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=**VoiceThread 101: Engaging your Students through Media**=

Equipment | Examples | Presenter Info | Science Uses | Tutorials

//Presentation, NSTA Nashville December 2010// ====Educators can use VoiceThread.com to create, moderate, view, and share group conversations around video or images. VoiceThread is an awesome Web 2.0 tool that allows teachers to present information and solicit thought-filled responses from students through audio, video, or text comments and optional colorful annotations. This free tool is an effective way to get students involved and motivated as they explore, create, and think deeply about classroom material. Web cams and microphones are optional but certainly not necessary. Students can also create and present information as individuals or in groups. This technology is currently being used in a variety of ways. The presenters will explain VoiceThread, show participants how to set up a free account, and demonstrate and discuss the uses of VoiceThread in the science classroom.====

====**So what is a VoiceThread?** It is a "tool for having conversations around media." That media could be PowerPoint slides, images, video footage, a pdf, a Word file, or any combination of those items. Many file formats are supported and most are easily uploaded and used in voicethread. A voicethread can be public or private, with varieties of options in between. Individuals can comment using a microphone and webcam, a microphone, a telephone, or by text so it is a very versatile option for classes with students with varying levels of technology expertise and availability. VoiceThread is a great way to have group discussions in online courses, and it is effective in traditional courses for assessing individual student understanding. Several examples are provided on the Examples page of this wiki.====


 * Key Features**

//File Types// - VoiceThread accepts many different types of files. Whatever file type you have, try it. Here is a list of supported file types but even if your file isn't on this list, VoiceThread may still accept it.

JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, SVG, AVI, MP4, DOC, DOCX, PDF, ODT, XLS, XLSX, ODS, PPT, PPTX Refer to the discussion at the following link for more ideas on file types and sizes: @http://voicethread.com/support/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=554

//Annotation// - when a comment is made, it is also possible to annotate or draw on the slide using the mouse. A color wheel appears when you hit comment.

//Identities// - The teacher can set up one account for the classroom and then create separate identities for each student. Each student has their own avatar or image and he/she chooses that identity when commenting on a VoiceThread while in class.

Link: www.voicethread.com
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