Booktrack Classroom:
Read With A Soundtrack Or Create Your Own
@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff
I have been teaching reading, along with other subjects, to struggling learners for many years. Every subject area requires some interaction with text and as teachers, it is up to us to find ways to guide students to improve their reading skills. In order to be an effective reading teacher, I am constantly searching for ways to get kids excited about what they are reading. One of the most powerful methods that I have found to hook kids into a story is to add audio as well as visuals. During a read aloud I often toss in a "Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnn" at the end of a cliffhanger chapter. Or, I will ask my students to imagine what they are reading as a movie going on in their mind. As teachers, we will do just about anything to help kids get into the reading. We want them to decode, comprehend, make connections and inferences as they interact with text. We also know that music and sound has a profound affect on our kids. Booktrack Classroom capitalizes on the compelling use of sound to enhance reading.
BookTrack Classroom is an application found in the Chrome Web Store that allows you and your students to create a movie-style soundtrack to go along with e-text. It currently has a library with some of the classics, including Frankenstein, A Tale Of Two Cities, and Macbeth, which already have soundtracks created. The reader adjusts the reading speed so the soundtrack plays while you are reading and adds to your reading experience. But wait, before you decide Booktrack classroom is not for you because you don't teach those books, you need to know about the other features of Booktrack Classroom.
It also allows students to create a soundtrack for any essay, story, or text that they can copy into the Booktrack studio. They can also generate and publish Booktracks for their own writing! (This is where you should be getting excited) Students can add sound effects, ambient sound, and/or background music to enhance the tone of their original essays, stories, poetry, or whatever they write. We spend a lot of time talking about tone, theme, and figurative language in the classroom. Why not let our students show that they understand these concepts by choosing a piece of writing and creating a Booktrack to go along with it? I'm already working on my Halloween ghost story so I can add amazing sound effects! Booktrack Classroom does not provide text to speech, students must read on their own or do a read aloud. This app allows you to sign in using your Google credentials, and it works even without an internet connection.
The app is currently free (for a "limited time") and includes complete lesson plans on topics such as sound and symbol, persuasive branding, and The Odyssey.
Check out the Booktrack Video here:
Do you have other apps or ideas for new ways to help kids get into their reading and writing? I'd love to hear them! Post them in the comments section below.
BookTrack Classroom is an application found in the Chrome Web Store that allows you and your students to create a movie-style soundtrack to go along with e-text. It currently has a library with some of the classics, including Frankenstein, A Tale Of Two Cities, and Macbeth, which already have soundtracks created. The reader adjusts the reading speed so the soundtrack plays while you are reading and adds to your reading experience. But wait, before you decide Booktrack classroom is not for you because you don't teach those books, you need to know about the other features of Booktrack Classroom.
It also allows students to create a soundtrack for any essay, story, or text that they can copy into the Booktrack studio. They can also generate and publish Booktracks for their own writing! (This is where you should be getting excited) Students can add sound effects, ambient sound, and/or background music to enhance the tone of their original essays, stories, poetry, or whatever they write. We spend a lot of time talking about tone, theme, and figurative language in the classroom. Why not let our students show that they understand these concepts by choosing a piece of writing and creating a Booktrack to go along with it? I'm already working on my Halloween ghost story so I can add amazing sound effects! Booktrack Classroom does not provide text to speech, students must read on their own or do a read aloud. This app allows you to sign in using your Google credentials, and it works even without an internet connection.
The app is currently free (for a "limited time") and includes complete lesson plans on topics such as sound and symbol, persuasive branding, and The Odyssey.
Check out the Booktrack Video here:
Do you have other apps or ideas for new ways to help kids get into their reading and writing? I'd love to hear them! Post them in the comments section below.
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