A powerful way to make course content more meaningful is through class discussions, allowing students to share thoughts, voice opinions, and connect with each other.
But in an asynchronous course, when students are not online at the same time, how can they engage in discussions together?
One solution is to use VoiceThread, a web-based application that allows you to upload over 50 different types of media (such as images, audio, videos, documents, and presentations) into one central place. The voicethread can then be shared by sending a link or embedding it into a webpage.
A voicethread is like a slideshow; it is a presentation that is broken down into single frames. Students can view these frames and comment on any part of the presentation using a microphone, webcam, phone, text, or uploading an audio file. These comments appear on the voicethread for everyone else in the class to see.
To use VoiceThread, all you need is a modern web browser that runs Adobe Flash. VoiceThread can integrate with many learning management systems (LMS) and can be used on mobile devices.
For more information about VoiceThread, visit VoiceThread.com or watch the video below, produced by Pennstate University.
VoiceThread Simply Speaking from VoiceThread on Vimeo.
*VoiceThread logo is the sole and exclusive property of VoiceThread LLC.