Blog 5: Voicethread

1. Compared to writing traditional essays as you have in other classes, were the expectations of the Voicethread assignment easier, harder or just different? In other words, was it clear to you what the format of the assignment was and how to produce one?

The expectations of the Voicethread assignment were both easier and harder just because the assignment was different from writing a traditional essay. It was easier because it implemented a visual element. By using pictures to emphasize the argument, the audience can actually see what the author is trying to argue. This can sometimes be difficult to express in traditional writing. The format of the program itself also made it easier than writing an essay because of the similar “slides” that the PowerPoint program utilizes. I have used PowerPoint extensively in the past which made the transition relatively smooth. Voicethread was more difficult in the respect that the program was new to me and I had to make sure what I said would get across to the audience the way that I had hoped. It was also difficult to use speech instead of text since I am not the most exciting speaker. In some respects, hearing my voice instead of reading an essay may have actually hurt my argument more than helping it.

2. How easy was the program to use? What problems did you have. (Give examples!)

The Voicethread program was very simple to use, but in all honesty the Animoto program was much more exciting and produced a much better result. Voicethread presentations seem somewhat dry and it was difficult to think of ways to keep the audience engaged. There are no options to add music or to add variety to slide transitions. The most advanced tool is the Video Doodling tool which wasn’t relevant in my presentation. I didn’t have any problems with Voicethread per se except that I didn’t have a microphone on my desktop so I was restricted to using my Mac that has the built-in microphone. Like I said, this wasn’t much of a problem for me but I could see how the microphone issue could easily deter someone from choosing the Voicethread assignment over a traditional essay.

3. Did the non-text requirements of the Voicethread program contribute to your learning in this class? Did they get in the way? Or did they have no affect at all?

The non-text requirements of the Voicethread program contributed to my learning because it gave me another tool to use to express my argument. It was refreshing to have the option of presenting an assignment in a new way and to step away from the traditional essays. However the non-text requirement also limited the presentations effectiveness. The Animoto program and my PSA video demonstrate how users can combine visuals, audio, and text to create a presentation. As an amateur video maker, I like to have the option to pick and choose and to combine these methods to create the most effective presentation.