How to Create a New Voicethread Account Leah Holck – Michigan State University Suzanne Bonn – Sugiyama Jogakuen University TESOL 2009

Voicethread is an online program that lets users have conversations about photos and videos. A Voicethread can be used to: present classroom content analyze authentic materials start conversations about personal topics. Each participant needs a voicethread account. They are free and easy to make!

Go to Click on “Create”

Click on “Register!”

Fill in your name and address. Choose a password. (Write it down so that you don’t forget it!) Click “register.”

The “create” screen will open. Move your cursor to the upper right. Click on “my account.”

Next, you will choose a picture for your identity. Click on “edit.”

Search your computer (or USB drive) for a picture you like. This picture will appear whenever you leave a comment.

Now you have an account and an identity! You are ready to start using Voicethread.

You can add more identities to your profile (for your students, or for multiple rounds of comments.)

When you are finished, click “done.”

The next time you open voicethread, use your address and your new password to sign in.

How to Create a New Voicethread Slideshow Leah Holck – Michigan State University Suzanne Bonn – Sugiyama Jogakuen University TESOL 2009

Go to Sign in. Click on “Create”. Click on “Upload”.

Add as many images as you like. They will appear in the tray.

Give your voicethread a name and description.

Now, narrate your slideshow. You can record your comments using a microphone or comment in type. Commenters’ pictures appear here

While you talk, you can choose a color from the color palette to draw on the image.

Anyone can hear / read your comment by clicking on your picture. You can delete your own comments at any time. Click on the trash can.

Each user can create multiple identities. You may choose to include all of your students on one account. Or, ask your students to create their own accounts.

How to Share Your Voicethread Leah Holck – Michigan State University Suzanne Bonn – Sugiyama Jogakuen University TESOL 2009

From the last page of your slideshow, you can send your students a link to your voicethread, or embed it on your blog.

You can also access the share options from the “create” tab on the voicethread website.

When you click on “Share” and “embed” you will see this screen. Copy the embed code.

Embed the code into a new blog posting. (When using blogger, make sure you are in the “edit html” tab.) You can also add text to the post, below the voicethread image, by typing in the “compose” tab.

I recommend that you also add a link to the fullscreen voicethread in the text of your post.

SAMPLES To see a real voicethread used with ESL students at Michigan State University, go to: You can also link from the teacher’s blog:

Listen to a student’s comment 

SAMPLES To see a real voicethread created by students at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Japan, go to: You can also link from the student group’s blog:

If you have any further questions, please contact the presenters. Leah Holck Michigan State University English Language Center Suzanne Bonn Sugiyama Jogakuen University Nagoya, Japan