© 2012 Boise State University1 Using VoiceThread (VT) to Provide Interactive Learning and Build Community Jesús H. Trespalacios Educational Technology Department

© 2012 Boise State University2 VoiceThread

© 2012 Boise State University3 Online environment

© 2012 Boise State University4 Online environment ● Students from an online graduate program in Ed. Tech. ● Instructional Design course ● students ● Instructional activities: – Individual small projects – Weekly discussions – A semester-long Individual ID project (a peer-review activity)

© 2012 Boise State University5 Online environment ● Student’s comment: “There was a lack of social presence with the professor. In an online course, when this social presence is lacking it feels isolating and that the professor is unavailable.” ● Start focusing on communities (CoI & SoC)

© 2012 Boise State University6 Sense of Community (Soc) VT Activities

© 2012 Boise State University7 VT Activities ● VoiceThread: ● Introductions ● Leading group’s presentations ● Peer-review activity (Spring 2014) ● SoC survey ● (Rovai, 2002a, 2000b, 2000c) ● Students’ perceptions about VT

© 2012 Boise State University8 Example - VT Introductions

© 2012 Boise State University9 VT Introductions (Testimony) Student’s – “ I will say that the simple fact that we are using VoiceThread in EDTECH 503, means that social interaction and engagement between students will be 10x…” – “...Just note that adding the audio and video components, as opposed to just text, is a very good thing. And it's fun and engaging. This sort of need can not be met by text alone.”

© 2012 Boise State University10 VT Leading discussions

© 2012 Boise State University11 VT Leading discussions (Testimony) Which aspects of this course were most valuable to your overall learning experience? – “The leading group VoiceThread group discussion. This allowed students to work together, help each other, and feel a sense of accomplishment.”

© 2012 Boise State University12 VT Peer-review activity

© 2012 Boise State University13 SoC Survey Sense of Community – Connectedness subscale: I feel that students in this course care about each other I feel connected to others in this course I feel that I can rely on others in this course – Learning subscale: I feel that I am encouraged to ask questions I feel that I receive timely feedback I feel that I am given ample opportunities to learn

© 2012 Boise State University14 SoC survey (n=15) ● Likert scale survey (Rovai, 2002a, 2002b) ItemsMeanStandard Deviation Classroom community Connectedness subscale Learning subscale

© 2012 Boise State University15 VoiceThread questions (n=19) ● VoiceThread introductions at the beginning of the course helped me to connect with my classmates. Mean: 3.8 SD: 0.8 ● Creating a VoiceThread presentation with my group improved my understanding of the case(s) assigned. Mean: 3.6 SD: 1.5 ● VoiceThread presentations supported my understanding of the cases assigned each week. Mean: 3.2 SD: 1.2

© 2012 Boise State University16 Summary -Pros: -Promote relevant interactions anytime anywhere -Cloud application (mobile app) -Easy to use & easy access from your LMS -Allow video, audio, or text for social presence -Cons: -Limited free presentations -It’s not recommended for multiple interactions -Produce audio and video could be time-consuming

© 2012 Boise State University17 References Borup, J., West, R. E., & Graham, C. R. (2012). Improving online social presence through asynchronous video. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(3), Ching, Y.-H. & Hsu, Y.-C. (2013). Collaborative learning using VoiceThread in an online graduate course. Knowledge Management & E- Learning, 5(3), 298–314. Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The internet and higher education, 2(2), McCormack, V. (2010). Increasing teacher candidate responses through the application of VoiceThread. International Journal of Arts and Sciences, 3(11), Rovai, A. P. (2002a). Development of an instrument to measure classroom community. Internet and Higher Education, 5, Rovai, A. P. (2002b). Sense of community, perceived cognitive learning, and persistence in asynchronous learning networks. Internet and Higher Education, 5, Rovai, A. P. (2002c). Building sense of community at a distance. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 3(1), Retrieved from Wighting, M., Nisbet, D., & Spaulding, L. S. (2009). Relationships between sense of community and academic achievement: A comparison among high school students. The International Journal of the Humanities, 7(3), Retrieved from

© 2014 Boise State University18 THANK YOU Jesús Trespalacios-