Not a Free Tech Tool

Stolen Image from Amazon.com - but since I'm sending
business their way, my guess is that they will be thrilled.

I Will Never Get Through My Reading List!

@joe_edtech

Frequent visitors to my blog (Hi Mom!) will know that I usually dedicate my time to discussing free tech tools to use in the classroom. Money is tight in every school and I take the responsibility of finding and teaching quality tech tools accessible to ALL very seriously. So, my Free Tech Tools posts will return in the Fall ("Winter is coming!" - House of Stark). This post is really all about you, and how one tech tool may be worth the investment.

I love to read. However, my time is limited. I have a hefty commute to and from work every day. I have my school work and I'm writing a pretty substantial research study. And, I have a 14-year-old daughter that demands and deserves a fairly significant amount of whatever is left of my free time. While I do read for pleasure in the few spare minutes remaining, I find it isn't enough.

For instance, I just read The Girl on the Train, and I found it compelling. It is hard to put it down and walk away - so I didn't. I bought the Kindle book and downloaded it to my iPad, and I bought the audio edition as well and loaded the Kindle app on my phone. The reason is that WhisperSync from Amazon.com actually syncs the Kindle version with the audio. So, I read a chapter at night on my iPad, then got up and listened to the next couple of chapters on my phone on the drive into work. When I got back to my iPad, it would sync to the last page I heard in the audio book. 

This is available for virtually any book that is available with both a Kindle version and an Audible version. So, the downside is that it sometimes costs a little extra. You do have to pay for the Kindle version, but you can usually add the Audio for free or at a significantly reduced cost. For instance, if I were to buy Stephen King's 11.22.63, it would cost $8.99 for the download, but the audio is actually included in the cost.

WhisperSync is a service of Amazon.com, which owns both Kindle and Audible. Click here for more information.

I hope this helps you enjoy your summer break just a little more, and get closer to getting through your reading list. Then, next Fall, we'll talk about kids who might benefit from hearing the story while they read it. :)

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Have other tips for teachers as they head to a summer of recalibrating and learning? Tell us about them in the comment section below.