VOICETHREAD

Voicethread is an online media album that can hold images, documents and videos and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and to share them with anyone they wish.
It is an excellent tool to practise the speaking skill, but of course it is also good for listening (depending on the activity we design),writing and reading.

The following are links to different voicethreads created by teachers around the world. I just want you to get an idea of how this tool can be used in the classroom. I am sure you will become enthusiastic and then, learning how to use it will become easier. (In fact, it is easy.)

Below’s the link to a thread created by Mary DiMónaco, a teacher in our city, for her students aged 9 and 10. Let me quote Mary: ‘The purpose of using a voicethread was for the kids to tell their teacher what they wanted to be - and to show their parents what they had learnt in class. I can tell you that they enjoyed the whole process (looking for a pic, practising their lines, recording themselves and listening to each other ) …’
http://voicethread.com/share/223648/

In the following thread, entitled ‘What is your lifestyle like?’, most students made text comments, but students could be encouraged to record their voices.
http://voicethread.com/#q+lifestyle.b178254.i947649

Earth Day Everyday
http://voicethread.com/#q+lifestyle.b113341.i593832

The following is just meant to show how Voicethread can be used to give presentations.
http://voicethread.com/#q+lifestyle.b95585.i485794



Now to learn how to use Voicethread follow these links.

http://voicethread.com/about/

http://www.wikieducator.org/Using_Voicethread_for_practising_speaking_skills

Last but not least, the following pages are just excellent. They show how Voicethread can be used in education.

http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/Best+Practices (NB: How to develop lessons, Encouraging appropriate comments and Tips)

http://digitallyspeaking.pbwiki.com/Voicethread (NB: Planning a Voicethread, Commenting Tips for Voicetheaders, and Assessing Voicethread participation)