Poetry+VoiceThread+Project

= **VOICETHREAD POETRY PROJECT, 2011** = From the Po'e Ka'ahele Multiage Classroom (52 students in grades 4 and 5, separated into 3 home groups) Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Cabbab and Mrs. Wallace

In the poetry unit, students read, respond to and write their own poetry. The unit culminates in the creation of a hand-made book of students' original poems and a semi-formal poet's tea complete with tea sandwiches, poetry readings, and waiters (our wonderful parents!). For the VoiceThread piece, the students chose one poem to share. Each home group had their own VoiceThread which was presented at a school assembly and then shared with parents and the wider school community.
 * Poetry Unit**

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds [|images, documents, and videos] and allows people to navigate slides and leave [|comments in 5 ways] - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). VoiceThreads can be shared with friends, students, and colleagues who can record comments too. In this way, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world - all with no software to install. Users can [|doodle] while commenting, use multiple [|identities], and VoiceThread managers can monitor comments with the [|moderation] tool. VoiceThreads can even be [|embedded] to show and receive comments on other websites and [|exported] to MP3 players or DVDs.
 * What is VoiceThread? Overview adapted from Voicethread.com:**

There are endless possibilities with this online tool but our librarian, Mrs. Rosen was inspired by an art VoiceThread created by Mrs. Pazman, her son's teacher at Punahou, then a poetry Voicethread done by a teacher named Mrs. Mattson from Watertown, MA. She decided to work with the Po'e teachers to try something similar.


 * Front end set-up:**
 * 1) We recommend getting an **Ed.VoiceThread** account. All of the VoiceThread K-12 Products use **Ed.VoiceThread**, a secure and accountable environment found at ed.voicethread.com . It's a web-based communications network built specifically for K-12 Students and Educators. Having this account will enable users to set up accounts for students very easily. Our account was $60 for a one year one class subscription.
 * 2) Begin by setting up an "identity" for each student. We used first name only with student-drawn pictures as their identifying icon.
 * 3) Teach the students how to log on to Voicethread, to access their class thread, and together, create guidelines for comments.
 * 4) Once a core of students learned how to use Voicethread, they taught each other.

Once the poems and illustrations were completed, the steps involved in creating the Voicethreads were simple.
 * Creating the VoiceThread**
 * 1) Scan poems and illustrations
 * 2) Upload to Voicethread
 * 3) Students access the thread and record their poem
 * 4) Students and teachers leave comments for each other
 * 5) Voicethreads are presented at assembly to school
 * 6) Voicethreads are shared with wider school community

We hope you enjoy these VoiceThreads! Please feel free to log on and comment, and if you have any questions at all, please just ask! (mrosen@hanahauoli.org)