Voicethread

Voicethread is an online collaborative tool that allows users to communicate with others via their comments. An atmosphere of respectful, constructive interaction, and a professional exchange of ideas and perspectives can be created if the tool is used effectively. It is a tool that can facilitate digital communication, and learning about the tool can enhance students' digital literacy.

(Digitalkatie, 2012, http://www.digitalmediacomputing.org.uk/?p=306) 

Voicethread sets itself apart from other collaborative tools, such as blogs, by allowing users to voice their opinions using video, audio, and/or text. The ideas that contributors present are more memorable, as the listener or viewers' visual and audio, as opposed to strictly literary, senses are engaged. This allows for a dynamic form of communication that online tools usually don't. A seminar and meeting can be conducted using Voicethread, but those who take part are not restricted by their location or availability, as users can contribute anytime and anywhere. Users are also not tempted to go off topic, as all comments on the slide are strictly related to the information that is presented on that slide.

Voicethread's adaptability in function allows it to be a tool for a wide variety of purposes. In an academic atmosphere, students can post their own threads with their work (ex. their research), and receive feedback for it from others. Online courses can use it in place of seminar, as students are able to voice their opinion and form connections between the theory that is presented on the slides, and their personal experiences.

One fantastic quality I noticed about Voicethread is the extent to which users were professional and respectful in their tone of communication. Therefore, students are able to use Voicethread as a tool to practice their professional oral and written communication skills. They are able to learn through observing how others present their ideas, and can immediately practice their own communication skills by taking part in the commentary.