Emerging+Trends+VoiceThread

=Emerging Trends VoiceThread=

For this assignment, we were charged with the task of selecting a Web 2.0 technology and preparing a VoiceThread that provided some key information about the technology that we chose. This information included a brief history, educational impacts, and a quick overview on the processes associated with the technology. In my particular case, I decided that I would do my VoiceThread on Software as a Service Applications -- Google Apps.

The primary objective of this assignment, in my mind, was to create a voice thread that other instructors could use if they had information on a particular Web 2.0 technology. As such, I felt that software as a service was a good selection because of the fact that many educators may not have direct experience with this technology even though it can, and eventually will, have tremendous educational benefits.

You can view my completed VoiceThread by browsing to the following URL:

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=Selection Process=

In short, I selected my particular topic because of my familiarity with the technology. I spent several months as a cloud computing support engineer and felt very comfortable doing an assignment that focused on software as a service. Prior to making the final decision, however, I spent a good bit of time going through the list of available topics and researching the best I could. In the end, I simply felt that cloud computing made the most sense, so I selected that topic before someone else could grab it.

After making my topic selection, I thought that the next logical step would be gaining some familiarity with the process of creating a voice thread. In order to do this, I spent some time watching voice threads that other people created and reading through some of the documentation on their website. Once I was comfortable with the process, I began gathering sources and sifting through information. In order to complete the actual voice thread, I used Windows Movie Maker to create the video and Audacity to create and edit the audio recordings. The final step was simply uploading my video to voicethread.com sharing it with the class on our course wiki. =Reflection=

I found this assignment to be very interesting and certainly worthwhile. I am very familiar with cloud computing but admittedly had not given much thought to the benefit that utilizing this type of platform can have in a classroom environment. In the future, I would like to transition from my current role as a technical trainer and move into traditional education. After completing this assignment, I can say without hesitation that I would certainly include cloud computing and software as a service applications in my classroom instruction. I believe that this is one of the Web 2.0 technologies that is going to have a considerable impact on traditional education and am glad that I selected it as a topic.

After completing this project, I am very confident that I could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies such as software as a service applications into my classroom environment as a means of enhancing the learning that takes place in my course. To that end, I am very excited about utilizing Google Apps to increase the collaboration that takes place in my classes moving forward.