TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Creating VoiceThreads Overview
• Create a New VoiceThread
  • Upload Files From Your Computer
  • Record a Video Slide
  • Import from Other VoiceThreads
  • Import from External Source
  • Import from URL
  • Take a Picture
  • Record an Audio Slide
• File Types Accepted
• Add a Title, Description, and Tags
• Add a New Slide to a VoiceThread
• Add Comments
• Edit Your VoiceThread
• Change Your VoiceThread Settings
• Troubleshooting

Creating VoiceThreads Overview

View the Creating a VoiceThread tutorial video for a quick overview of creating new VoiceThreads.

Create a New VoiceThread

To create a new VoiceThread, click on the Create a New VoiceThread button (+ icon) at the top of the page.

You will then be able to add slides to your VoiceThread. You may upload files from your computer, record a video or image from your webcam, copy from an existing VoiceThread, add a VoiceThread from an external source (such as Kaltura Media), or add a file from an existing website.

Upload Files From Your Computer

You may either drag and drop files from your computer into the VoiceThread window or you may click on the Add From Computer button to upload your file.

Once you’ve added your file, it will upload and process. The upload status is visible as a progress bar at the bottom of the page, and then the processing phase will show a loading icon inside the slide thumbnail. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file.

Record a Video Slide

You can use your webcam to record a video slide. Click on the Record Video Slide button.

If prompted, click Allow on your web browser’s permissions pop-up to allow VoiceThread to access your camera and microphone. 

You will then see a preview of your webcam. Click the Start Recording button at the bottom of the screen to begin recording. Once you have finished, click Stop Recording at the bottom of the screen.

After your video finishes uploading, click Save at the bottom of the screen, and wait for your slide to process. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file. If you need to keep recording more, click on Record More.

If you are having trouble recording from your webcam, go to Audio/Video Recording Issues for troubleshooting information.

Import from Other VoiceThreads

If you've already created slides in another VoiceThread, you can re-use them by importing them into your new VoiceThread. Additionally, you may include comments that have already been recorded.

Click on the Copy from VoiceThread button.

You will be prompted to select the VoiceThread you want to copy from. 

Select the slides you want to import and whether or not you want to include all comments, only your own comments, or no comments from the original slide(s).

Click Import at the bottom of the page to import your slides and wait for your files to process. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file.

Import from External Source

VoiceThread allows you to import media from other sources via the External Source page.

Supported services:

• Flickr: Import any creative commons images from Flickr. 
• Google Drive: Sign in to your personal Google Drive account and pull any of your stored media into VoiceThread. 
• Kaltura: Import any of the videos you created or uploaded to Kaltura Media.

Click on the External Source button.

Select the service you want to import media from: Flickr, Google Drive, or Kaltura. You may be prompted to log in to your account.

Select your media, import it into VoiceThread, and wait for your files to process. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file.

Import from URL

You may import images and videos from other websites as long as you have the URL that points directly to that piece of media.  These URLs usually end in a file extension like .jpg or .mp4. If you enter the URL for a full website instead of a media file, VoiceThread will pull the largest media file from that site.  The full website will not be imported.

Please review and respect the terms of use and copyright restrictions of any site that you import content from, including YouTube. 

Click on the Enter a URL button.

You will be prompted to enter the URL for the media file you wish to import and a title for the slide. Click Save to begin the import.

Once you’ve added your file, it will upload and process. The upload status is visible as a progress bar at the bottom of the page, and then the processing phase will show a loading icon inside the slide thumbnail. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file.

Take a Picture

You may use your webcam to take a picture for your slide. Click the Take a Picture button.

If prompted, click Allow on your web browser’s permissions pop-up to allow VoiceThread to access your camera. 

You will then see a preview of your webcam. Click the Take Photo button at the bottom of the screen to take a photo and wait for your slide to process.  Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes.

If you are having trouble with your webcam, go to Audio/Video Recording Issues for troubleshooting information.

Record an Audio Slide

You can use your microphone to record an audio slide. Click on the Record Audio Slide button.

If prompted, click Allow on your web browser’s permissions pop-up to allow VoiceThread to access your microphone. 

Click the Start Recording button at the bottom of the screen to begin recording. Once you have finished, click Stop Recording at the bottom of the screen.

After your video finishes uploading, click Save at the bottom of the screen, and wait for your slide to process. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file. If you need to keep recording more, click on Record More.

If you are having trouble with your microphone, go to Audio/Video Recording Issues for troubleshooting information.

File Types Accepted

File Size

• No single file may be larger than 3 GB. 
• If you have a large presentation, document, or PDF, you may need to break it up into smaller files and upload them individually.
• If your files are larger than 3 GB you may need to compress or reduce its file size prior to uploading to VoiceThread.

Images

• VoiceThread accepts the following image types: JPEG, GIF, PNG, HEIC, and BMP. 
• Images should be at least 1280×960.

Audio

• VoiceThread accepts MP3 and WAV files.

Video

• VoiceThread accepts most video types, including MP4, QuickTime, WMV, and AVI.
• If your video is larger than 3 GB you may need to compress it prior to uploading it to VoiceThread.

Documents

• VoiceThread accepts the following document types: DOC, DOCX, PDF, ODT, XLS, XLSX, and ODS.
• If you experience any formatting issues (font, layout, etc.) after you've uploaded your document, convert your file to PDF and try uploading again.
• If you are adding documents in order to provide additional materials for your participants, make sure to provide instructions for downloading slides.
• If you are adding a document because you want to have a discussion about the text within it, change the format to “landscape” mode (wider and shorter) and make your text larger. The Formatting Documents for VoiceThread video tutorial will walk you through the process.
• If your document is larger than 3 GB you may need to reduce your file size before uploading it to VoiceThread.
  • Reduce the file size of a picture in Microsoft Office.
  • Optimizing PDFs in Acrobat.

Presentations

• VoiceThread accepts the following presentation types: PPT, PPTX, Keynote, ODP,  PDF.
• If you experience any formatting issues (font, layout, etc.) after you've uploaded your presentation, convert your file to PDF and try uploading again.
• When you upload a presentation, VoiceThread will store the original and then break it up into individual slides within the VoiceThread. 
• Animations, links, and transitions are flattened and are not preserved in VoiceThread.
• If your document is larger than 3 GB you may need to reduce your file size before uploading it to VoiceThread. 
  • Reduce the file size of a picture in Microsoft Office.
  • Compress your media files in PowerPoint.
  • Optimizing PDFs in Acrobat.

For more information on the file types that work best with VoiceThread, see File Types Accepted.

Add a Title, Description, and Tags

After you have added at least one slide to your VoiceThread, you will be able to give your VoiceThread a title, description, and tags. To do this, click on the menu icon in the top-right corner of the editing page, and select Edit Thread Details.

• Title: You are required to give your VoiceThread a title.
• Description: Describe your VoiceThread in more detail or display the expectations for others to participate.
• Tags: Tags allow you to search for the VoiceThread by certain keywords on your VT Home page. Tags are not visible on the VoiceThread itself.

You will also have the option to upload a custom cover image. By default, the image on the first slide will appear as the thumbnail in the threadlist. But you may choose to use a different image.

Click Save to save your changes.

Add a New Slide to a VoiceThread

To add a new slide to a VoiceThread, open the VoiceThread and click on the Slide Gallery button at the bottom of the page.

This will bring you into the Slide Gallery. Click on the Add Media button.

You will be prompted to add media:

• Add From Computer: Upload a file from your computer.
• Record Video Slide: Use your webcam to record a video slide.
• Copy From VoiceThread: Import slides from an existing VoiceThread. You may also include comments.
• External Source: Import content from Flickr, Google Drive, or Kaltura Media.
• Enter a URL: Import images and videos from other websites.
• Take a Picture: Use your webcam to take a picture.
• Record Audio Slide: Use your microphone to record an audio slide.

For more information on the file types that work best with VoiceThread, see File Types Accepted.

Your slide will process and be added to the VoiceThread. Processing may take a few seconds or several minutes depending on the size of your file.

Add Comments

Once you have uploaded your media you may begin adding comments. Comments may be audio, video, or text. Go to Commenting on VoiceThreads for more information and detailed instructions.

Edit Your VoiceThread

You may edit any VoiceThread that belongs to you or to which you have editing rights. You may add or reorder slides, add or edit comments, or change the VoiceThread's settings. All of those edits are immediately visible to anyone who has access to the VoiceThread.

To edit your VoiceThread from the Home Page, click on the menu icon on the bottom right corner of the VoiceThread. This will open a menu. Click on the Edit button (pencil icon).

To edit your VoiceThread from within a VoiceThread, click on the menu button in the top right corner of your VoiceThread. Select Edit.

From the edit area you may:

• Add Cover Art
• Change the Order of Slides
• Tilt a Slide
• Rotate a Slide
• Put an Active Link on a Slide
• Add Alt Text to a Slide
• Replace a Slide
• Delete a Slide
• Allow Commenters to Add Slides
• Copy a VoiceThread
• Delete a VoiceThread
• Retrieve a Deleted VoiceThread from the Trash

Change Your VoiceThread Settings

You may change the settings for your VoiceThread at any time, including comment settings, playback settings, and user permissions. To do so, go to the Edit Page for the VoiceThread you wish to edit, and select Settings. 

Go to What Does Each Playback Setting Mean? for detailed information about all of the available settings.

Troubleshooting

Experiencing issues creating your VoiceThread? The following support resources will help walk you through some of the most common issues:

• Network Requirements
• Browser Requirements
• File Types Accepted
• Audio/Video Recording Issues
• Audio/Video Playback Issues