Voicethread: Tech Case

Voicethread in the classroom can be very beneficial although it is likely to be blocked by administration or school internet filters. As an administrator, I think I would definitely question the substance on the website and the content the students would add. I would worry that students would say obscene things, post them, and then other students would immediately have access. Through the eyes of an administrator, Voicethread could be a breeding ground for problems with students and with parental concern. Also, students can make a false ID on the website, say inappropriate things, and then not get caught. Overall, I think it’s a bit too tempting…

Voicethread is awesome for students to interact and participate in class discussion, in a little less intimidating fashion. Perhaps, this can be assigned for homework, and students can go home and complete a class discussion without taking up class time. Although all students will not have internet access, it is important that students have ample class time or library opportunities to complete their Voicethread response.

Surprisingly, Voicethread is much more popular than I thought. After learning about Voicethread in my Tech class, I completed a field experience where the students actually used Voicethread in the computer lab. It was so funny to see this used in the classroom right after I had learned about it. In my field experience, I observed at a private school where each class consisted of 8 students or less. Perhaps this type of classroom environment is more suitable for such a tool.

They only way teachers can keep students out of trouble is monitor them and only require students to use Voicethread in the classroom. However, this possibly hinders the effectiveness of Voicethread and even may prevent creativity. Overall, it’s a tough tool to use in the classroom.

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