A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or phone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam).

In the classroom, VoiceThread can be used for assessment, foreign language, field trips, art, language arts, social studies, math and science

The purpose of this session is for participants to create a project using photos and audio commenting with Voicethread. The session will focus on using VoiceThread to document student learning across several content areas. A field trip will be planned as one example of how VoiceThread could be used.

Participants will "collect" the items on a Washington, D.C. scavenger hunt. Many of the items will complete a fill-in-the-blank phrase to illustrate a concept, preposition or idea.

Participants will be given a list of items to photograph using their camera phone or digital camera.

Participants will retrieve their photos using Bluetooth, by e-mailing to Flickr, a photo sharing website or by downloading to their laptop.

Participants will create a multimedia album using their photos and VoiceThread.

Outline

Workshop Agenda
1 hour 30 minutes - Collect scavenger hunt items/photographs
1 hour - Overview and demonstration of VoiceThread and Ed.VoicThread
45 minutes - Sign up for VoiceThread and Flickr accounts
30 minutes - Bluetoth, download or upload photos
1 hour 30 minutes - Create multimedia albums and leave comments on other participants VoiceThreads
45 minutes - Share VoiceThreads to entire group

Supporting Research

http://voicethread.com/about/
http://math247.pbwiki.com/Make+your+own+mathcasts
http://greatbookstories.pbwiki.com/
http://voicethread.ning.com/
http://voicethread.com/blog/

Presenter Background

Karen Montgomery is a dynamic, creative educator with a broad knowledge of the potential and actual uses of education technology. Her background includes professional experience as a middle school science and math teacher, program coordinator for the Adventures In Medicine & Science (AIMS) program at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and as an education advocate for AT&T. Throughout her career, Karen has assisted many educators with understanding the issues and trends in education by way of conference presentations, quality community outreach programs, content-based staff instruction, customized professional development workshops and H.323 videoconferencing projects. She possesses a strong understanding of social media and Web 2.0 applications such as blogging, wikis, podcasting, mobile learning, photo sharing, social networking and RSS as it relates to education in today’s classrooms and the Net generation.

Karen is located in St. Peters, Missouri, near St. Louis. She is available to conduct customized educational workshops as well as regional and national conference presentations.

Thinking Machine, Inc. (TMI) is an education technology consulting company formed by Karen Montgomery. TMI provides Web 2.0 and education technology presentations in a wide range of environments and settings. TMI focuses on mentoring educators in the utilization of best practices and conducts professional learning sessions for individuals, small and large groups to enrich teaching and learning using technology tools and applications.

Steve Muth and Ben Papell are the co-founders of VoiceThread.