Teaching with VoiceThread
Instructor Guide
About
VoiceThread is an interactive collaboration and sharing tool that can be used to enhance student engagement and learning. With VoiceThread, instructors and students can create online slide show presentations with images, documents, videos, and other media files. Once created, the VoiceThread can be shared and students and instructors can asynchronously comment on individual slides using one of five tools for commenting: audio, video, text, phone, and audio file.
Why Use VoiceThread?
- Fosters Collaboration: VoiceThread offers students diverse and intuitive engagement opportunities, surpassing traditional text discussions by resembling popular social media platforms.
- Integrates into Canvas: Easily generate and access VoiceThread server for the class through Canvas, allowing seamless integration of graded assignments into the Canvas Gradebook.
- Provides Various Engagement Opportunities: VoiceThread allows various activities that help instructors to assess diverse learning objectives, including creating videos and presentations as well as commenting on content through audio, text, and recording.
Getting Started
Adding VoiceThread to Canvas
There are various ways to link VoiceThread to your Canvas based on the kind of activities you’d like to embed.
Integrating VoiceThread into Canvas
Initiating a single link to VoiceThread through your Modules is the best place to start. See How to Add VoiceThread to Canvas.
In setting up this integration link, you will be prompted to verify your account or register for a VT account. If you need to register for an account, you can do so by using your [email protected] email address then selecting your institution affiliation according to your course format:
- Select CLAS for iCourses, on-campus immersion, and hybrid sync courses
- Select ASUOnline/EdPlus for oCourses and iCourse/oCourse combined courses
Configuring Integration Links
After you have added VoiceThread to your course, you’ll need to configure the link according to what you want students to see when they click on it.
- How to create a “VoiceThread Course Home” link
- How to create a “My VoiceThreads” link
- How to link to a specific instructor video in VoiceThread
Creating VoiceThread Assignments
Setting up Graded Activities
Once your VoiceThread has been linked to your Canvas, you can create graded and non-graded activities for students to participate in. To set up a graded activity in VoiceThread, you’ll need to create a new assignment in your Canvas course. See How to create VoiceThread Assignments
Configuring Graded Assignment Activities
Through the Assignment Builder, you create a graded assignment requiring students to do one of three things:
- How to configure “Create a VoiceThread” activities
- How to configure “Comment on a VoiceThread” activities
- How to configure “Watch a VoiceThread” activities
Grading in VoiceThread
Assignments that are graded within VoiceThread will automatically be passed back into the Canvas course gradebook, allowing for ease of grade tracking.
Grading Resources
- TLC VoiceThread Grading Guide
- VoiceThread Grading step-by-step guide
Troubleshooting/Support
Common issues
- Reconnecting an assignment
- Course Copying
- Audio/video recording issues
- Audio/video playback issues
- VoiceThreads are not loading
- Additional Troubleshooting
Support Pages/Contacts
ASU LMS Support
Access 24/7 support from the ASU Experience Center
- Live chat with the ASU Experience Center 24/7/365 for technical assistance.
- Call 855-278-5080 and follow the prompts for Canvas help.
- Directly contact the Canvas support team by submitting a ticket on using MyASU
VoiceThread Support
Access VoiceThread support directly by…
- Emailing [email protected]
- Visiting VoiceThread’s Support FAQs page
Additional Resources
TLC Resources
- TLC VoiceThread Starter Guide.
- Adding VoiceThread to Canvas
- Create VoiceThread Assignments
- Grading in VoiceThread
ASU Resources
- How VoiceThread can be utilized in your class
- VoiceThread for Online Presence and Engagement
- ASU Using VoiceThread
- Voicethread for Canvas LMS ASU
VoiceThread Resources
- Assignment guide for students
- Basic Voicethread Tutorials
- Setting up Voicethread in your Canvas course
- Voice Thread How To articles
- Comprehensive how-to collection
- VoiceThread Features
- Voicethread Digital Library - database of articles about successful Voicethread projects.
- Training Workshops - browse through the categories on the right for recordings of past sessions