What does this post have to do with teaching and technology? Nothing, really. I just thought it might serve as a reminder that from time to time we all need a little rest and relaxation from the stress of teaching and life in general.
These squirrels are definitely on to something. Think I’ll check out the local spa offerings in my neighborhood!
VoiceThread is a cool Web 2.0 tool that lets people add comments to a discussion theme using text, voice, or webcam video. Check out the starter post I’ve made here using two of the three comment features. The subsequent posts were made by students commenting on the original.
If you are feeling adventurous, add a comment by clicking on “Type” for text, “Record” for voice, or the movie camera icon for webcam. You will be prompted to register before adding your comment, but if you like what you see, go through the simple registration process and start exploring this promising tool.
Next, take a stab at the more important question presented by this and a snowballing number of applications competing for your attention. What might be the pedagogical value of VoiceThread in the EFL classroom? Specifically, how could it be used to promote language learning among your students?
While not quite as snazzy as VoiceThread, Chinswing offers teachers and students a simple, intuitive path into the world of online audio discussion. Think of Chinswing as a global message board where anyone can add voice messages to ongoing discussions around virtually any topic or theme.
As with VoiceThread, you must first register to use the service (free, by the way). But once registered, users can start their own discussion thread by leaving an audio message under one of various category channels with a relevant title and tags. Other users (class members) can then record comments in a linear fashion, and any discussion can be “tracked” via RSS feed or even podcast.
Last year, I tried Chinswing in a listening class at the start of the second semester. I asked each student to tell the class about his/her summer vacation, not as an impromptu speech or in writing, but as a voice message. You can view and listen to the results here.
My friend and colleague Glen Hill offered the following comments concerning how one might extend the usefulness of Chinswing:
- Perhaps you could design a quiz on the reports? You would have to do it, of course, but it would be homework for students to listen to (unless you had time in class).
- I suppose even for other classes (perhaps OC type, or even a version of writing) you could ask students to make a continuing story, and that each one had to contribute 1-2 sentences, but that they had to make 2-3 entries during the week.
Your thoughts?