Give voice to the community through this multimedia creation and sharing tool.
Community Review for VoiceThread
My Take
VoiceThread allows for a safe environment for in-depth sharing, engagement, and the opportunity for students to express their learning in a variety of formats (video, audio, text). The cost/account is very low. Many Common Core standards are covered using this tool. It is fairly simple for students to use, can be accessed wherever they have an internet connection, allows for an organic way to teach digital citizenship, and is a great way to access student skills and needs. The support from VoiceThread is great.
There is an iPad app, but it is a little buggy and the functionality is not as good as using the website. It would earn a 5 if the posts where linked as threads, if students receive an easily identifiable alert each time their VoiceThread receives a comments, and if the app allowed for a greater array of content download (you cannot download a video using the app), if it was easier to setup groups, and there was a better way for participants to edit their audio or video comments.
How I Use It
VoiceThread is great for taking book clubs digital. As a librarian I use it to have students communicate with author/illustrators that have visited us. Students create multimedia presentations to share newly found knowledge and other students can post comments and questions. School-wide events, such as our March Madness Poetry Tournament, are shared and all students (and their caretakers) can comment and participate in our culture of literacy.