VoiceThread Sidebar – IT@JH University Information Systems

Adding a VoiceThread Assignment to Blackboard (Video Demo)

VoiceThread Known Issues

Authentication Issues

VoiceThread Account Verification

You get a screen stating “You already have a VoiceThread account under the email address email@jhu.edu.”

account verification

Note: the VoiceThread password is NOT your JHED password; you will need to reset the local password used by VoiceThread.

1. From the verification page, click on the link that says “Reset“. This will take you to the password-reset page.

2. Enter the email address to have the password-reset email sent.

Note: email must be deliverable.

3. Check your email; you should receive something like:

Reset your VoiceThread password email

Note: If you do not receive the email to reset password, check your SPAM/JUNK mail folder.

4. Follow the link to the VoiceThread – Password Reset screen and change your local password.

VoiceThread - Password Reset

5. Once you’ve changed the password, clear your Browser cookies and quit Browser windows.

6. Relaunch Browser, go back to the VoiceThread link again.

7. Enter the new local password on the Account Verification page.

If you have trouble merging accounts, please contact voicethread@jhu.edu and tell us the existing email and your new account.

Browser Issues

https://voicethread.com/howto/browser-requirements/

VoiceThread is supported in full in:

Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox

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.

Troubleshooting

https://voicethread.com/howto-categories/troubleshooting/

Adding a VoiceThread Presentation to Blackboard

It is now possible to use a tool to easily display VoiceThread presentations within Blackboard and share them with the class.

Making the VoiceThread Tool Available

From the Control Panel in your course, choose Customization > Tool Availability.
Scroll down the list of tools to find the VoiceThread entry and check the box to the far right.
Click Submit.

The VoiceThread tool should now be available in your course. To check this, go to any Content Area (i.e. Course Content) in your course and select the Tools dropdown at the top. You should now see VoiceThread as one of the options.

Adding a VoiceThread to Blackboard

Once inside your course, make sure Edit Mode (upper right corner) has been turned on.
Navigate to the content area within your course where you want to add the VoiceThread link. In this case, we’ll select Course Content.
Click Tools and select VoiceThread.
Fill in a name and description, if desired.
Attach a file if desired. Note: This is not how you link to the VoiceThread. This option is for other files (.docx, .pdf, etc.) that may accompany the VoiceThread.
if you plan to make this link a VoiceThread Assignment, set Enable Grading to Yes. Otherwise, leave the Enable Grading option set to No.
Choose whether or not to allow users to view the link at this time, open it in a new window, and also track the number of views or not. Select date and time restrictions if desired. Click Submit.
The link will appear in your content area.
Click the link to connect it to VoiceThread.You now have a choice of what the link will do:
- Course View will display all VoiceThreads that are shared with this course.
- Individual VT will link to a single VoiceThread that has already been created.
- VT Home will display the VoiceThread home page.
- Assignment Builder creates a graded assignment for students to complete. You can require them to create a VoiceThread of their own to submit, to comment on a VoiceThread you’ve created, or simply to watch a VoiceThread start to finish. See Adding a VoiceThread Assignment to Blackboard (Video Demo)
We’ll select the Individual VT option to link to a particular VoiceThread that has already been created.
Next, select a VoiceThread from the list to share with the class.
Click the Share with Class button.
The VoiceThread is now shared with the class.

For further resources, please refer to https://voicethread.com/howto/blackboard-2/

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 Blackboard, 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
integration with Blackboard
‘Basic’ accounts for JHU affiliates
a certain number of ‘Pro’ accounts
ability to create Groups
ability to share securely
unlimited number of VoiceThreads
ability to upload audio files as comments
more storage capacity

More information:

Computer Requirements

Browser – must accept cookies
Microphone – optional, but highly suggested
Webcam – optional

Setting up your Microphone

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

Blackboard instructors: you can use the Adding a VoiceThread Presentation to Blackboard steps and that will just add a link in your Blackboard course for students
Others: Sign In to jhu.voicethread.com with your JHED credentials.

Note:

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 Blackboard, you may initially get prompted for VoiceThread Account Verification. See VoiceThread Known Issues.

Mobile app

VoiceThread Mobile (v4.0 or later) Login: see VoiceThread Mobile (v4.0 or later) Login.
VoiceThread Mobile (pre-v4.0) Login: see VoiceThread Mobile (pre-v4.0) Login.

Tutorials

Account Types

What’s the difference between Basic and Pro Accounts?

By default, anyone who can log into jhu.voicethread.com will get a Basic account. Instructors will want to get upgraded to a Pro account.

	Basic	Pro
Create Groups	No	Yes
Number of VoiceThreads	50	Unlimited
Upload audio files as comments	Yes	Yes
Slides per VoiceThread	500	500

How do I get a Pro account?

Instructors can contact voicethread@jhu.edu to request to have their VoiceThread accounts upgraded to Pro.