Voice Thread

Last week I was faced with a problem.  I had the cutest little first grader come to me with a book he had made for the library.  This book was nicely bound with yarn and "printed" on copier paper.  Library books take a pounding.  They're shoved into book bags, tossed around on the bus, chewed up by dogs and babies....you get the picture.  Obviously this was not what I wanted for this aspiring author.  How could we preserve this great work while still making it available for others to read?  The answer to our conundrum was Voice Thread.  Voice Thread allows you to upload pictures and comment on them by recording your voice.  It is the perfect technology tool for students to share their work.  It took no time to scan his book, upload the pictures, and record his story.  We logged in through my account but it was easy to add the students picture and name to my list of identities.  I would definitely suggest doing this with younger students so that they don't have to worry about logging into their own account. Plus it gives me the ability to login and share his video on our school website and in this blog.  His class watched it on the SmartBoard and his parents were able to watch it at home.  Of course, Voice Thread could be used for more than just students reading their stories.  Check back soon to see the creative ways we're using it at Laurel Hill Elementary!