Technology to Aid Reading for Pleasure

There are many ways technology can make reading easier. This page focuses on the following,

  • e-Readers

  • Audiobooks

  • Immersion reading

We attempt to introduce each and show how they can be used.

e-Readers

An e-reader is a handheld device on which electronic versions of books, newspapers, magazines, etc can be read. For example, a Kindle Paper White.  

The advantage of e-readers over tablets or computers is that children cannot play games on them. Therefore, if a child is sent to bed with an e-reader, they won’t be tempted to play a game on it instead of reading.

eBooks have the advantage of being able to read aloud using text-to-speech functionality. This is not as enjoyable as listening to a professional narrator, but many prefer it to reading the text. Students find this particularly helpful when certain books are available as eBooks but not audiobooks.

If you already own a tablet, they can be used as an eReader by downloading a free app, there is no need to purchase a separate eReader.



Audio Books

An audiobook is a recording of a book read aloud by a professional narrator. They enable those who find reading challenging to enjoy all the benefits of reading without having to struggle with decoding.

Audiobooks are an excellent way of getting reluctant readers to engage with reading for pleasure.

There are lots of different ways of accessing audiobooks, both free and paid.

Let’s start with the free options.

Library

All libraries have a free audiobook and eBook lending service. As long as you have a library account it only takes minutes to download a library app and borrow audio and eBooks.

It’s a great way to find out what your child would like without wasting money.  Different councils use different online services.

  • Libby App

This video shows how easy it is to create an account on Libby.

Before you create an account, you need the following:

  • Download the Libby App (which is free).

  • A library card and pin from your local library.

 
 

  • Borrow Box

Borrow Box is another Free App for borrowing books, but you need a library account to access it.


If you don’t already use the library in this way, why not create an account this holiday and check out some audiobooks?

subscription services

  • Audible

    Audible is one of many subscription services for Audio Books


    If you haven’t already tried Audible (an Amazon Company), you can get a free book with their 30-day free trial, or an even better deal is three months for £3. This is a very limited-time deal.

 
 

This free trial has been available for some time. Free Audiobook with 30-Day Trial/Audible.co.uk 

  • Scribd
    Scribd is a lesser-known subscription service. If you are not already tied into Amazon it is worth checking out. It has been described as Netflix for Books and is reported to be more economical.
    https://www.scribd.com/document/496089893/21

    Personally, I have accounts with both, but I tend to use Audible with students because only they have the immersive reading option, to the best of my knowledge. Keep reading to find out more about immersive reading.


Immersion Reading

Immersion reading is when readers listen along to a book or text as they listen to it which can be a game changer for reluctant readers.

Kindle fire offers an in-built immersion reading feature for many books but it can be as simple as playing the audio book whilst your child reads.

Here’s a quick video to explain what immersion reading is.

Helpful functionality worth checking out

The Kahoot quiz on Tech to aid reading for pleasure will test knowledge of the functionality shown in these videos.

Kindle Devices

This video shows the dyslexia-friendly functionality of Kindles and Kindle Fire tablets. Worth watching even if you do not own one.

After watching the video, many parents decided to buy them as they are a great value.

<<<This video shows the difference between Immersion Reading and Text to Speech on a Kindle Fire tablet.



Kindle App on an iPad

eReader apps like Kindle can turn any tablet into an eReader.

This video shows the dyslexia-friendly functionality available on an iPad when using the Kindle App.

Ideal if you already own an iPad.

The problem with Gangsta Granny was fixed.
<<< This short video shows Immersion reading works great on an iPad.




It is possible also to get text-to-speech to work on an iPad.
Watch this video to find out how. >>>>



Kindle App on a Windows laptop/desktop


This video shows how to use the Kindle app on a non-tablet machine in such a say way that text-to-speech can read the book aloud.

A similar app exists for Apple machines.

Amazon Echo Device with Alexa

These devices can read Audible audio books, and help learner in many other ways.

This video shows how helpful they can be.