Using Voice Threads for the Foreign Language Classroom

ACTFL Convention 2014

Note: This software costs $80 for a year licence.  It's very cool but unless someone pays for it, I don't know if I'll be using it. Seems to be useful for affluent districts or private schools.

Using Voice Threads

Vidya Nahar, Balodyan vidya@balodyan.com

·         Presentation is loaded to the ACTFL page

www.voicethread.com  Collaboration tool for text, image, video and audio

·         Voice Thread tutorials on YouTube

Use .pdf or .jpg files when uploading. You can also use YouTube links.  You cannot use a .doc file.

When describing your VT, you can put a prompt for the students in the description. Ex – Name the different states of Germany (there are 16 and they are looking at the map).

Check the Playback Settings (icon in upper right).

Use Copy feature to modify for future activities or copy into a presentation PP.

Teacher makes video comments on the VT to get it started.  It is helpful to show your face, so that students can see how you say the words. This is used as a modeling tool. When you are recording yourself, be mindful of your background. It’s useful to give prompts in the target language and text in the language of instruction.

You can underline something on the slide while you are talking.

You give students a link.  You can publish it on the browser page.

Students can email documents or photos to you and you can upload to the VT, in order to control content on your page.

+ Uncle Potato – upload a picture of a potato, add body parts and talk about it. Select fade or no fade options based on whether or not you want the lines to disappear. On this activity, use different colored pencils.

Students need a VT account to comment (email and pwd).

On the left side is a photo of the people commenting. You can move comment order, if you want to make a comment later, you can move it to the top to keep all of the teacher comments together.

To hide a comment, close the eye, it will hide it from the public, teacher can still hear and student can still hear, but not others.  You can delete a comment.

Teacher can make an audio file. Ex: Draw a monster with 3 heads, 2 eyes, 5 legs; each student would draw this monster and repeat the instructions.

Ideas:

·         Map Games

·         Open-ended questions – ex: here is a fridge, what’s inside?

·         Riddles – describe an object and let the students guess what it is.

·         Video Clip – what is happening, comments?

·         Brainstorming

·         Describe a picture

·         Geography – where is this? What is it? Would you like to go there?

·         Informational presentation

·         Creating an ad

·         Collecting statistics – what do you eat for breakfast? What is your favorite type of music?

·         I Spy – upload a busy picture and play the I spy game, let the students guess what you are talking about.

·         Comparison – upload two similar pictures and ask students to compare them and pick their favorite. Fruits and vegetables – what do you like or not like.  What about your friends, family.

You can upload activity sheets and give the students the choice of using the VT or traditional activity sheets.