Kathryn

The Recipe for Disaster Voicethread: media type="custom" key="24417414" width="339" height="355"

Reflection: I have not used the Voicethread program before, and was surprised with how easy it was to guide myself through the process. The entire process of creating a story, envisioning illustrations, and digitalizing my story was a challenging task. Although I was utilizing a new form of publishing, I knew I had to explore it and let my creativity drive me. New technology is being introduced daily, so I believe it is important for students to explore and figure out new websites, without needing explicit instructions. This generation and future generations of students will have a wide range of technological understandings. I believe that encouraging them to explore, instead of spoon feeding them, information will benefit them. The Voicethread technology would be especially useful in my future classroom by using it for accommodations. Students who have special needs such as learning disabilities, or language barriers, could benefit from the clear pronunciations of stories, and even instructions on a test. In my field experience, I had to read a test out loud to the ESL children, which the teacher normally did. Recorded readings with uploaded tests could spare in class time, while the students listen with headphones. Other than testing, the special needs children would benefit from listening to stories, following along with the pictures, in order to improve their language skills. For the rest of my classroom, I think that the Voicethread technology could be positively used for reading stories, explaining concepts, or fun brain break activities. Students love to sit in a circle and listen to the teacher read from a book, but today’s generation is encompassed with technology. I think the students would enjoy a digital slideshow of the illustrations with a voice reading it. Also, a Voicethread could be a introduction to a math lesson, with examples and explications on each slide. Instead of me explaining for the entire lesson, the students would enjoy something different. Lastly, every classroom needs brain breaks! Whether the Voicethread has a song, activity, or story, the students will have a break from their lesson, helping with tension spans and creative juices!