Sandy Evans is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. In our inteview, she discusses her use of blogging as a tool in her French classes.
This is the kind of forum that mimics my classroom - my ideal classroom - which is a dialog between students where I’m guiding it and they’re giving me the content.
The Video
You can also view the videos in the following formats:
More Information
Some good foreign language resource blogs:
Credits
- Editor: Staci Elliott
- Interviewer, Camera, Producer: Randy Thornton
What Is VoiceThread?
VoiceThread is an online voice and video enabled forum. In it, you can create “threads” for presenting sequences of pictures, videos, and text. You can then allow others to comment on your thread, so a group can produce threads together.
VoiceThread can produce highly collaborative, media-rich projects, but is very simple to use, since it is based on the conversational tools from the traditional online forum. But by making voice, pictures and video easy to add and annotate, it transforms forums into media center collaborative, inter-active presentations.
You an upload your already existing presentations, including PowerPoint presentations, MS Word Documents, and many image and video formats, and transform them into collaborative conversations. You can then export your thread as a video for others to view outside of VoiceThread.
Where is VoiceThread?
At http://www.voicethread.com. There is a free account which allows you to create three “threads” and a “Pro” account which allows you to create unlimited threads. The Pro account costs only $30 a year; the Pro account is available free to K-12 teachers.
What About Using VoiceThread For Class?
VoiceThread can be used for any class activities where you wish to have text, audio, and video resources presented for others to comment on and interact with. You can use it anywhere you would use a traditional forum but want multi-media instead of text, for instance, for assigned or practice discussions. It is also valuable for student projects that can be commented on by others.
Some Examples Uses for Foreign Language Teaching
How to Get Started
We have created our own introductory video for VoiceThread. It covers the basics of VoiceThread, including how to sign in, create a VoiceThread, add pictures, audio, text and doodles, and to share your Voicethread with others.
In addition, here are two other useful introductory videos about VoiceThread from YouTube, which we recommend.
We have added a tutorial page and video about VoiceThread.
VoiceThread is an online voice and video enabled forum. In it, you can create “threads” for presenting sequences of pictures, videos, and text. You can then allow others to comment on your thread, so a group can produce threads together. VoiceThread can produce highly collaborative, media-rich projects, but is very simple to use, since it is based on the conversational tools from the traditional online forum.
Our work on VoiceThread is part of our participation in the Language Technology Bootcamp hosted by The Foreign Language Resource Center of Pomona College.
Dana Flaskerud, of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Randy Thornton, Instructional Technology, represented UPS at the Bootcamp last April.
How do I record digital audio for foreign language courses?
Computers with these capabilities are found in LIB 034C and LIB 034 B. To get access to these rooms you will need keys from Gordon or Stephen (See the Media Desk).
- On the computer, open Sound Forge 6.0
- From the file menu, select New
- Check settings:
- Set to Mono when using the microphone,
- Set to Stereo if recording from other devices such as CD or cassette player.
- Set 16 bit, and 44,100 Sample Rate.
- Click OK
- Once the new project opens, click on the circle button in the upper left hand corner of the window. This will not start recording. It will open up a new window in which you will find the controls used to record.
- In the new Record window you will see two green bars. These represent the recording volume.
- See Volume Control information sheet for controlling computer volume.
- Ensure that the Device is set to SoundMAX Digital Audio.
- Ensure that the Mode is set to Multiple takes creating Regions.
- Ensure that the Input format is set to Time.
- If using the microphone, ensure the microphone volume is turned up on the mixer in the gray metal cabinet to the left using the knob labeled TABLE MIC (MIC 2). Try speaking into the microphone at a comfortable volume and ensure that the bars never reach into the red zone. If they do, adjust the knob until the bars reach just below the red. Click on RESET to remove the red Clip indicator.
- If using the player device, make sure the microphone level is turned down all the way. It will mix sound into your recording if you do not! Ensure the knob for the player you are using is turned up so the green bars reach just below the red CLIP. Click on RESET to remove the red Clip indicator.
- When you are ready to record, click on the small circle button next to Prepare on the recording controls to begin recording. RECORDING will flash in red.
- After you are done, click on the square button to stop the recording.
- Close the Record window.
- At this point you will be able to see what you just recorded in the long window that was located behind the Record window.
- Press play (the triangular button pointing right) to listen to what you have just recorded. If you would like to record again, repeat steps 1a through 4a.
- Back up your file if you need to continue working on it or you can burn your file to a CD.
- If you are saving your file on the local computer drive for later, be sure to note your name, your project name, and the date it can be deleted. Otherwise you risk having your file deleted when the hard drive become too full for others to use the computer.
- If you are burning the file to a CD, first save the file to the hard drive.
- Under the file menu, select Save.
- Under the Save in: box, select either the desktop or another appropriate location.
- Title your document as you see fit, but in a way that it will be recognizable to you.
- Under the Save as Type: window, scroll down and select Wav file(*.wav) or MP3(*.mp3). Click Save.
- Click on Easy CD Creator icon to open program, or go to Start>All Programs>Utilities>Roxio Easy CD Creator 5>Applications>Easy CD Creator and open Easy CD Creator.
- Under Select source files: locate your file, e.g. select Desktop or Local Disk (C:), highlight your audio file and click Add.
- Insert a blank CD into the computer CD/DVD drive and click record on the program. Then on the new window, click Start record.
- If you are saving your file to a network drive, e.g. your Alexandria private folder [H:], or the //Projects share drive,
- select the drive in the Save in box.
- Title your document as you see fit, but in a way that it will be recognizable to you.
- Under the Save as Type: window, scroll down and select Wav file(*.wav) or MP3(*.mp3). Click Save.
Volume Control
- Double click the volume icon on the right-hand corner of the screen.
- At the top on the left corner, select Options and then choose Properties.
- Under Adjust volume for select Recording and click OK.
- Select Line In Balance by checking the select box at the lower-right hand corner.
