology. Please add one comment for each cartoon - at least one voice comment, one typed comment, and, hopefully, one video using a webcam, if one is available to you (if not, you can add another voice comment).

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Next, create your own voicethread. This does not need be extensive, just something to get you some experience with creating one on your own. Feel free to create it about a hobby or topic of interest. Once you are happy with what you have created, embed it into your Voicethread page in your notebook. To do this, watch the video below:

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=__Example of Student Voicethread__= In the Voicethread below students were asked to respond to 3 questions posed by the teacher regarding Arizona Law sb1070. The teacher allowed students to work in groups to draft their ideas and then students were given time to record their planned comments. Most students chose to record their comments using microphones. When you have finished viewing this voicethread you will comment on it in the discussion tab of your Voicethread notebook page. In your opinion, what worked well in this voicethread activity and how could it be improved?

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Having viewed this teacher/student voicethread, please create a new post entitled "Immigration Voicethread" in your discussion tab in the voicethread page of your notebook. Please comment on the positives you saw and heard in this voicethread and some aspects that you could see being improved upon.

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__Other Voicethreads to Consider__
Please view the voicethread below - take a close look at the graphic and listen to at least 5 or 6 of the voice comments, then create another new post in the discussion tab of your voicethread page entitled "The Technological Teacher." In this post, please comment on what you have seen and heard in this voicethread and what they make you think about your practice and your classroom.

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Next, please return to Voicethread.com and click the Browse tab. Try to locate a voicethread or two that deal with the topic you have selected for your unit. If you can find something useful, embed it into your Unit Plan page with a note about what it is and how it might be useful.

Soon we will ask you to create at least one voicethread of your own for use during your unit.