Voicethreads

A VoiceThread is 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.
I found two sites that are helpful. This first one is an introduction and shows you how to navigate through the tool. http://voicethread.com/#home.b409.i3129. The second I signed up through my wiki and it shows 100 ways to use voicethreads in education. http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/ In music, students could present different types of music, play samples, and students could then comment. For social studies, students could research places and bring in different photos for students to comment on. In studio art, students could post their image(s) and others could critique their work. An English teacher could put up a picture and students could brainstorm essay topics and ideas to use in a group project. Students could also use voicethread to begin a story with a segment and students could add to it. The teacher could require students to use current vocabulary terms for practice. A kindergarten teacher had her students comment on the story The Polar Express.
Voicethreads could also be used in professional development to show Web 2.0 features and permit teachers to leave comments and questions. They can also be used to give presentations and lessons.
Both sites are helpful. Check them out and let me know how you could use this tool in your classroom.