So I am starting to get the hang of talking using the headset using Voicethread; I figured out to create my own and comment on Lee's for this week. Although I still feel awkward, I do find it an interesting way to to communicate with people who do not live near you and am going to try and convince my best friend in Germany to create an account, so that we can 'talk' to each other. I think that Voicethreads have amazing potential for personal and professional use; they also allow those who are shyer in front of a group, to comment in a less stressful manner. The only downfall I have noticed so far, is the fact that voice comments aren't as personal as a face to face conversation and since not everyone comments at the same time or day, I could see it being difficult or perhaps simply time consuming to follow a thread. However, if we treat a Voicethread like a blog, then people would know to check it at least once a week and post verbal or written comments; whichever a person felt more comfortable doing.
One last thing I would like to say, is that while I am highly interested in tinkering around with voicethread, I would hate to see technology drive out the benefits of face to face classes/conversations, because we miss all of the body langauage associated with conversing when all we have is a voice. It's fun though and I'd encourage anyone to try it!
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I totally agree with your point about the lack of face to face time in voicethreads. While they are cool and fun to play with, they also lack that intimate interaction. I might not use them as much in a classroom unless I want to take it to communicate with a pal across the world. They seem a little extraneous to me.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a neat idea; to have the children 'voice pal', rather than pen pal, with children in another country, or even in another state. This way, they could receive more immediate responses and listen to the different language or dialect.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to hear that I am not the only person who still believes in face to face interactions. Sometimes I wonder if people are being taught to hide behind technology when it comes to difficult or uncomfortable situations, rather than approaching the person in 'real' life.
I thought that making and commenting on the voicethread was fun and interesting, but I also wonder where it fits into the classroom exactly. I think that face to face personal interaction will always be the most important and significant means of teaching and communicating, unless you are covering distances, as you and Clarissa mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an either/or, but a both/and. If students in a f2f class created a VT on a math topic, just using the VT might prompt them into more learning.
ReplyDeleteOr if there were a book report in VT and students could speak for the various characters in the book. That is, the VT would be finite in time, and not an ongoing discussion.
I have seen an example of the Voice Pal idea for kindergarten. Fun and powerful.