Enhancing Classroom Discussions and Presentations with VoiceThread

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

Guest Post by DHS English Teacher 

Kristan Jiggetts

One of the things that I love about technology is the way in which we can enhance what we already do.  Discussions and presentations are important elements in any English classroom. However, many students dread these assignments. I can relate.  As a shy teenager, I struggled with participating in class discussions. Speeches and presentations gave me anxiety to the point where I would avoid going to school. That way I would miss presentation days and have to make up the work with the teacher. VoiceThread is helpful in providing students opportunities to hone their presentation and speaking skills in a less threatening environment which then allows students to make the jump to in-person presentations/speeches and discussions with more confidence.

VoiceThread.com- Presentation Alternatives!

Are you looking for an alternative to PowerPoint with the power of screencasting? Do you want your students to work on their presentation skills?  Do you want your students to show what they know through a presentation but do not want to take 5 class periods to get though everyone in the class? VoiceThread is the answer!

Beth Ahlgrim introduced me to VoiceThread a few years ago. The software allows students to create presentations that they can then verbally annotate - as if they are giving a presentation to the class, but without the anxiety and time pressures in-class presentations can cause.

I found screencastify to be kind of clunky, and for our students with loaner chromebooks or chromebooks that have sustained a bit of abuse, inoperational.  VoiceThread solves the chromebook mic issue by allowing users to comment in different ways: using a cell phone, a traditional computer mic or even the webcam. Since students can record and re-record their slides to their heart’s content, the site helps students work on their speaking skills.  This would be an excellent tool for any classroom.  

For collaboration purposes, VoiceThread works to help connect students in an online environment where they can view class presentations at their own pace and comment using a microphone, video or text comment.  This allows for differentiation and also helps out in the event that students are absent.  The material is always accessible!

Here's a quick video from educator Jenna Moore to help you get started using VoiceThread:

VoiceThread is one of those Free-ish tools we've discussed in a number of posts. The free version allows you to create up to 5 VoiceThreads for free. If your PLC or course team is really interested in using VoiceThread at a high level, or frequently, you can consider asking the department or building to support a premium license for education.

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Do you have another tool you use for classroom presentations or discussions? Please tell us about it in the comment box below.