GarageBand meets PhotoBooth

I never thought that I would be able to create my own audibook complete with pictures using the computer.  I had done some book readings and recorded them on tapes (do students even know what those are anymore), but this is much more involved and interesting.  Using GarageBand I was able to create a podcast where I read the words to a story and recorded as I read.  Using PhotoBooth I was able to take pictures of the illustrations, then go back to GarageBand and insert the pictures at the right intervals, so that the page I was reading showed up on the screen.

The best part?  I got to test it out on a group of Pre-K through second graders.  They loved it!  I was able to share the story in large groups, small groups, and one-on-one to see how easily it was integrated into different classroom dynamics.  The format and availability of computers made small or one student groups the most advantageous.  As the group size grew so did the complaints (“I can’t see”; “I can’t hear”; “This is boring”; When is snack?”).  Interestingly, when those same students who were complaining were given a chance to see the program by themselves or with a smaller group, especially during free times, the interest level was much higher. 

While I am amazed that I was able to get even this far, I am being inspired to do more.  My daughters used to love to play with a game that was based around characters from Mercer Meyer books.  As they read through the story they were also able to interact with it (highlighting words/sentences, clicking hot spots that animated different areas, etc.).  I have seen how enthusiastically my own children have been when playing these games after reading the books the traditional way, and it makes me want to learn how to bring that spark into the classroom.

One of my peers has figured out a unique, if not somewhat dated, way of getting the students more involved in the books they are reading.  She has her students read the book and she records it.  When they are finished with a chapter book they can then go back and listen to their own voices reading it back to them.  Using a tape recorder is what the school had readily available, but other programs such as Garage Band would take the same idea and transform it into something that the class could share on a much larger scale. 

While the possibilities are stretching out before me, I am excited but also a little nervous to see where technology will lead us.