Technology and education have formed a rather unique relationship and as technology continues to develop so will it impact learning. Take for example audiobooks, they are becoming widely available at different price points so as to provide affordable options for people.
These portable devices are also making education a unique and individual experience; individual in that audiobooks have become a student’s own personal, interactive educational tool that they can control and over time, with technology advancing so rapidly they may become an ever increasing supplemental educational tool with teachers.
Let’s face it, people have different learning styles and not all students grasp concepts as easily by just sitting at a desk and reading chapters from a book. According to researchers audiobooks will become a vital tool in alternate educational resources. What that means is that students have access to pages and pages of information and it is only a click away.
Audiobooks open up a world of possibilities for kids who are not able to sit still for hours on end engaged in reading a textbook. Reading is merely the mechanical means to an end and what is that end? Listening is just another way to get to the desired end and it does not necessarily have to compromise the growth and advancement of other skills.
Also, it is very important to add that the use of audiobooks can help a child who is more adept at learning through listening. This type of learner is called an auditory learner and they learn best through hearing. They simply grasp knowledge better when they listen to them and audiobooks could be an excellent tool for driving home various concepts. Research even suggests that auditory learners can benefit from watching videos, recording notes after writing them, and using audiotapes. So it stands to reason that audiobooks would be an excellent supplemental educational tool if you have a student or are the parent of a child who leans more toward this learning style.
Audiobooks can be a fun alternative to reading. The process of learning can sometimes be tedious and monotonous because sometimes a child’s faculties are only engaged in one way but when a student’s senses are engaged in such a way that learning becomes fun, well then that benefit alone is worth its weight in gold.
Times have truly changed. Reading isn’t just sitting down and having a printed book right in front of you. Now, you can “read” while on road trips, during commutes to work, while homeschooling, doing different activities, and even while running errands.
Lights out? No problem!
How? With audio books!
Like the good ol’ print books, audio books can be comfort reads and favorites that you can listen to over and over and over again. Here are some of my favorites:
A History of Football (retail value: $22.95)
Listen as Greg Proops uses archive, actuality and music as he travels from coast-to-coast exploring the fascinating sport of football. From the early origins of the game from Native Americans to the Washington Redskins to the super stadiums and the game’s growing popularity abroad, you’ll be amazed at how this sports have come so far.
The Looking Glass Wars (retail value: $74.95)
Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”, Frank Beddor’s “The Looking Glass Wars” shows how the two books written by Lewis Carroll are a distortion of the ‘true story’ portrayed in those novels. Twists and turns featured on the original story include the white rabbit as really being Alyss’s (Alice’s) tutor, Bibwit Harte, and the Mad Hatter as a very agile, somber bodyguard called Hatter Madigan.
Dear America: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce (retail value: $29.99)
Eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce and her fourteen-year-old brother, Daniel, of Portland, Maine found themselves orphaned in 1918 because of the Spanish flu epidemic. They are taken by their uncle to be raised in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake. Lydia must grapple with a new world and she must adjust to many changes. With her courageous spirit, joy fills her life again.
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Audiobooks as Teaching Tools {Giveaway}
