Ok, so I'm totally not a technology wiz, but I can move my way around a computer pretty well. I took a bunch of technology classes in college and learned a bunch of stuff that I can't even begin to remember. So the other day I was out shopping for my classroom, and I decided to buy a couple of portable CD players (yes they still make these) and do a listening center for the kids. I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years, but haven't done it. Then I got kind of depressed because books on CD are really expensive (about $10 a piece).
Summary of Cost of Books on CD
$10 per book (32 books- 1 per week)= Total of $320.o0
Then somewhere from the back of my brain I remembered a class I took called music for elementary ed, which is nothing like what it sounds like it should be. Anyway, I remembered in that class that we used a program called garageband and I was pretty sure you could use it to record your own voice. I bet you can guess what I am getting at right. So I went to WalMart and bought a microphone for about $10 (the cost of one book on CD). I then searched on apple.com to see if there was some kind of tutorial on using garageband. I know, I know I took a class, but do you really pay attention to a class like that, that you don't think you'll ever use. So sure enough there was and I watched it about 3 times.
Turns out you can create a podcast (whatever that is) and record your own voice. You can even add little musical jingles (the kids have to know when to turn the page, right) and whala (sp) you get a recording of any book you want. Finally you share the file to your itunes and then burn it onto any audio CD-R.
It was like this program was made for this exact purpose in mind (I don't know what else you would use it for). Lucky, Lucky me!! Now my kids will be able to listen to any book that I have in our library in our listening center. So for any of you teachers reading this, there are great, cheap resources out there. (And for those of you who already knew this, don't tell me, I want to brag for just a little bit)
Summary of cost of Make your own CD's
$10- Microphone
$20- 100 blank CD's
Total = $30
2 comments:
Yay! Go Jodi. Way to be frugal sista!
Shut up!!! You're totally gonna teach me cuz now that I'm in my fourth year teaching I don't get much money! Also all the stupid books on CD that I bought from Scholastic don't work!!!!!!!! They stop half way in the middle of the story and then you can guess what happens in the middle of my reading groups....Anyway I want to do it so thanks for the idea!!
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