Technology & Social Studies: VoiceThread and Other "Cloud Softwares"

     As the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, it is important that schools try and keep up with the times.  Back in high school, the only way for students to collaborate and exchange ideas with each other on an assignment would be to talk via e-mail, or possibly on a group message in Facebook.  Now, more and more exists that can help students work together when class is not in session.  One example is VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/).  

     I only recently discovered VoiceThread, and upon further investigation, it appears to be something that can be quite useful in a class setting.  It is described as an “online learning environment,” which is similar to the functions of a website like Blackboard.  Here, students are able to share all different forms of content with each other, be it photos, videos, or PDF’s.  The website uses “cloud software,” which is simply a fancy way of saying that all of its users are connected through a network like the Internet.  Websites like this are proving to be extremely successful because it makes collaboration among students outside of the classroom an easier process, and it allows for interaction to occur via multiple formats, from documents, to videos, to photos and so on.

     As stated above, VoiceThread is not the only “cloud software” that exists today.  This was merely stating an example of what is out there now that allows students to more easily work together outside of the classroom.  The fact that more and more websites like VoiceThread are being created shows that these are proving to be successful, and I think it is safe to say that we will be seeing “cloud software” becoming more and more prevalent in the classroom in the not-too-distant future.