Thing # 19 Voicethread

Another fascinating tool to use technology in personal or professional life is Voicethread. This tool gives people a way to converse in a variety of ways about photos, images, documents, videos, or any combination thereof. The respondents can choose to do so by audio comments with or without a photo of themselves, by typed text or by drawing, underlining, making arrows, circle, etc. to point out specifics. They can use microphone voice, telephone, webcam or upload to post their comments around the item being discussed.The ability to enlarge the photo or subject makes specific responses even more exact.

Having just returned from a family reunion, I can envision the planning of such an event made much easier by using voicethread. A photo of the possible venues, with different cabins and meeting areas, could be viewed, commented on, selected, discussed. An agenda and menus could be displayed and interacted upon by various family members. Sites and activities in the area for extended stays could be shown, with others sharing their experiences of those. This might encourage more to take part and give valuable input.

In education, it's hard to expand upon the 100 ideas for use already out there, but I can see progressive meetings or ones in stages taking place around, say a book or piece of literature. Page by page elementary grade level team members could contribute their comments on the important aspects: main idea, important verses interesting, literary conventions, character development, details, setting, etc.

Students could even work in groups in this way, assuring each one of their choice of response while using technology to help express themselves clearly. Group projects at any grade level--even higher education--could be effected without the sometimes difficult task of all assembling together physically in one spot. Virtual meetings, even of faculty or staff development could employ Voicethread to everyone's advantage.