New @ B.Z.E.R.C. Ben Zaidman Education Resource Centre – Spring Break 2015 Edition
Listening libraries… Listening centres still have a place in classrooms and libraries but gone are the days of cassette players! The quandary many people face today is how to make audio books available without tying up a computer. Good news…there may not be just one possible solution. These could be options:
BYOD may be and option for some students. To level the playing field, invest in a few iPod Touchs that can be stored and circulated through a central location such as your school library. Audiobooks available on our divisional service (FollettShelf) will work on these devices* without tying up a computer. While this may be a costly option, an iPod Touch is less expensive than an iPad while still versatile enough to be used not only for listening to audiobooks but also video production.
Purchase the individual components for a standalone station such as a Hamilton iPod docking station listening centre with 6 sets of headphones in a lockable carrying case or by the whole system (iPod not included - $220-$290 Brodart)
Use a jack splitter ($7.00 Staples) and an inexpensive MP3/WMA player ($7-$13 Staples). Preload books from the public library or Project Gutenberg. Have students bring their own headphones and you’re good to go! Or if you want more students to share, replace the jack splitter with a Califone jack box ($29-$52 Brodart)
And of course, you can still play SOSD audiobooks on any computer or tablet from school or home!
*audiobooks from our divisional site are accessible on iPod Touch, Kindle Fire HD 2nd gen+, Nook HD, and other portable devices through the Brytewave app.
Over 100 digital audiobooks are available divisionally at http://wbb43840.follettshelf.com Login with your firstname.lastname and use your employee# or student# as your password.