Colleges and universities are now part of an ecosystem that includes educational technology companies. As more faculty adopt Web 2.0 technologies, institutions ofhigher education must seek sustainable methods to support faculty and this mayinvolve collaborations with ecosystem partners. The purpose of this action research study was to improve the support resources provided by the VoiceThread organization, a Web 2.0 tool provider, to its higher education users. This study was guided by three questions: a) is there a significant difference in faculty perceptions about the pedagogical benefits of VoiceThread between faculty who examine VoiceThread in an eBook and faculty who examine VoiceThread through a webinar; b) how can an eBook be designed to support the diverse needs of 21st century faculty; and c) what are the support needs of faculty who teach with VoiceThread?

Audio/video discussion has been used increasingly in online courses due to its affordances in enhancing online communication. However, whether learners of different characteristics can benefit from this discussion modality has not been investigated extensively. This study examined whether gender plays a role in learners’ preferences and perceptions of audio/video discussion as compared to text discussion. The survey data of thirty-six participants’ perceptions were collected and studied after they participated in an audio/video discussion activity. The findings show that females preferred audio/video discussion more than males did, and more females reported that audio/video discussion strengthened their connection with peers. The top three benefits of audio/video discussion perceived by females and males are presented in this paper. Overall, using audio/video discussion to augment online communication and to connect learners is likely to be more effective and perceived more positively by female students than male students. The findings in this study could provide implications for sound pedagogical decisions that satisfy student preferences.

The purpose of this action research was to assess the pedagogical value of the software program VoiceThread (VT) as compared to classroom discussions in developing and enhancing student production of the Present Subjunctive at the Intermediate level of Spanish language courses.

This research provides a structure for creating an engaging online classroom and provides empirical support showing the value of a collaborative tool: VoiceThread. The two research questions: (1) How does the instructor increase student engagement in an online course? and (2) How does the instructor evaluate the value of a collaborative online tool? are discussed using qualitative and quantitative methods, respectively.

This article defines active learning before explaining the theory and practice of VoiceThread technology. It is a provocative, persuasive presentation of VoiceThread technology in action including available resources and how to produce it. Keywords: active learning, interactive learning, experiential learning, constructivist learning, engaged learning, motivated learning, hands-on learning, authentic learning, problem-based learning, case-based learning, group learning, team-based learning, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, simulation, game-based learning, discussion learning, production-based learning.

The integration of technology and literacy is essential to developing 21st century skills to create successful learners. In this presentation, presenters will describe how iPads are being utilized by primary grade teachers to enhance literacy instruction in their classrooms. Participants will: (1) gain knowledge of the iPad as an instructional tool to provide differentiation using multiple modalities, (2) become more knowledgeable about choosing and using appropriate apps for instructional purposes, (3) gain knowledge of the various grouping methods conducive to iPad use. Presenters will describe technological support essential to beginning iPad use, provide criteria for choosing appropriate apps, provide opportunities for participants to discuss educational apps supportive of individual learning outcomes, and provide opportunities for teachers to reflect and ask questions via VoiceThread, an online multimedia tool.

VoiceThread is a popular Web 2.0 program and has been used by many educators because of its ease of use and flexibility. It is an asynchronous online discussion board with audio/video capabilities. Various studies show that VoiceThread promotes students’ engagement and collaboration in different subject areas at all grade levels. The purpose of the presentation is to share the author’s recent experiment on VoiceThead in an online course. Thirty-eight pre-service and in-service teachers engage in two different tasks using VoiceThread. After they complete the assignments, they respond to an online survey for assessing the pedagogical affordance of VoiceThread.

During this session, we will: 1) discuss the emergence of new literacies, especially digital storytelling, in the teaching and learning of English Language Learners (ELLs); 2) engage participants in an interactive discussion concerning the implications of the various new literacies for pedagogical practice; 3) demonstrate the power of digital storytelling in promoting the learning of ELLs by showing on a laptop a digital story produced by one of our students; 4) share the process of creating personal stories using a storyboard technique as a learning and teaching tool; and 5) invite participants to share their experience of creating a personal story as a way to explore how they would translate this written story into a digital form. Through these activities, we hope that participants will be motivated to explore other pedagogical possibilities for helping ELLs acquire new literacies and literate skills, thereby broadening these students’ educational experience.

Asynchronous discussions are often utilized in online courses to provide a venue for students to openly communicate and build shared understanding, and for instructors to skillfully facilitate the process. While discussions can be invaluable toward creating and sustaining an online community of inquiry (CoI), they are not effective if not optimally designed. It is the authors’ position that it is helpful to identify research-proven online discussion strategies and conceptualize them into the CoI framework, which has been extensively studied and validated. This framework posits that there are three interrelated presences – social, cognitive, and teaching – that must be perceived by members in order to facilitate a successful educational experience. Classifying strategies within this framework may guide instructors to purposefully select and employ methods that encourage productive, efficient, and meaningful discussions. Strategies, such as providing prompt but modest feedback, peer facilitation, protocol discussion prompts, and providing audio feedback, were found to support multiple presences in a review of the literature. Based on these findings, it is argued that educators need to employ discussion strategies that integrate all three presences in order to support an effective online CoI.

This paper investigates student responses to two tools used to create learning environments that encourage the sharing of ideas and discussion in online asynchronous university courses.