VoiceThread is one of my favorite new tools on the web. I’m not a pro at it yet, but I’m getting pretty good. There’s a lot you can do on VoiceThread, but I think of it primarily as a digital storytelling medium (although it’s being used for presentations quite effectively).
You can upload photos (or short video files) to the site, then record audio to accompany the slide, and play it out like an online slide show. You can have multiple commenters, and even choose to allow others to post their own comments on your story (they call them threads). You can create a very professional media piece which you can easily share with others via email, posting on a blog,
Some of the cooler features include recording a video comment from a webcam, doodling on a photo, importing pictures from your Flickr account, creating multiple identities on one account, and being able to use a phone to record audio commentary.
As educators, it’s important to note that VoiceThread has two great features just for us. One, it offers teachers free account upgrades to something closer to a pro version, rather than living with the limitations of a free account. And two, VoiceThread started its own secure community for educators, Ed.VoiceThread.com.
It’s very easy to use VoiceThread. Don’t believe me? Check out the “1 Minute VoiceThread” Also, here’s a link to a VoiceThread tutorial that I wrote.
Here are some other helpful VoiceThread-related links:
1) What’s a VoiceThread Anyway?
6) Voice Threads on Cultural Identity
7) Voice Threads from an NYC High School
8] My Experiment with Voice Thread (WARNING: cute kid alert)
