Mediathread is a collaborative multimedia analysis tool available through Canvas. Mediathread makes it possible for instructors and students to collect, share, annotate, and analyze media all in one shared space. 

Access

To access Mediathread, go to your course and click on the Mediathread link from the left hand course navigation menu, then click Launch Mediathread. Mediathread will open in a new tab.

Add Media

Mediathread supports video, audio, and image files for annotation. If allowed by your instructor, students can import media using the source URL or by collecting media from the web through a browser extension.

Import Media

You can find publicly available media on the web, copy the link for the asset, and import that media asset into Mediathread. 

1. In the Collection tab, click the Add to collection button.
2. Under Import Media, paste the Source URL into the first field. A preview will display beneath the Source URL.
   
3. Give your asset a title.
4. Click Import. The import should be almost immediate. 

Note: Imported videos will not have a thumbnail image displayed. The Stanford Canvas team has plans to address this.

Chrome Browser Extension

You can collect media from the web using the Mediathread Chrome browser extension. The browser extension can collect video, audio, and images directly into your Mediathread course.

IMPORTANT: After downloading the browser extension, you must go to your Mediathread course > Collection > Add to Collection and within the Import Media section, click the button for ‘Update Mediathread URL’ so that your assets are saved to Stanford’s domain. 

1. Go to the desired web page.
2. Activate the Mediathread extension by clicking on the extension icon.
   
3. You will see the black Mediathread banner across the top of the webpage.
   
4. Choose one of the two available options. 
   • Collect: Pull the item into Mediathread behind the scenes and remain on the web page. 
     • Give your item a name and click Save. You will see a success confirmation message if your item is successfully saved to Mediathread.
       
   • Open in Mediathread: Open the item directly in Mediathread. You will be taken away from the web page. 

Add Annotations

Video & Audio

1. Navigate to the Create Selection tab for the video.
2. As the video is playing, click the Start and Stop buttons to capture the duration of the video/audio you want to annotate. You can also manually input the desired start and stop times.
   
   
   The length of the video/audio selection will appear at the top bar, along with the option to play the selection window to review whether the timestamp captured is what is desired.

3. Add a Title to your selection.
4. Enter tag(s), if needed.
5. Add details in the Notes section. 
6. Once done, click Save. 

Images

1. Go to the image and click the Create Selection tab.
2. Use one of the annotation methods (Polygon, Freeform Shape, or Line) to indicate the part of the image you want to call out.
   
3. Add a Title.
4. Enter tag(s), if desired.
5. Add details in the Notes section. 
6. Once done, click Save. 
7. Once saved, the selection will be a zoomed in version of the original image with a focus on your selection.
   

View Assets and Annotations

1. Go to the Collection tab of the course. 
2. From the Owner filter, select All Class Members. The default is to only display assets you’ve contributed to in the course. 
3. Click on the title of the video, audio or image you’d like to review.
4. In the View Selections tab, you will see all selections to the right of the media asset, sorted based on the author. 
5. To play a selection made by a student, click on the title of the annotation, then click Play.
   

Assignments

Within a Selection Assignment, you will be asked to select or annotate parts of a chosen media file. Multiple selections can be created before submitting the assignment. 

For assignments, your instructor will decide at what level of visibility your submission will have. The instructor will always be able to see the submission, but they will choose whether your submissions will be shared with other classmates or privately between you and the teaching team. Instructors can also choose to hide your classmates' responses until you have submitted your own response.

Once you start a Mediathread assignment, the assignment could be in different states:

• No Response: You have not submitted a response for this assignment, nor have you started a draft for your response
• Draft: You have started a draft for the assignment, but have not submitted anything
• Shared with Instructor: The response has been submitted and can only be viewed by the instructor
• Shared with Class: The response has been submitted and can be viewed by everyone in the class

Resources 

If you have any questions, please check out our Mediathread FAQ page.