This design case discusses key steps taken to establish a virtual makerspace for students enrolled in an online graduate course on informal learning. Two key design decisions are elaborated around (a) the selection of appropriate projects and packaged materials that distance education students can receive by mail to participate in making, and (b) the choice of an online platform for distance education students to document their design processes for assessment purposes and peer interaction and learning. This design case is relevant to a variety of online communities who may wish to engage in maker activities as well as isolated face-to-face communities or individuals who may not have local mentors to support informal making and could, therefore, benefit from online connectivity to an expert or peer support. To promote replication of the design, materials and community tools to support making among geographically dispersed makers are detailed.

This study explored the use of a web-based tool, VoiceThread, as it relates to enhancing active learning and learner engagement in two online business courses. VoiceThread was integrated into various learner-centered activities supporting learner-learner, learner-content and learner-instructor interactions as part of an online course improvement process. As a result, using VoiceThread in two asynchronous courses created an online learning community, and promoted active learning and learner engagement in both courses.

Collaborative learning allows students to share diverse ideas, resources, and experiences. Studies have shown that students engaged in collaborative learning are more likely to achieve, and exhibit increased critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, in an online course class, students receive very little human interaction because most of the communication is via text. This article overviews how VoiceThread, a cloud-based web 2.0 application, has been used in primary, secondary, and higher education institutions for enhancing discussion in traditional and virtual classroom. From there, actionable class content with a focus on teaching students’ information literacy is provided. This article also shared technique parameters of VoiceThread, as well as some notes of using VoiceThread application.

This study explored the use of a web-based tool, VoiceThread, as it relates to enhancing active learning and learner engagement in two online business courses. VoiceThread was integrated into various learner-centered activities supporting learner-learner, learner-content and learner-instructor interactions as part of an online course improvement process. As a result, using VoiceThread in two asynchronous courses created an online learning community, and promoted active learning and learner engagement in both courses.

In this paper we describe our experience of implementing mediabased discussion in an online course to promote scholarly engagement, and to demonstrate the use of VoiceThread (2014), proprietary software for implementing media-based discussion

“I first heard about VoiceThread from the Coordinator of our Center for Excellence in Teaching. I had a problem that needed a solution and it seemed to me that VoiceThread was that answer.”

“You know what would be wonderful? If there was some type of tool where you could post a picture and have the students interact with the picture, talk to each other and comment”

“I feel very strongly that parents are important stakeholders, so we want them to have opportunities to connect with their children’s learning. VoiceThread is one of the ways we facilitate this connection.”

VoiceThread holds potential to provide students who rarely speak in class a means to create visually-based digital conversations. In light of this, pedagogical affordances of the tool are considered, along with efficacy behind VoiceThread development within English as a Foreign Language contexts. Instructional strategies, supported by examples, are presented. A means for in-service teachers to evaluate language production and learning outcomes emerge, along with techniques essential for monitoring, producing, and guiding effective VoiceThread development through inclusion of specifically developed resources.

This paper provides a glimpse into the use of interactive dialogue to increase and improve interactivity among interpreter education students via VoiceThread. The focus of the paper is primarily drawn from experiences in the education of signed language interpreting students, however, it is also relevant to spoken language interpreting students. While this article aims to explore the use of VoiceThread (also known as MyThread) as a dynamic digital tool to enhance dialogue, the concepts highlighted go beyond tools to demonstrate how improved connectivity and dialogue can serve as a strong foundation for community building in eLearning environments. Both theory and application of the ways in which dynamic dialogue can be integrated will be addressed throughout the paper. Exemplars are provided to guide educators through use and implementation of VoiceThread to improve dialogue in the classroom.