Really, what is a voicethread?  Go to the K-12 Voicethread site to find out: http://voicethread.com/about/k12/#

Watch a voicethread here !  Whats EdVoiceThread video

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 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 to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.

This product is not free – the cost is $60.00 per classroom per year. Download the Brochure to find out more.

“ 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.” ~ Paul Allison – New Journalism

If you are a podcaster, you’re going to like VoiceThread. Think of VoiceThread as a visual podcast.For an overview of VoiceThread, checkout their What’s a VoiceThread Anyway? video and then listen to a few samples, such as Sword Dragon Man, in which a budding young artist explaining his interest in dragons; or a math example , in which students explain the different ways a problem could be solved, while sharing their thinking as they solved the problem (something teachers miss out on with conventional paper and pencil exercises), or a middle school project on Durfur, in which teacher Bill Ferriter provides guidelines for meaningful participation in a VT discussion. For a look at cross grade levels collaboration on real-world issues, George Mayo‘s Many Voices of Darfur project.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive overview to share with staff, checkout Suzie Vesper’s slideshowand Lee Kolbert’s slideshow.

VoiceThread Resources

• How to register for your VoiceThread Single Educator’s Account – First step in getting started with VoiceThread
• Seventeen Interesting Ways to Use VoiceThread – Great selection of samples – with an invitation to add more
• Sylvia Tolisan’s (Langwitches) School-Wide VoiceThread project
• Chrissy Hellyer’s VoiceThread as a Digital Portfolio – Wondering about options for creating individual student accounts with elementary students? Read this post!
• Educational Software – VoiceThread- Resources and Examples
• Teachers Teaching Teachers – Interview with VT developers and teachers and students who use VT
• Wes Fryer’s Notes on Voice Thread
• Bill Ferriter’s Wiki – Looking for resources and strategies, including guidelines, tips, and handouts, to integrate VT into curriculum while building on literacy skills? This is the site!! http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Voicethread
• VoiceThread 4 Educators Wiki – Examples of how educators are using Voicethread in their classrooms (or for professional development)
• VoiceThread as a Digital Portfolio – Step-by-step instructions on how to use VoiceThread for student-led parent conferences.

VoiceThread Tutorials

• Registering for a VoiceThread Single Educator’s Account- First step in getting started with VoiceThread
• An Educator’s Guide to VoiceThread – Nice handout for workshops
• Getting Started with VoiceThread – From the VoiceThread team
• Sylvia Tolisano’s (Langwitches) Tutorial
• Miguel Gughlin’s PDF
• Creating a VoiceThread Video Tutorial
• Jen Wagner’s VoiceThread Tutorial
• VoiceThread Starter Sheet – From Educational Orgami

VoiceThread Comment Moderation

VoiceThread’s Comment Moderation allows VoiceThread creators and editors to pick which comments are shown to everyone else. So, an editor can easily choose the best 5 comments out of a selection of 100 and turn an epic novel into a succinct short story. http://voicethread.com/about/features/moderation/#