I am a big fan of
Voicethread for use in education. Not just because Voicethread gives educators free accounts, but because now they have added a "telephone" option for commenting and controlling the Voicethread presentation. It is so easy, see the
tutorial here. Besides commenting via phone, you can also use your cell phone as a remote control with Voicethread and navigate through the slides. One classroom application I can see would be to project your Voicethread on the classroom screen/wall. Next, have Voicethread call your cell phone (yes they call you), and then you can walk around the classroom, navigate the slides, and have different students record a comment (using your cell phone) as you circulate throughout the room. It definitely gives more mobility to the teacher managing the classroom.
The positives of telephone commenting:1) Voicethread calls you! So you can be on a landline or cell phone to call in your comments and it does not cost you anything! This is great for students who do not have a cell phone.
2) Easy, automated directions as soon as you pick up the phone.
3) If you are in a nocisy classroom, students can record on their cell phones outside of the classroom noise (even for homework).
4) No need to worry about having external microphones for PCs (since many do not come with a built-in mic).
The negatives of telephone commenting:1) You do have a limited calling time for recording (non-education accounts are limited to 3 minutes).
2) Since you have to type in your number and it is an immediate call, students do have to have some sort of Internet access at home/outside of school to do this for homework.
Classroom Applications:Well there are already lots of wonderful examples of Voicethread being used for educational purposes. So I thought I would go ahead a link to a few of my favorites.
1)
Mathcasts and Social Studies reports, Wes Fryer highlights some excellent examples of Mathcasting and Social Studies reports with Voicethread.
2) Digital Storytelling, here
is a storybook on "before" and "after" the hurricane in New Orleans.
I recently came across a free mobile application called Visible Vote. From the website you can download it to your cell phone (NOTE: it does not work with all phones yet). Visible Vote gives live updates on votes happening in Congress, and tells how your local representatives are voting on different bills. In addition, it allows you to vote and "have your say". Finally, you can text or email your local representative via your cell phone with Visible Vote (they do all the work for you!). It is a fun and easy way for social studies students to get involved in the democratic process inside and outside of the classroom!
