VoiceThread

VoiceThread is an online discussion, assignment and presentation tool that can be integrated in Canvas. Instructors and students can use VoiceThread to create and share dynamic asynchronous conversations recording their computer’s audio and video, typing, and drawing on the screen.

Summer 2024 Changes to VoiceThread

Guides and FAQs
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What is VoiceThread?

VoiceThread is an online discussion, assignment and presentation tool that can be integrated in Canvas. Instructors and students can use VoiceThread to create and share dynamic asynchronous conversations recording their computer’s audio and video, typing, and drawing on the screen.

Create

Upload, share and discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files, and videos. Over 50 different types of media can be used in a VoiceThread.

Comment

Comment on VoiceThread sites using one of five powerful commenting options: microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload.

Share

Keep a VoiceThread private, share it with specific people, or open it up to the entire world.

Summer 2024 Changes to VoiceThread:

The core experience will not change, so VoiceThread will still do everything you already do now, and it will have a fresh new look along with some new features.

New VoiceThread Features Summer 2024

  • Bulk comment management options
  • Audio descriptions of slides
  • One conversation view
  • Zooming and panning while commenting
  • Option to sort VoiceThreads by “most recently active”
  • Compact list of all VoiceThreads in the home page sidebar
  • Media sources included in the slide upload options inside an open VoiceThread
  • Ability to jump to another slide while commenting without having to flip through them sequentially
  • View assignment thumbnails in the course view

Changes to VoiceThread Summer 2024

  • New version is fully accessible, so VT Universal is no longer necessary
  • Comment button moved to the left side of the page
  • Slide navigation buttons moved to the left side of the page
  • Increased visibility for closed captions
  • Comments timelines appear inside the comment window, not at the bottom of the thread
  • CC button moved to the bottom-right corner of the page

Discontinued VoiceThread Features Summer 2024

  • Phone commenting
  • Full-screen button

VoiceThread Features Coming Soon

  • Drag-and-drop sharing
  • Bulk actions on the home page (deleting and sharing multiple threads at once)
  • Dark mode for the home page
  • Customize closed caption display

VoiceThread Resources for Summer 2024 Changes

VoiceThread Guides:

VoiceThread in Canvas: Instructor Guide

VoiceThread in Canvas: Student Guide

Creating a VoiceThread

Editing a VoiceThread

Viewing a VoiceThread

Commenting on a VoiceThread

Video Tutorials

Georgetown VoiceThread FAQs

What type of VoiceThread account do I have?

All instructors at GU are eligible for Pro accounts, which all you to create an unlimited number of VoiceThreads, with unlimited storage, and allow you to manage access/people to those VoiceThreads. All students at GU are eligible for Basic accounts (create up to 50 VoiceThreads and 1 GB of storage). Please contact VoiceThread Customer Support at support@voicethread.com if you believe your account type is incorrect.

Are there file size limits when uploading content?

No single file can be larger than 3 GB. If your presentation or video is larger than that, try breaking it up into smaller files and uploading them individually.

What file types does VoiceThread support?

VoiceThread allows the use of multiple file types to create a VoiceThread.

  • Text documents: DOC, DOCX, PDF, ODT, XLS, XLSX, and ODS files. Uploading text files with multiple pages will convert each page into “slides” within one VoiceThread. You can then comment (if you wish) on each unique slide within that one VoiceThread.
  • Presentations: PPT, PPTX, and ODP. Uploading presentation files with multiple slides will covert each slide into a single VoiceThread that contains multiple slides. For example, a presentation file with 12 slides will become a since VoiceThread with 12 slides. You can then comment (if you wish) on each unique slide within that one VoiceThread.
  • Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP files. Uploading multiple images at the same time will create one VoiceThread with multiple slides; with each slide containing a single image.
  • Audio files: MP3 or WAV formats.
  • Video: Most MOV, WMV or AVI files. For best results use H.264 encoding.

Can I access VoiceThread from a mobile device?

Yes. A comprehensive list of support topics related to mobile access can be found on VoiceThread’s iOS Mobile App access page. To access your Georgetown VoiceThread account using an iPad, you first need to modify the custom domain in the iPad’s settings:

  1. Select “Settings” from the iPad’s main screen.
  2. Scroll down to VoiceThread in the list of apps.
  3. On the right side of the screen, select Custom Domain under the Network section. Type in “georgetown”.

Note: You cannot add video content while using the mobile app.

How do I use VoiceThread in Canvas?

Both instructors and students can access the help page on using VoiceThread in your LMS (Canvas), where you can select your role, LMS (Canvas), and obtain specific guides on how to use VoiceThread.

Can I make graded assignments with VoiceThread?
Yes, however this is only available in Canvas. When you create your VoiceThread assignment in your course follow the prompts to select the type of VoiceThread assignment. Assignment points and the due date will need to be set both within Canvas and the VoiceThread during the assignment creation process. When it comes times to grade student submissions in VoiceThread those grades will automatically be sent to the Canvas gradebook.

How do I use VoiceThread outside of Canvas?

You can login with your NetID and password here where you can access the VoiceThread web app. For specific help guides on the VoiceThread web app check out VoiceThread’s support site.

Can I share VoiceThreads outside of Canvas?

Yes there is a “share” link to share VoiceThreads around the web. However, for recipients to comment they will need a VoiceThread account. They may also need to be part of the group (course) that the VoiceThread is shared with, depending on privacy settings. You can get detailed instructions on how to use the VoiceThread web app to share VoiceThreads.

You can only upload URLs that point directly to image or video files. Such as “www.example.com/files/image1.jpg” or “www.example.com/files/video.mp4”. You cannot use URLs directly from YouTube or Vimeo. To include a YouTube video in a VoiceThread, you’ll need to use a 3rd party application like http://www.clipconverter.cc/ to download the video as an MP4 onto your computer, then you can upload that video file into VoiceThread. You should only do this after clearing any copyright or fair-use concerns.

Why am I unable to see someone’s comment on a VoiceThread?

The comment may have been added as a private reply or comment moderation may be turned on. If you own the VoiceThread, double-check to make sure your playback settings are correct. If you are a professor, you may avoid these problems by creating assignments using VoiceThread’s Assignment Builder in Canvas.

Can the annotation/drawing tools be used with text comments?

Not at this time; the drawing tool can only be used with video and audio comments.

Can I annotate or comment on a VoiceThread at a specific time?

Yes. You can interact dynamically with content as you record your comment.

VoiceThread Support:

Support for this tool is provided by VoiceThread. The Georgetown UIS help desk and Canvas Support will not be able to resolve issues related to VoiceThread.

For VoiceThread technical support, please email: support@voicethread.com

View a list of VoiceThread Technical Support documents

Teaching with VoiceThread

VoiceThread Workshops

VoiceThread Blog

Video Tutorials

VoiceThread Status Page

VoiceThread at Georgetown is a partnership between the School of Continuing Studies, University Information Services, the Georgetown University Library and the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.