Adding members

To create students’ accounts, click on the “Add Members” tab of the Manager.

Note: With a K-12 Single Educator License, you can only create accounts for students. If you want to add another Pro Educator, you’ll need to upgrade to a School License.

• Join Links
• Adding an individual student
• Adding students in bulk
• People who already have VoiceThread accounts

Join Links

When you click on the “Add Members” tab, you’ll automatically see the page for inviting students to join your license using a “join link”.  This allows you to send students a simple code-protected link that they can use to sign up for VoiceThread independently and join your license instantly.

1. Enable the “Student Link”.
2. Enter an Access Code if you’d like to protect your link.
3. Enter a customized message for your students to see when they click on your link.
4. Save.
5. Send the link to your students.

As soon as students click on this link, they will be prompted to register for a new account or sign in to an existing account.  If you have required them to enter an Access Code, they will be prompted to enter that, as well. At that point, they will be added to your license.

Adding an individual student

If you want to add your students manually instead of inviting them to join using a link, go to the tab labeled “One at a time”.  This will allow you to set students names, email addresses, and passwords in advance.

1. Enter the student’s information in the fields on this page.
2. If you want to require this student to change his password the first time he signs into his account, check the box that says “Require user to change password?”
3. Click “Save”.

Be sure to record the account information shown at the bottom of the confirmation page so that you have the student’s password. It will not be shown again.

Adding students in bulk

You can create students’ accounts in bulk using a CSV file. After clicking on the “Add Members” tab, select “Bulk Add” just beneath it.

On this page, you’ll be able to download a sample CSV file.  Open this file and fill the spreadsheet with your students’ information.  Once you’ve created the file, save it and upload it using the blue “Upload” button.

Creating a CSV file

The sample CSV file available for download in the Manager already has the column headings in place, along with some sample information.

first_name
Enter the student’s real first name. This information is only visible to you, so it’s important to enter the correct information.

last_name
Enter the student’s real last name. This information is only visible to you, so it’s important to enter the correct information.

identity
The Identity is the public name that appears next to the image that represents a user whenever he or she makes a comment. This name will be visible to anyone who can view a VoiceThread on which the student has commented, so you’ll need to follow your school or district policy regarding visible student information. For example, you could use the first name and last initial, which would allow a student to easily recognize his or her own work while not showing a full name.

email_username
If your students have valid email addresses, enter their email addresses in this column. This address is the one they will use to sign into their accounts.

If your students cannot use email, you can create fictitious email addresses for them based on your custom domain. Enter any name or identifier as the student’s username. If you enter “john.smith”, then this will be the student’s username, and his full fictitious email address will be john.smith@yourclass.ed.voicethread.com.

See Student sign-in for more information about how students can use their usernames to access their accounts.

password
The password needs to be at least 7 alphanumeric characters. Passwords are case-sensitive.

type
Enter “student” for all users.

graduation (optional)
Enter the year in which the student is scheduled to graduate from your school.

label (optional)
The label will be attached to a student’s account and can be used with the search/filter functions in the Overview area to find all students who share a label. You can then perform bulk actions such as adding them to a Group, removing them, or allocating resources like export credits and phone minutes. If you do use the label field, make sure your labels are unique. The more information you include, the more useful labels will be.

groups
If you’d like this student to be a member of a group, enter the exact title of the group in this field. If you are already the owner of a group by this name, the student will be added to that existing group.  If a group by that name does not exist yet, one will be created automatically. *
*

Uploading a CSV file

Once you’ve created and saved your CSV file:

1. Go back to the “Bulk Add” page in the Manager.
2. Click on the blue “Upload” button, and select your CSV file.
3. Your students’ information will be listed on the page, and any errors will appear in red so you can correct them. Click on any student information to make corrections if necessary. You can also click the “x” at the far right side of any row to omit that student from your import.
   
4. If you want to require your students to change their passwords to something new the first time they sign into their accounts, check the box that says “Require users to change password?” at the top of the list of information.
5. Click the blue “Submit” button.
6. Save your CSV file for your records. The passwords will not be visible again after this point.

People who already have VoiceThread accounts

If you add students who already have VoiceThread accounts under the email addresses you entered, then VoiceThread will need their permission before adding them to your license. You’ll know which users already have accounts because in the confirmation list you see after you add them, the password area will say “User has a password”. Their names in your list of members will be accompanied by a red icon, and you won’t be able to manage their accounts until they agree to join your license.

If these users have valid email addresses, they’ll receive email invitations. They can accept your invitation directly from that email. They will also receive an on-screen pop-up invitation to join your Organization the next time they sign into their accounts. This is how students who don’t have valid email addresses or who haven’t checked their email can accept your invitation.

After the student accepts your invitation, he will see an on-screen confirmation message. His account will be added to your license and upgraded immediately.