Betsy

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I enjoyed being able to create something that is uniquely mine with my own illustrations, my own writing and my own voice. I also enjoyed the opportunity it gave me to make something together with my family. We don't do things together often since we've grown up, so it was great to make this together on a weekend where we could be together. This project was more time consuming than I expected because I had to write the script, hand-draw the images, go to the library to scan them, figure out the website so I could create the project and find a time when my family could record. It helped that I had a long time to complete it and the images and basic storyline were re-used from my book project. I would have liked it better if I could edit the recordings so that I did not have to re-record whenever I made a mistake. I also would have liked it better if instructions were clearer. The voicethread website was very straightforward, but I had a difficult time figuring out the wikispaces site.

If and how I would use this program in my classroom depends on the level of kids that I end up teaching. One way that I see myself using this would be to create a "class book" using student illustrations on each page and with each page narrated either by the students or myself depending on their communication abilities. I could also use this software to create a social story to prepare students for an upcoming event. For example, if we are going on a field trip I could take pictures of different stages in our trip (bus, each point that we visit, lunch etc.) and narrate them to tell students what to expect. This could be played for students regularly in the days preceding the trip to prepare them for it. Another way that I could use Voicethread with my kids could be a class show and tell. If I have students who communicate verbally, I could upload pictures of a particular item of their choosing and record their voices talking about it. The final product can be shared with the entire class. I could also alter this idea by allowing students to comment on photographs of their favorite part of a story, activity, trip etc.