How do I behave in the classroom? *Voice Thread*

Through technology teachers have found a new innovative way to teach students. Digital storytelling is a great tool to use in the classroom. It enhances student’s minds, and throws them into a whirlwind of emerging technology. This interactive tool can be used in many ways, such as through Slide Share, Slide Cast, and Voice Thread. These tools are very similar, but they do have their own uniqueness too. Place-based story-telling is a tool of digital story-telling that merges with digital mapping tools and with the power of narrative. This tool is a great way to motivate students, and bring something new to the classroom. I would suggest this tool for older students, but it can certainly be used with younger students as well, but would be modified to their needs, and capabilities. The theory behind digital story-telling entails strategic thinking, and useful strategies to use in the classroom. Learning the same old way all the time bores students, so they need interactive tools to open up their minds and excel in the classroom. Students would encounter an international audience, which would only make learning more interesting. This unique tool could be the key to success in your classroom!

Voice thread, Slide Share, and Slide Cast are great tools to use in the classroom. I was a bit hesitant about them at first because they seemed too hard for me to understand, but I never would have guessed how easy it was to use. I used Voice Thread and was able to find neat ways to incorporate pictures, and audio into my unit plan. Voice Thread has great helpful tips, and voice threads for you to follow if you need help using one of their tools. Adding audio was easy for my because I have a microphone in my laptop, so I just has to click a few buttons, and I was ready to go. It was a lot easier to use once I began to explore the site.

My unit question is “How can I behave in the classroom?”. I used Voice Thread to create an innovative way to show students how to behave in the classroom. I used pictures of students behaving good and bad in the classroom, and used audio to explain the instructions. Each slide has a comment, and way for the students to leave their own comments. I could definitely use Voice Thread in the future in many ways. I could use it to show other teachers different lesson plans, or I could use it in my classroom and give the students projects. The audio helps a lot for the students to hear the teacher’s voice because it focuses the students on what actually needs to get done. If they are still in kindergarten they may not know how to read, so incorporating audio is a great tool to use. I the interaction between a student and technology engages the students to want to learn. I definitely recommend this tool! Take a look at my Activity Plan for my Voice Thread.