Technology

LiveBinders

LiveBinders (http://livebinders.com/) provides an online system that permits users to organize information in an electronic, online binder through a series of tabs. LiveBinders is a simple platform to organize and present various pieces of information, whether they are website links or files, into one place for easy, accessible sharing. The creator of the binder can restrict who has viewing access to the binder. The creator can also allow others editing privileges for the binder.

Users organize a binder with various tabs. Each tab not only holds information, but also can feature a variety of subtabs. Figure 1 shows a binder with information on three states (each state is a main tab). One of the main tabs, Montana, contains two subtabs (Learn About Montana and Compare and Contrast States). Binder users can select any main tab, or subtab, to access the information the binder creator has provided on those pages.

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Figure 1.

LiveBinders is organized by a series of tabs that feature information the creator wishes to share.

LiveBinders features different layout templates, similar to the templates available for many presentation programs, which are used with each main tab or subtab (see Figure 2). The media box of a layout can contain any of the following file formats: .pdf, .jpg, .gif, .ppt, .doc, .txt, or .mov.

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Figure 2.

The content of a binder page follows template designs similar to presentation software programs.

The possibilities for creating a LiveBinder are limitless for students and teachers. Students can research topics and share what they have learned with a LiveBinder. They can include websites, text, photos, and video clips to show their understanding of the topic they are presenting. Other students can view these binders and expand their understanding of the topic. Teachers can create binders on topics they wish to teach. The binder can include documents, websites, or videos they wish students to study, along with questions they wish students to consider when reviewing the information on the tab. For example, Figure 3 shows a binder tab that includes a pdf document in the media window and instructions for the student in an adjacent textbox, and Figure 4 shows a binder tab that includes a website in the media window and instructions for students in an adjacent textbox.

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Figure 3.

A LiveBinders tab featuring a pdf page and a textbox.

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Figure 4.

A LiveBinders tab featuring a website and a textbox.

When websites are inserted, the actual website appears in the media window, so students can view the website and read the teacher instructions without leaving the binder. YouTube videos can be included in a media window, allowing teachers to suggest a list of topics for the student to consider when viewing a video. Once again, students watch the YouTube video and consider the questions the teacher has proposed without leaving the binder. Teachers can customize binder tabs to differentiate learning for students.

Within LiveBinders, the Edit Menu features five tabs that control most aspects of a binder. Users upload files; add, remove, and move tabs (see Figure 5); insert media; change layouts; and set binder properties from the Edit Menu.

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Figure 5.

A series of tabs within the Edit Menu control most aspects of a binder.

LiveBinder It (http://livebinders.com/create/bookmark) is a useful accessory users can install. This is a bookmarking tool that is installed on the browser toolbar. While browsing the web, users add websites directly into one of their binders or create a new binder in their account by clicking on the LiveBinder It link. With this add on, users can add pages without leaving the website to go to the LiveBinders site. This is a quick and easy way to add web pages to existing binders or create new binders.

Binder creators can share editing rights to their binders with others. This feature is useful for students working on a joint project. Currently, LiveBinders is free. Users create, share, and present as many LiveBinders as they wish, however they are restricted to uploading files under 5 MB and cannot exceed 100 MB of storage for their account. The LiveBinders site includes some excellent short videos (http://livebinders.com/?type=video#) demonstrating the various features of the system.

VoiceThread

In the early 1980s, educators began teaching students to create webs (sometimes referred to as concept maps) as an alternative to traditional outlining. Webs were used to help students plan projects, organize information, and show what they knew. VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/) takes webbing to a new level by allowing users to create pseudo webs that feature slides consisting of documents, simple text, videos, sound files, or graphic images. A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show in which viewers navigate through the slides and leave comments. The comments can be left in five ways: using voice (with a telephone or a computer’s microphone), typing text, uploading an audio file, or creating video via a webcam.

A VoiceThread consists of a series of slides. These slides are created in a variety of ways. Existing content, such as graphic images, PowerPoint slides, pdf documents, or word processing documents, can be uploaded. VoiceThread supports pdf; Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; image; and video formats. Audio/visual content can also be created on the site using a user’s computer microphone or webcam (see Figure 6). Once slides are created, these slides can be arranged in any order by selecting them and moving them with a mouse (see Figure 7). Titles and links can also be attached to each of these slides. While the term slide is used here, the slide might actually be a video clip or a pdf.

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Figure 6.

VoiceThread slides are created several different ways.

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Figure 7.

VoiceThread slides can be rearranged in any order.

Once the slides have been unloaded (created), the VoiceThread is shared with others who add comments to any of the slides. Of course, the creator may wish to add comments to slides as well. These comments are similar to branches in a traditional web. The comments appear as icons around the slide (see Figure 8). For example, a teacher might feature a video on the slide and have attached comments for the student to consider when watching the video. The comments can be typed text, recorded video, or recorded audio.

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Figure 8.

VoiceThread slides include the option to have users’ comments attached.

The beauty of VoiceThread is the variety of formats comments can take. Some students may prefer to type their comments; others might be more comfortable recording video responses. Viewers simply select how they wish to comment from the menu under the slide (see Figure 9).

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Figure 9.

The options of using a telephone, recording a video, recording audio, or typing a comment are shown as icons under a VoiceThread slide.

Comments can be saved as introductions to slides. In this case, the comment automatically appears or plays when the slide appears. Comments can also be passive links for viewers to select and activate.

Although VoiceThread has a number of interesting features, two stand out. Users who wish to leave audio comments about a slide but who do not have a microphone on their computer select the telephone icon and enter their phone number. The VoiceThread site immediately calls the phone number entered and an automated voice instructs the listener to speak his or her comment into the phone. The system records and embeds the voice message on the slide.

The second interesting feature is the doodle feature. When users make an audio or video comment, they can draw on the existing slide while they are recording their comment. If the existing slide is a video, doodlers can actually stop the video on the slide during their narrative, draw on it with one of the doodle pen colors that appear in a circle near the bottom (see Figure 10), and move forward and back through the video while they record their narrative. The doodle function allows users to start and stop video at will while making their narrations.

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Figure 10.

The doodle option is activated by selecting one of the colors from the color wheel at the bottom of the screen while recording a video or audio comment.

Finally, the VoiceThread can be shared with others in a variety of ways. It might be embedded into an individual’s social media page. The web address (URL) for the VoiceThread can simply be shared with others or put on a website. Email invitations can also be sent. A simple 1-minute VoiceThread instruction video (http://voicethread.com/share/8381/) provides all the information users need to start making VoiceThreads. VoiceThread offers free access for up to three VoiceThreads. Users who wish to store more than three threads or wish to use the more advanced features of the application can pay a fee.

LiveBinders and VoiceThread are two free options to explore with students. They move students beyond the traditional slide presentations that have come to dominate many classrooms. These products harness students’ creativity and build interaction into what were once static student presentations. Gifted and talented students will enjoy the interactive options these products provide.