Social Learning Theory and VoiceThread

This week I had the opportunity to explore the uses of VoiceThread to communicate content and information to my students. I was so impressed with the tool and it’s versatility. It was very simple and fun to import images, PowerPoint slides, and audio recordings to create a learning slideshow for my students.

I teach at an all girls leadership academy in Cleveland, Ohio. Each day we start our day by reciting our “Douglas MacArthur Creed”, which is an inspirational poem by poet Alice Potter. Students as young as Pre-K and as old as 8^th grade say these words together in unison to start our day in a positive, uplifting, and motivational way. As the teacher in charge of the “Lady Leadership Committee”, my job entails improving school climate and culture through implementing school-wide social and emotional learning activities.  I really wanted to use VoiceThread to explain the Creed to our newest students, so that they can not only learn the important words we say everyday, but also understand why it is such a meaningful part of our school culture.

In this VoiceThread, I introduce our special school, discuss why we say this Creed everyday, and then engage in an echo reading of the words. This VoiceThread will played at our school’s welcome assembly this year where we discuss the student’s behavioral and academic expectations and well as the school’s code of conduct policies. In addition, I shared this VoiceThread with my school’s principal and curriculum and instructional coach. They would like to put this link on our school’s website so that new students and their families can practice the Creed at home. They liked the technology so much that they asked me to make an additional VoiceThread that breaks down the challenging words in the Creed and provides a more clear explanation of what these words mean. For example, our younger students say these words everyday, but do not necessarily understand the significance and meaning of words like “optimistic” or “nurturing”. Because I enjoyed creating presentations so much with this software, I will create an additional VoiceThread that accompanies this one, to help define and explain the significant words in our Creed.

I have attached the link to my first VoiceThread below. Please note that the student’s voice who is echo reading in the audio is my own daughter, who is actually starting Pre-K at our academy next week! I believe that this VoiceThread will benefit all of the new students in our school that may wonder why we say these words every morning.

Here is the VoiceThread:

https://voicethread.com/share/9424732/