This tutorial is available as a downloadable pdf if you prefer that format.
VoiceThread is a living discussion space, a tool for successfully having recorded conversations over the cloud without the need for everyone to be there at the same time. Users are able to upload/record media into VoiceThread presentations, which can then be commented on. These comments can manipulate the media and the presentation to better bring up different points, making the commenter’s ability much more dynamic. Others can comment from here in response, and it becomes a full-on discussion over time.
All students at Willamette University are already signed up to use VoiceThread. There are two ways to sign in:
Method 1: Wise Site (being phased out): If you have a class that is using VoiceThread you should be able to log on to VoiceThread from that class’s WISE site. On the left in the list of tools there should be a tab labeled “VoiceThread.” Simply go there, and you should be taken to that class’s VoiceThread page and logged in as your Willamette account. If you go to VoiceThread proper (www.voicethread.com) and hit “sign in” it will automatically log you in to the same account that’s logged into the WISE site.
Method 2: Logging in through VoiceThread Proper: Go to www.voicethread.com and hit “sign in.” After that, hit the “Find my institution” button. In the box that will appear, search for Willamette University. This should lead you to the Willamette login page where you can sign in with your account name and password like you would any other Willamette site.
Before you do anything else, you’re going to want to make sure you’re on the VoiceThread site proper, not just the WISE extension. The WISE extension has issues recording; this goes for both creating VoiceThreads and commenting on them. Furthermore, the following information is intended for the VoiceThread site proper. WISE is the best way to log in but once you’ve logged in you’ll want to go to VoiceThread.com.
When you first log in and go to VoiceThread.com, you will be taken to the following screen. It will list all of the VoiceThreads you have access to (meaning you can at least comment on them). You can filter which class’s VoiceThreads you’re looking at by using the menu on the left under “courses”. You will be added to your courses the first time you access their VoiceThread through WISE.
Each presentation that you make/conversation that you start is itself called a VoiceThread, to clear up any confusion there. To create one, click the “Create” button in the top-left corner.
This will open up a new screen with a big “Add Media” button in the middle. Clicking that will bring up a list of options:
My Computer: Opens an explorer/finder window to find the file.Media Sources: Ignore this, my computer is better Audio Recording, Webcam Photo, Webcam Video: Exactly what they sound like. You’ll be prompted to allow access to your webcam/microphone.
URL: Provides a link to an external source, i.e. an article, YouTube video, etc.
Once you’ve gone ahead and added the media, you will be met with the following: For now we’re just going to focus
on the Title/Description - we will go over the Playback Options later. Title and description are both what they sound like. Tags will let you add things to make you VoiceThread easy to search for. You can edit these again at any time.
You have now created a simple VoiceThread, but chances are you’re going to want more than one slide. As soon as you first enter in your title, you will be taken to the following screen:
We will be going over commenting/sharing soon. For now, note the two “add media” buttons. True to their title, these buttons will bring you to the same “add media” menu as before, and you can repeat the same process.
Once you’ve done this, you can click and drag the slides to reorder them. You’ll also notice that whenever you hover over any of the slides, an edit icon appears in the bottom left corner of the preview and a delete icon in the bottom right. The edit icon will open a box that lets you add a title to the specific slide, and also add a link to access from that specific slide.
You’ll also notice the other edit icon at the top to the right of the title. This will let you edit the details you entered in for the VoiceThread, such as its title, description, etc.
Once you’ve left the editing screen, you can return at any time by hovering over your VoiceThread in the main menu and clicking the edit button in the bottom left corner.
Commenting is hands down the most important feature of a VoiceThread. This is what allows you and others to interact and respond to the media and really transform your VoiceThread from a simple presentation to a conversation over the cloud.
There are two ways to access the comment section:
On the bottom is the playback bar for comments and, if the original slide is a video or audio recording, for the original slide. Above that is the add comment button, shown with a speech bubble and a plus. To the right of the playback bar are two arrows that allow you to switch between slides. On the left side of the screen are all the other comments that have been made on that particular slide.
Adding a comment to the slide:
Clicking on the “add comment” button, a radial menu will pop up around it.
Going from left to right, the options are:
Text: Leave a simple text comment Phone: Enter your number, it will give you a phone call which acts as a mic Audio Recording: Exactly what it sounds like.
Video/Webcam Recording: Exactly what it sounds like.
File upload: Will let you respond with any audio or video file on your computer.
When doing an audio or video recording, you will be given a countdown to when you will have to start recording. It is also worth noting that during your video or audio recording, you can change slides, and if the slide’s media is a video, you can play, pause, and otherwise manipulate the media during the recording. This will show up when someone plays your comment.
Responding to Comments:
To the left of the presentation, there’s a list of all the comments that have been made. Clicking on them will let you see/hear them. Hovering over them will bring you the option to reply (the arrow button on the right). This will open the same menu as seen when making a comment on the slide, with the same five functions. The user who made the comment you’re replying to will get a notification and your comment will be organized as a reply, meaning it will appear under the original comment.
Private Replies:
When you hover over someone else’s comment, there’s also the option to make a private reply, shown by the comment bubble that’s shaped into a lock. Private replies are only visible to people who made the original comment. You can only make private replies on comments from other accounts.
There are a number of ways of sharing your VoiceThread. The quickest and easiest is to go to your main menu, find the list of classes/groups on the right, find your VoiceThread, and click and drag the VoiceThread into the group. In the following prompt, you can choose both what level of access the class you dragged it into will have, and whether to move it to the class (Share this VoiceThread) or make a copy and send that to the class (Copy and share this VoiceThread).
Another way to share is through the Share button. This can be found either when hovering over your VoiceThread’s Icon (it will appear as a right-facing arrow to the right of the edit button) or in the editing menu (there will be a big button at the top that says “Share” and has the same right-facing arrow icon). Both will open up the same menu. The easiest option is automatically selected: “Secure”. This will let you share it with any of your classes. Once you select the class, you will be able to select what permissions they have (view, comment, edit). Hit “Share” and it’s shared.
Comment moderation is useful if you want to be the only one who sees any of the comments made on your VoiceThread, or if you want to control what comments do or don’t go on. To get here, open the editing menu, where you’ll find the options button at the top right of the screen. Clicking
on this will open a menu, from which you’ll want to select “playback settings.”
This will open up a new menu, from which you’ll want to select “Enable Comment Moderation.”
Once you’ve selected that, You will be able to select which comments can and can’t be seen by hovering over them in the comments section and hitting the icon that looks like an either closed or open eye. If the eye is open, anyone can see that comment. If it’s closed, only you can. All comments that were previously there are set to still be visible by all until changed, but new comments made are set to only be seen by you until changed.
This covers the basics of using VoiceThread for your class experience! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at digital-learning-studio@willamette.edu.