Podcast Reflection #10: Classroom 2.0 LIVE “Voicethread: What’s New and Exciting?”

Having learned more about Voicethread in DED 318, and creating our own Voicethreads, I was interested in hearing more about what professionals in the field think about Voicethread and how they have used it themselves. In this episode of Classroom 2.0 LIVE, I learned that many English teachers enjoy using the program, especially because it is an excellent way for students to give book reports. I really like this idea. The fact that the teacher, as well as other classmates, can then comment on the Voicethread is really nice, too. It makes the entire learning experience so interactive and everyone is able to take an active role. I feel that having students create Voicethreads allows them to say exactly what they want and include images that they find most meaningful. Moreover, this can be done in a way that is non-threatening to the student. For example, rather than presenting in front of the entire class, the student can create the Voicethread on their own and then share it online with their peers. The people involved in the podcast also pointed out that Voicethreads can be embedded in many places, are user-friendly, and also have a Flickr tool within the program for easy access to images that can be uploaded. Although there are a few pitfalls to using Voicethread, for instance, it is difficult to “edit” recordings, it is for the most part a very practical resource. I hope to use it often in my future classroom.