AnyBook Reader from Franklin - Teacher Tested

When I first learned about AnyBook Reader from Franklin I knew I had to get my hands on it and give it a test run. The idea behind AnyBook Reader is very straightforward. Pick a book any book, activate one of the provided stickers, record the page, and then let your child hear your voice reading the book. When my AnyBook Reader arrived from Franklin, I was excited to give it a whirl. I first installed the 2 AAA batteries and then followed the simple instructions that were provided and within seconds I was able to hear myself read the book. Following the sequence in the instructional  guide was made even easier as AnyBook Reader provides auditory cues to let you know when you are ready to record the page. Once you record the  page you simply touch the AnyBook Reader to the sticker and voila your page is read. AnyBook Reader comes with package of reusable stickers as well as stickers with pictures on them that make fun sounds and noises. It is easy to remove the plain stickers and re-record over them when you are ready to use them with another book. If you need to you can always reorder additional stickers. The AnyBook Reader is available in two different models- one that can store 60 hours of recording and another model which can store 15 hours of recordings. AnyBook Reader is priced at $59.99 for the higher capacity reader and $39.99 for the lover capacity reader. Children will find it easy to adjust the volume when using the AnyBook Reader and will enjoy the high quality audio when listening to the pages being read. AnyBook Reader makes it difficult for students to re-record a page by virtue of the sequence that is required to do so.

As much as I enjoyed using AnyBook Reader- the true test for AnyBook Reader had to take place in the classroom. I was so excited with the potential of AnyBook Reader that I decided to demonstrate it to one of my advanced assistive technology classes that I teach. All of my students immediately saw the value of AnyBook Reader  and could think of many ways to use it in the classroom. With this in mind, I decided to loan AnyBook Reader to one of my students who teaches preschool children so that she could field test it. I went over the directions on how to record the pages and set her off to give it a try. The preschool class had the opportunity to use AnyBook Reader for a two week period and when my student came to class to share how it went, she was so excited to share her observations. My student shared the she couldn't believe just how wonderful AnyBook Reader was in allowing her preschool children to sit and have the book read in her voice. She shared that the students were enthralled with AnyBook Reader as they sat there and listened attentively to the book being read. It was very exciting to hear this feedback and know that this is from an experienced teacher who actually field tested it in her classroom. I know that she will go out and purchase one for her classroom. The only comment that she made was that she wished there was a way to plug in a headset or ear buds. Which I would concur. For more information about AnyBook Reader click here.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make books accessible then you have to take a look at AnyBook Reader from Franklin. This is an affordable and fun way to engage students in the reading process. And along the way I'm sure you will come up with interesting ways to use this device to modify all kinds of materials :-).