Dear Faculty,
We are pleased to announce that VoiceThread is undergoing a major update that is bringing many enhancements and changes. You can opt into the New Voicethread at any time to take advantage of these features by changing your Account Settings. In the summer of 2024 VoiceThread’s new view and features will replace the existing interface for all users. Although your prior content is compatible in the New Voicethread, you may wish to update at the end of the semester if you are in the middle of actively using Voicethread with your students.
What is VoiceThread?
VoiceThread allows teachers and students to have dynamic conversations anchored in media, such as images, videos, and slideshows. It is used by instructors at Ithaca College for a wide variety of activities, including:
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Shared class notetaking
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Detailed image, video, or slide annotation
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Performance/project presentation and peer review
What is Changing?
VoiceThread’s update features a more accessible and intuitive user interface, as well as some new features like
1. Zoom & Pan: Commenting on an image? You can zoom in, move around, and have these actions play back for your audience.
2. Jump Navigation: Navigate through slides with ease – jump from slide 1 to slide 40 in a single click.
3. Bulk Comment Management & Additional Options: Manage comments in bulk, add audio descriptions to slides, support multiple closed caption tracks/languages for a single recording, and more.
4. Enhanced Navigation & Sorting: Easily sort VoiceThreads by the most recently active, view a compact list of all VoiceThreads in the home page sidebar, and more.
Coming Soon:
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Drag-and-Drop Sharing: Easily share VoiceThreads with this upcoming feature.
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Bulk Actions on the Home Page: Manage multiple threads at once for deleting and sharing.
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Dark Mode & Customization: Look forward to a Dark Mode for the home page and more customization options for closed caption displays.
Learning Opportunities
Visit the following link for documentation on updating to the New VoiceThread.
Join us in the Educational Technology Center in Job 102 as we view VoiceThread’s webinar exploring these changes in depth October 10th at 1:00pm ET, or to access it online, Register using this link
If you have any questions or need support with the transition, please feel free to reach out to the Center for Instructional Design and Educational Technology for a consultation.
Thank you for your time - we hope you enjoy the new and improved VoiceThread experience!