New Voicethread launches May 27th for all UMBC users

Starting May 27th all Voicethread users will experience the "new" Voicethread that includes enhanced features. These include:

• One Conversation – A simpler-to-use conversation structure makes presentations much easier to build and use and conversations more natural and understandable to participants. 
• Zoom & Pan – You can now zoom in and move around in an image during your comment, and everything you do will play back for your audience.
• Jump Navigation – Open the new slide gallery and keep it open during your comment! This allows you to jump from slide 1 to slide 40 in a single click rather than flipping through them one by one. 
• Bulk comment management options - You can delete any comment you created, and you can delete any comment no matter who recorded it from a VoiceThread that you own.

(To see the new commenting features in action, watch this video.)

Other new features include:

• Audio descriptions of slides

• Multiple closed caption tracks/languages for a single recording supported

• Option to sort VoiceThreads by “most recently active”

• Compact list of all VoiceThreads in the home page sidebar

• Media sources included in the slide upload options inside an open VoiceThread

• Ability to jump to another slide while commenting without having to flip through them sequentially

• View assignment thumbnails in the course view

Users will also see some changes such as:

• New version is fully accessible, so VT Universal is no longer necessary for screenreaders

• Comment button moved to the left side of the page

• Slide navigation buttons moved to the left side of the page

• Increased visibility for closed captions

• Comments timelines appear inside the comment window, not at the bottom of the thread

• CC button moved to the bottom-right corner of the page