Creating and using groups is a useful way to securely share VoiceThread presentations with other users. Instructors can create groups that can be easily accessed by members of a class. Once added to the group, students can create and share their own VoiceThread presentations as well as comment on presentations created by other members of the group.
Once logged in to VoiceThread, click your account name/email address in the upper right-hand corner and select Groups & Contacts.
Any previously created groups or contacts will appear. Click the Add Group button to create a new group.
Give the group a name and description (optional). Select a header image (optional). Click Create Group.
Click the Group Sign-up Link button in the upper right corner.
Copy the link and click Done to close the window. Paste the link into an email or website. Anyone who clicks the link will be automatically added to the group and will have access to any VoiceThread presentations added to the group. Note: Users must have previously logged into VoiceThread with their JHED ID and password at http://jhu.voicethread.com to be successfully added to the group.
From the Home page, you should now see the newly created group in the list of groups.
Adding Group Members Manually to a Group
Group members can be added to a group manually by dragging and dropping them from your contact list into the group.
Once logged in to VoiceThread, click your account name/email address in the upper right-hand corner and select Groups & Contacts.
Click on My Contacts at the top of the list on the left to display all contacts.
Click on the name of a contact on the right and drag it to a group on the left. Note: See Adding a Contact for more help adding contacts.
You’ll see a confirmation message in the upper right corner confirming that the contact has been added to the group.
Adding a Contact
Once logged in to VoiceThread, click your account name/email address in the upper right-hand corner and select Groups & Contacts.
Click on My Contacts at the top of the list on the left, and then the blue Add Contact button on the right.
Fill in the contact’s information and click Save. Note: A contact must have previously logged into VoiceThread with their JHED ID and password at http://jhu.voicethread.com to be successfully added to the contact list.
The new contact has been added.
Edit or Delete a Group
Once logged in to VoiceThread, click your account name/email address in the upper right-hand corner and select Groups & Contacts.
Select the group from the left-hand side and click the Overview link on the top right.
From here you can edit the group name, description, or header. Click Save to save changes. Click Delete to delete the group.
VoiceThread is web-based presentation software that allows users to create and share interactive multimedia slideshows. VoiceThread presentations are used to showcase audio, video, images, and documents while allowing users to comment on them in a variety of ways. The result is an ongoing, asynchronous, digital conversation that can be easily shared with individuals, groups, and/or embedded into different websites.
Home (top left): Contains links to VoiceThreads that you have created and that you are subscribed to. Also displays any groups you’ve created or are a member of. Browse (top left): Browse publicly available VoiceThreads Create (top left): Create and edit your VoiceThreads
In the top right, you can toggle between list and tile views.
In the bottom left, you can find a link to customize your text and background colors.
In the bottom right, you can find a link to get help with VoiceThread.
Navigating a VoiceThread Presentation
Identity icons on the left side indicate comments that have been left by viewers.
The Play/Pause button can be found in the bottom-left corner.
Click the Add Comment button to leave a comment.
In the bottom-right corner, you can navigate to the next or previous slide, or show all slides. You can also zoom in or out.
Setting Up your Microphone
If you intend to use the audio record feature, you will need a working microphone. Please see the following instructions to set up a microphone on your Mac or Windows.
Creating a VoiceThread
Gather the materials that you will be using in your presentation (presentation files, images, videos, etc.). We have found that saving the PowerPoint presentation as a .pdf file before uploading to VoiceThread often works better.
Once you have accessed VoiceThread, click the Create link in the top left .
In the center of the screen, click to expand the Add Media option menu :
My Computer: allows you to upload files from your computer (or you can drag and drop files right onto the screen). Media Sources: allows you to upload images or files stored in your own account with media sites such as Flickr. Webcam Photo: will use your webcam to take a photo and instantly add it to the slide. Webcam Video: allows you to record a video using your webcam. URL: allows you to enter the address of a particular file on the internet.Note: If uploading a video, .mov, .flv, and .mp4 files work best.
When you have finished adding media to your presentation, click the Options link in the upper right corner and select Playback settings to edit/adjust the playback settings for your presentation. Click Update to save. .
Playback Settings:
Allow others to download original media
Allow others to export
Start playing when opened
Allow others to make a copy
Enable Comment Moderation
Automatically advance to the next slide after x seconds
Adding a Comment to a VoiceThread Presentation
Add a comment to your VoiceThread presentation by clicking the Comment button (in the Create/Edit view).
Alternatively, from the Home screen, you can click on your presentation to play it and comment from there.
Several options for commenting will be visible at the bottom center of the slide. (Click the plus sign to expand the options if they are not visible.) Use the navigational buttons in the lower right to progress to the slide where you want to leave the comment.
When saved, the comment will appear as your identity icon, located along the left side of the VoiceThread. Any future comments made by others will be added the same way, with identity icons populating the left perimeter of the VoiceThread. When the VoiceThread is played, each slide will play through/display all comments before proceeding to the next slide.
Each comment also adds a timeline at the bottom of each slide (green bar), the length of which corresponds to the length of the comment. Hover over it for a timestamp of the comment.
Commenting options:
Add a typed comment
Record a comment using the telephone (currently not supported by our JHU license)
Record a comment using a microphone (60 minutes max)
Record a comment using a webcam (60 minutes max)
Upload a previously recorded audio comment (.wav or .mp3 files work best)
Editing a VoiceThread
From the Home screen, hover over the VoiceThread you would like to edit and click the Edit link in the option menu that appears.
Alternatively, from within the VoiceThread presentation itself, click the option menu in the upper left corner and select Edit.
Add additional media or comments, drag and drop to reorder slides, or hover over any slide to edit or delete.
When finished editing, click Home to locate and play the VoiceThread to view changes.
Sharing a VoiceThread
From the Home screen, hover over the VoiceThread you would like to share and click the Share link in the option menu that appears. Alternatively, click the Share link from the top of the Create/Edit screen.
Also, from within the VoiceThread presentation itself, click the option menu in the upper left corner and select Share.
To share with a group/class, select the group name from the list that appears on the Secure tab. Note: If your group/class does not appear in this list, you need to first create a group. See how to create a group.
Sharing Permissions and Notifications
Once you’ve selected the group(s), use the permission icons on the right side to decide if group members can view, comment, and/or edit the VoiceThread. Select the Notify by email option if you want group members to receive an email letting them know that the VoiceThread is available to them. Click Share to share the VoiceThread.
You will get a success message when the group is successfully shared.
VoiceThreads can be opened and viewed, but audio and video cannot be recorded in the following browsers. As these browsers evolve to support HTML5, this may change.
Safari
Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer does not support HTML5 and therefore cannot be used with VoiceThread.
For the best possible experience, your web browser should be fully up to date, but at minimum no more than two versions behind.
Starting on July 1, 2022 VoiceThread will be implementing a data clean-up policy that might result in some inactive accounts being deleted. The following policies will apply to users under your license:
Account has never been accessed: Will be deleted 1 year after it was created.
Account has been accessed but no content has been created: Will be deleted after 1 year of inactivity.
Account owner has created content: Will be deleted after 2 years of inactivity. The owner of the account will be notified by email 30 days in advance so they can take action if they would like. If someone wants to ensure their account is not deleted automatically, all they need to do is sign in at least once per year.
What is VoiceThread?
VoiceThread is web-based presentation software that allows users to create and share interactive multimedia slideshows. VoiceThread presentations are used to showcase audio, video, images, and documents while allowing users to comment on them in a variety of different ways. The result is a digital conversation that can be easily shared with individuals, groups, and/or embedded into different websites, including Canvas, the learning management system used here at Johns Hopkins.
Johns Hopkins has licensed VoiceThread to gives us the following features:
authentication with our Johns Hopkins Enterprise Authentication
integration with Student Information Systems enrollments
If you intend to use the audio commenting feature, you will need a working microphone. To do this, we highly suggest you use a USB headset microphone. If you have ever participated in a LiveTalk or Adobe Connect session, the same mic can be used. You can also use the microphone that is built in to your computer. Please see the following linked instructions to set up a microphone on your Mac or PC.
Logging into VoiceThread
There are two main ways to access JHU’s VoiceThread
If you already have a free VoiceThread account outside of JHU, you may see a notification that you need to merge your old account into the new JHU account. Simply enter your email address to continue. You will then be directed to the VoiceThread home page, where you should see any VoiceThreads you previously created or subscribed to.
VoiceThread Account Verification
If you have previously logged into jhu.voicethread.com AND you have started using the VoiceThread tool within Canvas, you may initially get prompted for VoiceThread Account Verification.