Michelle Pacansky-Brock Director, Online and Hybrid Support Center CSU East Bay Can You Feel It? Enhancing Social Presence, Personalization and Community with VoiceThread

Objectives Demonstrate what a VoiceThread is. Demonstrate effectives uses of VoiceThreads for educational uses. Share student feedback about how VoiceThreads have enhanced their learning experiences. Demonstrate how to create and share a VoiceThread.

How do you engage your online students in this personalized, interconnected, digital society?

Are they engaged here?

by Gustavo G on Flickr They sure seem to be engaged here.

Old Onliner on Flickr

It’s time for a change...

...to embrace social presence photosvideovoice

...to encourage collaboration by VaXzine on Flickr

...to foster community by Thomas Hawk on Flickr

...let’s try VoiceThread

What is a VoiceThread? An online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world.

A VoiceThread Example by Michelle Pacansky-Brock

A Brief Tutorial

New Pedagogies Emerged credit: Laurie Burruss

Collaborative Learning

Rich Community Building

More Educational Uses Discussion Board Alternative Visual and Oral Assessments (art, foreign language, poetry) Instructor and Student Presentations Tutorials Interviews and Debates Assignment/Syllabus Overview Digital Portfolios (end-of-semester compilation of work)

Student Survey Results 101 students surveyed, 87 responses received (88% response rate) 70% strongly agreed or agreed that VoiceThread contributed to establishing a sense of community in the class.

Student Survey Results 101 students surveyed, 87 responses received (88% response rate) 82% strongly agreed or agreed that hearing my voice increased their sense that I was actively present in their learning experience (versus text-only communications).

Student Survey Results 101 students surveyed, 87 responses received (88% response rate) 85% strongly agreed or agreed that seeing me in web cam comments increased their sense that I was actively present in their learning experience (versus text-only communications).

Redefining Online Learning “I know personally many people who despise taking online classes for the simple fact they are boring, and you basically have to teach yourself.... Use of new technology would really enhance online learning, and possibly draw a whole new crowd to college, including those who just can't make it on campus, but would still love to continue their education.” Online Student Art Appreciation, Fall 2008

Redefining Online Learning "VoiceThread is an amazing tool and a great way to bring the students/teacher together and to learn. I really feel that this tool was a big part of our learning and I hope to see more teachers utilizing it in their on-line classes.... I truly am not looking forward to the end of this class. [Michelle Pacansky-Brock] has created a virtual world for her students to communicate with each other and learn from each other. The VoiceThread provided an opportunity for all of us to see each others' comments. It helped me to learn and feel like I was a part of a class even though I was in class from my home." Online Student Art Appreciation, Fall 2008

What do Students Think?

An Educator’s Guide to VoiceThread download at