Here's some wisdom from the fied:
I have three MP3 players, and I use them to download books from our
public library. I have a public library card for my high school, and I
can go online and download titles to the MP3 players for listening.
Right now, mine are all out to special ed students listening to
Huckleberry Finn. The dialogue was very hard for them to read, but they
are listening and reading along with success. After 3 weeks the book
files automatically stop working, and students have to bring the player
back to me for renewal, which means I have to reconnect the player to
the public library and renew the playing rights. It's worked really
well so far. (NY)
***************
I have 5 iPods in the library collection. Currently they are being
used for tutorials, booktalks, and presentations. I plan to add a
library orientation next year. (Michigan)
******************
We download audio books for our ESL kids- they can understand at a much higher
level than they can decode. We also have a few students who use the players to
help themselves focus (we load the music selections!). Because there are both
options, there is no stigma to listening to an audiobook- nobody knows what you
have playing. (VT)
*********************
We put audio books on them, and use them as read-alongs to build fluency for
struggling readers. (MT)
******************
About 3 years ago we purchased Sanyo mp3 players (about $60 a piece at the time)
and had an Audible account for audio-books. Students had to have a special
permission slip to borrow them due to cost. None were lost, only one got erased -
very popular.
*********************
we don't have any.
Students can download audio books here through the Pub Lib's Overdrive
contract, but must supply their own devices (MT)
*****************
Marcia notes: The following is a cautionary tale.
We bought 5 Sansa Disk players for about $35/each. They have enough memory to hold
at least 1-3 audiobooks.
We set up a designated Dell PC for downloading audiobooks, either from one of our
purchased CDs, or from the 2 public library systems we straddle in this area. (Most
of these public library audiofiles are not iPod friendly).
So far, it has been a bust. I have had such trouble getting the audio from the
source to Windows Media Player or Overdrive to the mp3 player.
Sometimes the downloading skips over tracks. Sometimes the mp3 player doesn't
recognize or "sync" what is right there on my playlist. I can play it on my
computer, but not transfer it to the player.
We don't subscribe to an audiobook 'service' like Audible.com, because they have
turned down corporate accounts.
I have had the server changed, three IT guys fussing, and still only random
successes. There is a point where you have to look at time invested vs. value.
The worst thing is when you finally get a book loaded, hand it over to the student,
and have them come back to say, "I hate this - it takes longer to listen to the
book than just read it." (NY)
***********************
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Marcia Dressel, K-5 Librarian @ the
Elementary and Intermediate Schools
Osceola, WI
dressel@osceola.k12.wi.us <mailto:dressel@osceola.k12.wi.us>
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/MDressel/
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