Tips and tricks - VoiceThread

VoiceThread is a pretty cool tool. It allows users to facilitate conversation similar to a blog or an Edmodo type social networking application, but with the restriction to a series of slides. Here are a couple of tips to get the most out of VT for your presentation:

Export PowerPoints to PDF for upload:

For some reason or another when uploading .ppt files the VT application has the tendency to jumble text and images around. Simply saving your .ppt presentation as a PDF will eliminate this issue.

The create PDF function can in the File tab under Save & Send in MS PowerPoint 2010.

Less is more:

If students are uploading PowerPoints to their VT put a limit on how much text can go on each slide itself. There is no point in a student just reading what they have on the slide in their VT comments. To take this to another level you could get the students to only upload .jpg (picture) files, this could save a small amount of time as students wouldn't have to muck around with PowerPoint.

Mix it up:

To avoid your VTs becoming a bit dry or boring mix up the type of  comments you put up. Make a rule with your students that they should use an equal mix of the comment features e.g. text, audio, webcam and drawing.