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Using VoiceThread in
Ms. Caitlin Cornell
Language Classes
Haigazian University
2011 Haigazian University Language & Technology Workshop

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Contents
 What is VoiceThread?
 Why is it useful for learning?
 How to setup an account
 How to organize a VoiceThread task
 Choosing an appropriate photo
 Posting the photo
 Instructions for students
 Assessing the grade
 Technical Difficulties?
 Activities
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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What is VoiceThread?
 www.voicethread.com
 Website that you can set up as an assignment for students
 Students can listen to and record voice responses to the
image(s) posted
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Pedagogical Advantages
 It’s interactive
 The process of using VoiceThread in pairs or groups is just as
helpful to learning as the final product that they submit online
 It’s fun!
 Photos of topics that interest students
 Computers are more fun than regular class
 For language teachers: it forces speaking practice
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 1: Account Setup
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 2: Organize the Task
 BEFORE YOU CREATE ANYTHING:
 You have to be prepared before you explain to students!
 What area of your course do you want to reinforce?
 Speaking?
 Listening?
 Content (history, math, etc)?
 Group-work?
 How/when will the students complete it?
 In-class? Do you have access to a computer lab?
 At home? Dot hey have Internet access?
 How long will you give them to complete the task?
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 2: Organize the Task
 How does this assignment fit into the assessment for the whole course?
 Speaking tasks?
 Homework grade?
 In-class participation
 How will you assess student work?
 Individual, or group?
 Effort, or content?
 What language elements?
 Pronunciation?
 Grammar?
 Listening
 Fluency?
 More than one element at once? Will they have equal weight?
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 3: Choosing the Picture
Q: So, does the type of picture matter?
A: That depends!
 What area of your course do you want to reinforce?
 Vocabulary? (Choose a photo representation of a particular
word)
 Grammar? (Choose photos that will elicit a certain form; the
instructions for students also help target this)
 Pronunciation? (Choose photos that elicit certain sounds)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 4: Finding and Saving the
Picture
 Now that you’ve chosen what kind of picture you want, how
do you find it?
 Google images is a great place to start!
 But, beware of copyright laws (it’s really best to use your own
photos)
 It’s
recommended that you save your picture on your
computer before you post it
 That way, if you encounter problems, you can retrieve it and try
again
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 5: Uploading the Picture
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 5: (After) Upload
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 6: Give Title, Description
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 6: Give Title, Description (and
Tag?)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 7: Comment (record)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 7: Comment (record)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 8: Sharing Options
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 9: Copy Link & Share
 To post in Blackboard, or a Word document, use this option
(it’s like copying & pasting)
 You’ll get the following confirmation message:
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

18. + Step 10: Embed
 Embedding video is another good option, and thankfully
VoiceThread makes it really easy!
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 11: Archiving ($2.99)
 If you want to save your work “offline,” it’ll cost you, but it’s
nice to have the option, especially for longer/more involved
VoiceThreads.
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Step 12 : Instructions for Students
 Be as clear as possible about the requirements for the task:
 What must each student do? (If pairs or groups, do they all have
the same role?)
 How many different steps are there, and what are they?
 How much time will students have to complete each step?
 How will they be graded?
 Also be as clear as possible about the technological steps
involved
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Technological Difficulties?
 You should expect to encounter problems the first time
 What can you do?
 Have the first trial in class, so you can be there to help students
 Make the first assignment a practice one, not for a grade
 Learn from your mistakes, make changes, and try it again later
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Help Videos!
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Oral Activities
 Individual response (as homework or in lab)
 Group response
 Each group has a conversation about their photo (each group has
a different photo)
 Each group responds orally to their own photos, then they enter
another photo for another group and listen to their original
response (they could respond orally to the other group’s
response, too!)
 Pair response
 Both students have a conversation about the photo
 One student responds to the photo, and the other student
responds to the first response (ex. agree/disagree)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell

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Written Activities
 Any format of written responses based on any photo
 The options are limitless!
 Written responses based on the first oral responses (ex. as a
second step in a project)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell