How do I add a VoiceThread assignment to a page in Lessons?

VoiceThreads are interactive slideshows that you create by uploading and linking documents, pictures, videos, and/or audio files.

Within Lessons, you may create graded VoiceThread assignments, where students are required to create their own VoiceThreads, watch and/or comment on content created by others. Grades for the VoiceThreads and/or comments can be sent automatically to the Gradebook tool.

Go to Lessons.

Select the Title of the page (e.g., Lessons, Activities, Week: 1) from the tool menu in your site.  

Select Add Content.

Select Add External Tool.

In the window that pops up, select Add External Tool.

A Configure External Tool window will pop up.

  1. Enter a Tool Title. This is the text of the link that will appear on the page. For accessibility, you should use meaningful text to describe your link.
  2. Select Save.

You will be returned to the page with your new link added. Select the link to access the VoiceThread setup options.

On the VoiceThread Setup page, you are presented with several options for the type of link to create. Select Assignment Builder to create an assignment.

Note: The type of link cannot be changed later, but you may create additional VoiceThread links as needed on your page(s) in Lessons.

Select the type of assignment.

On the Choose Activity page, choose from the following options:

  1. Create: Students are required to make a VoiceThread using a video, image, document, or presentation.
  2. Comment: Students are required to make a comment on a VoiceThread.
  3. Watch a VoiceThread: Students must watch or listen to an entire VoiceThread.

Select Continue.

After you select the assignment type, scroll down and select Continue.

Choose content.

If you selected a Comment or a Watch assignment, you will be prompted to select a VoiceThread to use for the assignment. If you chose a Create assignment type, continue to Adjust commenting options.

  1. Select an existing VoiceThread, or
  2. Select the Create a new VoiceThread button to create a new VoiceThread.
  3. Select Continue after you select a VoiceThread.

Adjust commenting options.

If you selected a Create or Comment assignment type, you will prompted to adjust the Commenting settings on the Choose options page. If you selected a Watch assignment type, you will not see these settings and can continue to Set playback settings.

  1. Enter a number of comments that students are required to add to the VoiceThread in the Number of comments required field. You can choose between a minimum and exact number of comments by selecting the dropdown arrow next to Minimum. In a Create assignment type, students will be required to post this number of comments on the VoiceThread they create before submitting it.
  2. In the Select which comment types will be allowed section, select the types of comments you will allow your students to submit. By default, all of the comment types listed below are enabled.
    • Microphone
    • Webcam
    • Telephone
    • Upload
    • Text
  3. To allow students to add slides to any VoiceThreads submitted by their classmates to this assignment, select Allow students to add slides to any VoiceThreads for this assignment.
  4. To allow students to start threaded conversations by replying to another student's comment, select Enable threaded commenting.
  5. To allow you and the student who submits a VoiceThread to review comments before they are visible to the rest of the class, select Enable comment moderation. For more information, see the VoiceThread Help: Using Comment Moderation (opens new window).
  6. To prevent students from deleting their own comments, select Don't allow commenters to delete their own comments.
  7. By default, all audio and video comments recorded in VoiceThread can be 60 minutes long. If you would like to limit the length of recorded comments for this assignment, you can enter a limit in minutes and seconds after selecting Limit length of each comment to.
  8. You can set the slides to advance automatically at certain intervals while users are recording by selecting When recording, automatically advance to next slide after. You can select from 15- and 20-second intervals or set a custom interval in seconds.

Set playback settings.

  1. To have all of the comments begin playing when a VoiceThread is opened, select Start playing when opened.
  2. When a VoiceThread is being played, it will play through all of the comments on a slide and automatically move to the next slide. You can select the pause time before the slide advances by selecting When final comment on a slide has played, automatically advance to next slide after.

Set student permission settings.

  1. To allow students to download the media from their classmates' VoiceThreads, select Allow download.
  2. To allow students to make a copy of the VoiceThread(s) in this assignment, select Allow students to make a copy.
  3. For the Create assignment type: To allow students to see their classmates' submissions for this assignment in a gallery, select Allow students to see each other's submissions for this assignment?

Select Continue.

After you set all of the options, scroll down and select Continue.

Finalize the assignment.

  1. Confirm or edit the Assignment name.
  2. Add instructions for your students to complete the assignment in the Assignment instructions field.
  3. You can customize the message shown to students after they submit a VoiceThread in the Message shown to student after they submit field.
  4. Set a Start date using the date picker.
  5. Set a Due date using the date picker.
  6. For the Create and Comment assignment types: To allow students to resubmit their assignment, select Allow students to resubmit assignment.
  7. To allow students to view their assignment after submitting it, select Allow students to view assignment after submitting.
  8. For the Create and Comment assignment types: Choose the grading system for the assignment in the Assessment section:
    • Percentage: This will allow you to grade a submission as a percentage.
    • Complete / Incomplete: This will allow you to mark a submission as Complete or Incomplete. A Complete marking will appear as a 100% in Gradebook. An Incomplete marking will appear as a 0% in Gradebook.
  9. Select Publish to publish the assignment.

Warning: Once the assignment has been created, you cannot view or modify these options. To make changes to the assignment, you will need to remove the link on your lesson page and begin the link creation process again.

Select Return to Lessons.

After you have published the assignment, select Return to Lessons.