Building Oral Language through Voice Threads

Check out my very first voice thread and please feel free to add a comment!



Well I think that voice threads have become my new favourite web 2.0 tool! They are super fun, easy, free and incorporate photo and video sharing, emailing and social networking. I was worried about being able to create a voice thread at first because I did not have a microphone on my computer and had never recorded my voice using a computer. Turns out...it's not so hard! I found a site at www.voicethread.com, bought a $12 computer microphone, plugged it in to my computer and followed the steps (only three of them!) to create my very first voice thread! Before this I did explore the voice thread website (click here to check it out) and watched different tutorials on how to create an account and a voice thread. Click on the Monster Voice Thread link below to view a fabulous example of how children can use voice thread.

Monster Voice Thread

Once you have an account on voicethread.com you can invite your family, friends, classmates, teachers or whoever you may seek as your audience to set up an account as well. All you need is an email address to do so. Once you have an audience and have created a voice thread you can share the voice thread with any of those people! It is too easy!

After doing this only once, I have a ton of ideas of how I will use this tool in the educational setting.

1. The grade 4 science class I currently teach is studying a weather unit. To conclude the unit and put into practice the types of weather and weather measuring instruments they have explored, I am going to assign them an assignment that requires them to create a weather broadcast similar to what they would see on the evening news. Instead of performing their broadcast to the class, they can now create a voice thread (including pictures or video) of the weather they are predicting for "tomorrow". All classmates can set up a voicethread account and then comment on each others predictions - again extending their learning.

2. In the new year, during my library unit on parts of a story, students can create voice threads that represent each part of a story. They can work in groups to create their own story on a voice thread, include pictures they have created as the visual component and encourage written and oral responses through viewing each others stories.

3. I am currently planning a collaborative unit with three grade 7 teachers around a leveled novel study. Three groups will be formed and books that have a movie created after them will be chosen. After a group has finished a book, they will watch the movie and then I will guide them in a comparison activity to summarize their learning. Voice threads will be a perfect tool for them as it is simple to learn to do, students can display and explore their learning through displaying parts of the movie or book or their own re-creation of them while adding their own voice to the project. They can then view what they classmates have created and extend their learning through comments.

Many of my other ideas support the development of oral language. As a form of literacy, this piece is often not a focus but using voice thread not only incorporates reading and writing skills but it focuses on oral language skills. Even students who feel inhibited to speak in front of a group can do so through the use of voice threads. I believe even young students, as young as Kindergarten, could create a voice thread and with the guidance of a teacher, it can turn into a self esteem building, oral language development and learning enhancing experience. If you are not sure about children as young as 5 using voice threads, click here for an example of how it has been! I love this example of how teachers can use voice threads as a teaching tool!

Naturally there are barriers to using this tool as an educational tool such as access to sufficient hardware, internet connection and a teacher with enough knowledge of the tool to create meaningful activities for its use. Fortunately in my teaching situation hardware and internet connection are not a barrier. I see my role as the Teacher-Librarian in the school to promote such tools through after school 'workshops', collaborative teaching and planning, district wide workshops, small group instruction, library class instruction and different demonstration opportunities. For example, maybe in the next staff meeting I will give my monthly library report through the medium of a voice thread. I could show my voice thread on the projector for all teachers to see and show them how easy it is to create one (in the 5 minutes I am given we could create a voice thread in the meeting!). I will also provide the opportunity for staff to stay after the meeting to set up their own account and further explore this tool.

Not convinced?

Check out these explanations from four teachers who listed voicethreads in their top 10 tools to use in the classroom:

"A VoiceThread is an online media album that allows people to make comments, either audio or text, and share them with anyone they wish. A VoiceThread allows an entire group’s story to be told and collected in one place." Andreas Büsing

"VoiceThread allows you to easily create an online slide-show with narration from one or multiple voices, which is then hosted on the site. Another great educational tool." Larry Ferlazzo
" Promotes asynchronous discussion about posted subjects. This utility leapfrogs all other applications because of its inclusiveness and simplicity. One a photo, video, graphic or document is posted, visitors can comment on it by recording audio files or entering text. You can even phone your comments to the site. Can make graphic notations on the item of discussion while talking. Tough to describe, it’s a MUST SEE to BELIEVE." Leigh Zeitz

"is a Web 2.0 hosted service that takes slide-type presentations to a whole new level. It is easy to create presentations with either audio or video support tracks. VoiceThread makes it possible to record “live annotations” while recording a presentation. The end result is a streaming presentation that greatly improves instructor presence. VoiceThread creates a warmer teaching-learning experience." Rick Lillie

Found at http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/voicethread.html

Other educators like this tool so much they are building wikis and contributing to them to promote the tool in our school setting. Check out the wiki built and maintained by Colette Cassinelli by clicking here. This is a great wiki because not only does it give you support for using voice threads, it also uses voice thread as a tool to discuss with other educators how they use the tool in their teaching! You have to be a part of this!

In short, voicethread is easy, free, collaborative, promotes many literacies and can be a powerful learning and teaching tool! Enjoy this fabulous tool!