Using Voicethread to Share Math Strategies

During my Math Methods course this quarter, I was introduced to an online tool called Voicethread. This tool allows you to upload pictures, documents, or video, and then share them with others. You can comment using audio, video, or text features, and you can allow those who you share the thread with to make these comments as well.

I played around with the tool a lot this weekend and I used it to upload a teaching video that I needed to share with some other teachers. I can see the potential to use this tool among other educators as a way to challenge ourselves on our teaching craft. I also think it could be incorporated into an upper elementary, middle or high school level for certain projects.

We used Voicethread in my Math Methods course to show how some students think about solving quick image activities. These activities have you look at a picture comprised of grouping of images and you have just 3 seconds to count the images. We did an example in my Methods course with other teacher candidates, and I was surprised at how we each looked at the problem differently. During a field day placement, we used Flip cameras to record our students' thinking and then uploaded these videos onto voicethread to share and comment on their thinking amongst ourselves.

I have not worked all the kinks out yet, but I can see that voicethread will be a powerful tool to use to reflect on my teaching. It might also provide a new technology medium to use in my classroom for homework help or instruction.