Technology integration throughout the field of education is by far one of the best uses of the world wide web. Not only has the Internet revolutionized how we communicate but it has also greatly impacted how we learn. Many sites have been created to engage our students in different levels and with different abilities.
Earlier this morning I was introduced to a very exciting site in which shows just how the Internet has yet again influenced the education system. The site is known as Voice Thread. Since the site is developed by educators who value the safety of students, the site's information can only be accessed by other members or via invitation. Within this site students and teachers are allowed to use technology to teach and learn about almost anything they want.
For example, information can be as simple as capturing what students are thankful for, as shown in Courtney Barrington's I Am Thankful thread; to much more complex information, like the influence of the divide of digital technology as found in Laurence Peter's Chile-A Case Study. Both the video threads provide information in which others are free to interact with the presenter to give input on the subject at hand. Video Threads therefore allow for a subject to become a center point for inspiring other knowledgeable information to be shared within the community of viewers. It is also a great way to inspire students to work with technology and enforce them to develop the appropriate skills needed to be able to produce quality products that can be shared with the world.
I really liked the way the I Am Thankful thread showed the students work and had the actual voice over from the student whose picture was displayed. The thread was very simple but it had character. The graphics in the Case Study thread were very useful, although the constant "uhh" and "umm"' usage did remind me to make sure that my voice over is presentable and well thought out before my recording.
In the future I am planning on using this technology in my Field base classroom. In order to do this I have put together a letter for my CT to review so that she can have just an introduction of the Voice Thread technology.
