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Voicethread

Using Voicethread for Digital Conversations

 Beginning with email and instant messages and stretching to texting and synchronous video web conferencing, digital dialogue has gradually become a common element of everyday life for today’s students—another opportunity to “gather.” The kinds of personal relationships shaped on the playground in an earlier era are now developed in MySpace and Facebook. While the format may be different, the purpose remains the same:  Our students are crafting identities and are driven to connect in a social environment.




 

 

Unrelenting Desire to Interact

 

This innate and unrelenting desire to interact was probably best defined Danah Boyd—a PhD student at the University of California-Berkeley studying the networks developing between digital youth—in a 2008 blog post when she wrote:  

 

School is one of the few times when they can get together with their friends and they use every unscheduled moment to socialize - passing time, when the teacher’s back is turned, lunch, bathroom breaks, etc. They are desperately craving an opportunity to connect with their friends; not surprisingly, their use of anything that enables socialization while at school is deeply desired.

 

Boyd goes on to explain the positive role that social networking services can play in the natural growth of a child’s individuality:

 

Their value is about the kinds of informal social learning that is required for maturation - understanding your community, learning the communicate with others, working through status games, building and maintaining friendships, working through personal values, etc. All too often we underestimate these processes because, traditionally, they have happened so naturally.

 

Yet, what’s odd about today’s youth culture is that we’ve systematically taken away the opportunities for socialization. And yet we wonder why our kids are so immature compared to kids from other cultures. Social network sites are popular because youth are trying to take back the right to be social, even if it has to happen in interstitial ways. We need to recognize that not all learning is about book learning - brains mature through experience, including social experiences.  (Boyd)

 

 

Sounds a lot like your own students, doesn’t it! 

 

They’re working diligently to “take back the right to be social,” aren’t they?  They’ve sent thousands of instant messages and texts.  They have personal web pages and blogs.  They play online versions of video games with "partners" thousands of miles away.  They spend hours behind a computer screen, plugged into an iPod or talking to someone on their cell phones. 

 

This drive to connect provides a unique opportunity for school teachers:  Incredibly high levels of student motivation paired with a predefined fluency with electronic communication tools.  Interacting on the Internet has become second-nature to tweens and teens.  It is a language that they have shown a willingness to embrace and an ability to master.  Matching this motivation and fluency with required elements of the curriculum would likely be an exciting—and successful—first step into digital waters.

 

One tool that can help educators to do just that is Voicethread.

 

 

What is Voicethread?

 

One of the best free tools available to teachers and students who are learning with the world rather than about the world is Voicethread.  Known as a “group audio blog,” Voicethread allows users to record text and audio comments about uploaded images.  Voicethread has two distinct advantages for classrooms that are communicating and collaborating across counties, countries or continents:

 

  1. Voicethread is Asynchronous:  That means users can work on and enjoy Voicethread presentations at any time--even if their "partners" are sleeping a million miles away!
  2. Voicethread is Engaging:  Let’s face it--sometimes working with digital partners can be pretty boring.  After all, email and discussion boards are nothing more than written text.  Voicethread gives users something interesting to talk about---pictures!  What’s more, being able to actually hear one another makes digital communication through Voicethread much more personal. 

 

Recently, Bill Ferriter explained how Voicethread has become a natural part of his classroom instruction in this article in Edutopia Magazine

 

Curious about what a Voicethread presentation can look like when created by kids?  Then check out this presentation about Denmark being developed by a group of students somewhere in Cyberspace that has been viewed nearly 2,000 times and that includes over 130 comments:

 

 

 

 

Planning a Voicethread

 

Once you’ve created an account and a collection of identities for students to use while commenting on a Voicethread, it’s time to create your first presentation.  Begin by carefully selecting a topic that will promote conversation and debate between students—and that can be conveyed through images currently available to you.

 

Possible topics include:

 

  • What can you learn about the values of a country or a culture by studying images?
  • Is Global Warming having an impact on our world?
  • Has urbanization helped or harmed our community?
  • Where can evidence of math be found in our daily lives?
  • Is graffiti a form of artistic expression or simply vandalism?
  • Who are heroes?

After collecting a series of images that represent your topic, carefully script out short opening comments for each image that include a question for viewers to consider.  Scripting comments prior to recording will allow you to organize your thinking—and your images—in a logical order.  This early organization will save time as you produce your final product. 

 

Initial comments should be somewhere between 1 and 3 sentences long.  Longer comments will discourage viewers from adding their own thoughts—and tend to bore viewers quickly!  Remember that your goal is to promote conversation, not to lecture through pictures.  If you find yourself recording longer initial comments, you probably have images that aren’t very interesting.

 

Consider this sample comment, taken from the Denmark Voicethread referenced in the opening of this training guide:

 

“What do you notice in this picture taken outside the train station in Copenhagen—the capital of Denmark?” 

 

 

Commenting Tips for Voicethreaders

 

The best Voicethreads are truly interactive—with users listening and responding to one another.  They are super interesting digital conversations!  Highly accomplished Voicethreaders are constantly thinking while interacting with a Voicethread presentation.  They come to the conversation with an open mind, willing to reconsider their own positions—and willing to challenge the notions of others. 

 

Voicethreading requires users to develop the skills that active thinkers bring to any learning experience.  Some of the best tips about active thinking have been developed over time by teachers like Kelly Gallagher and Matt Copeland—who have each written books about reading and writing in middle and high schools.  They’ve also been developed by an organization called Project CRISS—Creating Independence through Student Owned Strategies. 

 

The following tips for Voicethreaders are adapted from the collective work of Gallagher, Copeland and Project CRISS:

 

To be an active Voicethreader, start by carefully working your way through a presentation.   While viewing pictures and listening to the comments that have been added by other users, you should:

 

  1. Gather Facts:  Jot down things that are interesting and new to you 
  1. Make Connections:  Relate and compare things you are viewing and hearing to things that you already know. 
  1. Ask Questions:  What about the comments and presentation is confusing to you?  What don’t you understand?  How will you find the answer?  Remember that there will ALWAYS be questions in an active thinker’s mind! 
  1. Give Opinions:  Make judgments about what you are viewing and hearing.  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  Like?  Dislike?  Do you support or oppose anything that you have heard or seen?  Why?

Use the following sentence starters to shape your thoughts and comments while viewing or participating in Voicethread presentations.  Comments based on these kinds of statements make Voicethreads interactive and engaging.

 

  • This reminds me of…
  • This is similar to…
  • I wonder…
  • I realized…
  • I noticed…
  • You can relate this to…
  • I’d like to know…
  • I’m surprised that…
  • If I were ________, I would  ______________
  • If __________ then ___________
  • Although it seems…
  • I’m not sure that…

 

While commenting, try to respond directly to other viewers.  Begin by quoting some part of the comment that you are responding to help other listeners know what it is that has caught your attention.  Then, explain your own thinking in a few short sentences.  Elaboration is important when you’re trying to make a point.  Finally, finish your comment with a question that other listeners can reply to.  Questions help to keep digital conversations going!

 

When responding to another viewer, don’t be afraid to disagree with something that they have said.  Challenging the thinking of another viewer will help them to reconsider their own thinking—and will force you to be able to explain yours!  Just be sure to disagree agreeably—impolite people are rarely influential. 

 

If your thinking gets challenged by another viewer in a Voicethread, don’t be offended.  Listen to your peers, consider their positions and decide whether or not you agree with them.  You might discover that they’ve got good ideas you hadn’t thought about.  Either way, be sure to respond—let your challengers know how their ideas have influenced you.   

 

 

 

Sample Strand of Comments

Here’s a sample strand of comments from a Voicethread exploring political cartoons related to the genocide in Darfur.  You can download a copy of this strand of conversation in handout form here:  What Can Digital Conversation Look Like.doc 

 

 

Big Bird: Look at this political cartoon. You can see that the man is writing down the things that need to be fixed or solved. I think the author is trying to tell us that America has a lot of problems. Also look on the shirt. It has a lot of useless problems more than the big problems around the world.

 

Billy Burrito:  I think that big bird is right because on his shirt he has a lot of useless and pointless jobs like save his SUV. So there kinda saying that the genocide in Darfur isn’t a problem and that we don’t need to help them. Do you think that we should help Darfur with there Genocide?

 

Drama Queen:  I partly disagree with you Billy. These may sound like dumb things to do, but that is what the average person has to usually think about. (Save maybe, the illegal nanny).For example, think about your parents. What do they worry about? Gas prices, taxes, bills? These things sound pretty dumb, but you have to worry about these things in order for YOU to survive!

 

But I think the people represent the USA, and all they are doing to help. Which is nothing. Nothing, but asking about Darfur. People in the US of A are trying to survive in the world themselves, and except for an occasional thought about world issues.

 

But SHOULD we care?

 

Pooh Bear: I partly disagree with Big Bird because the things written on the mans shirt are not all useless problems for America, they are average problems for the world.

I do think, though, that the author thinks that these things are useless problems. Or why did he make the man and women look useless themselves?

 

The women says "What about Darfur?" I think that the author was trying to say that American people are only caring about themselves instead of Darfur, not that they are caring about stupid things instead of Darfur. What do you think?

 

 

Drama Queen:  Pooh Bear I agreed with you on that these problems are typical but save New Orleans and save our troops are important not typical.  Take New Orleans,after Hurricane Katrina New Orleans was gone and still it needs more help almost 3 years later.  Our troops need help too. we’ve lost so many people there and the families who have a family member in Iraq are devastated so most are typical.

 

I think that the author is trying to say that most Americans think that their problems are more important and few like the woman care about real problems like the genocide in Darfur.

 

 

Mental Muffin:  i agree with billy burrito because all of the information he put on his shirt is useless. i also wonder if one of th reasons he put useless information on his shirt because of his body shape.  i also think the author is saying that we shouldn’t do anything about the genocide because the guy in the political cartoon says he doesn’t have and more room but he probably could of wrote something on the back of his shirt about Darfur.

 

 

Jake the Snake:  Well I agree that some of these ideas are useless but not when he says "save the troops" that is a serious topic that we are dealing with today. It’s also a huge topic being discussed in our presidential elections. Or what about all of the families that got hit by hurricane Katrina?  Do you really think those people have it as good as we do? So do you really think these ideas are dumb to think about?

 

 

Vlad the Impaler: Listen Billy B and Drama Brat I’m in the neutral zone between you two. Drama girl says "well we need these stuff to survive ( forgetting illegal nanny) so stuff this Darfur Genocide . Billy says Americans are too greedy and selfish with themselves .

 

I really don’t know what to think . Is it our job to care about the worlds problems around us or the government?  Why should we care?  Is worrying about  our affairs too greedy ?Should we care about theworld a little more than we do now ? Does the world care about us the same?

 

 

Horse Freak:  I also agree with billy, why should we be worrying about our problems when there are helpless people in Darfur who are dying every day!! To me were being selfish i know we have to worry about things like taxes, jobs and cars, but those are such small things compared to genocide!!

 

What do you think are we selfish and don’t know how well we have it? Should we complain less and help more just in case the problem is reverse and its happening in our country?

 

 

Assessing Voicethread Participation

 

VT_Scoring.doc

 

Recently, I’ve tinkered with a system to assess my students’ participation in Voicethread conversations.  Essentially mirroring the reflective aspects of Konrad Glogowski’s system for pushing reflective blogging, I’ve decided to ask my students the following four questions while we’re working with a new Voicethread:

 

  • Highlight a comment from our Voicethread conversation that closely matches your own thinking.   Why does this comment resonate---or make sense to---you?
  • Highlight a comment from our Voicethread conversation that you respectfully disagree with.  If you were to engage in a conversation with the commenter, what evidence/argument would you use to persuade them to change their point of view?
  • Highlight a comment from our Voicethread conversation that challenged your thinking in a good way and/or made you rethink one of your original ideas.  What about the new comment was challenging?  What are you going to do now that your original belief was challenged?  Will you change yoru mind?  Will you do more researching/thinking/talking with others?
  • Highlight the strand of conversation from our Voicethread conversation that was the most interesting or motivating to you. Which ideas would you like to have more time to talk about? Why? What new topics does this conversation make you want to study next?

 

The cool part about assessing Voicethread presentations this way is that each question essenitally forces my students to interact with our conversation in a really meaningful way.  To craft careful answers, they must truly consider the comments of others---an essential skill for promoting collaborative versus competitive dialogue---and compare those comments against their own beliefs and preconceived notions. 

 

That’s metacognition at its best!

 

What’s even better is that when students know that these questions form the basis of our Voicethread assessment from the beginning of a conversation, participation level rise remarkably.  While students are looking for project reflection comments, they often end up highly motivated to share their thinking with peers.

 

I’ve also created a simple rubric to score the individual comments that are added to Voicethread presentations.  By doing so, I’ll have a systematic way to give grades for participation in the collaborative conversations we’re having in class.  While I want my students to have good conversations simply because good conversations are motivating in and of themselves, I am also required to teach collaborative dialogue---so having a system to assess the developing collaborative dialogue skills of my students makes sense.  

 

You can download my Voicethread comment rubric here:

 

Rubric, VT Feedback, Student Projects.doc

 

 

Teaching Students to Create and Moderate Threads

 

Engaging students in conversations that have been created---and are being moderated---by teachers is likely to be the first step for most schools experimenting with Voicethread, primarily because student participation is controlled and secure.  The risks of inappropriate content being added to presentations----the greatest fear of educators thinking about classroom applications of digital tools for communication---are low because teachers are constantly moderating contributions.

 

Adventurous teachers, however, are beginning to allow students to create and moderate Voicethread conversations of their own!  These conversations serve several purposes.  First, they allow students to engage in meaningful conversations about topics that are important to them----increasing interest levels and encouraging independent study of personal passions. 

 

Releasing control over the creation and moderation of Voicethread presentations also gives students opportunities to practice responsible online behaviors.  Hosts of conversations learn to identify and filter inappropriate comments added by peers.  They also begin to recognize standards of quality and elevate their own expectations for digital contributions.  Finally, they learn that accountability for online work falls into the hands of individual users----a lesson in digital citizenship that is often overlooked or under-emphasized in schools.

 

Student created and moderated Voicethread conversations, however, require structured lessons in comment moderation and online responsibility.  Winding students up and letting them go without any kind of introduction to the features of Voicethread that can be used to protect against inappropriate content or poor conversation quality is an irresponsible act on the part of classroom teachers.  Most of the children in our classrooms can create and moderate conversations responsibly----but only after learning about what "responsible moderation behavior" looks like in action.  

 

On my team, students interested in creating and moderating their own Voicethread presenations must work through the following two tutorials:

 

Creating a Voicethread Conversation

https://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3cb362e0678818f6a4aa

 

 

 

 

 

Moderating a Voicethread Conversation

https://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9b0f06b2887aafce565d

 

 

 

 

 

While viewing each of these tutorials, students must fill out the following viewing guide:   

 

Voicethread_Student_Training_Guide.doc

 

Once students have viewed both tutorials and filled out their viewing guides, they must submit a "Gimmie a Thread" permission slip detailing the content of the presenation that they are planning to create---as well as the sources for the images that they intend to use and the students that they would like to invite to their conversation:

 

Handout_Vthread_Permission.doc

 

All of this information is posted in my classroom blog for easy student access:

 

https://guysread.typepad.com/theblurb/2008/09/voicethread-tra.html

 

One of the decisions that I’ve made is that students creating their own threads must limit initial participation to a small group of close peers.  By doing so, students are more likely to be able to keep up with moderating tasks and are less likely to be exposed to inappropriate content.  What’s more, I require that students invite me to be a member of any Voicethread that they create because I want to be able to offer advice and guidance about the quality of developing conversations.    

 

As a Voicethread builds momentum, however, students are allowed to open their presentation to broader participation.  This can range from inviting every member of their learning team to making their conversation public to the world.  These kinds of decisions are made after the host and I meet for a "Voicethread Review Conference."  In our conference, both the quality of the conversation and the developing moderation skills of the student are discussed.  If I am convinced that a student possess the skills to effectively monitor the quality of contributions to Voicethread conversations, his/her work becomes public and is listed in the main Voicethread catalog. 

Sample Voicethreads

The Power of Professional Conversations

This Voicethread---using quotes from leading writers on professional learning communities---shows the role that Voicethread presentations can play in the conversations between members of a professional learning team.   The  asynchronous and semi anonymous nature of Voicethread presentations can make conversations safe between faculty members.