I have listened to audio books for years. Every year my family goes on a road trip and since we do not agree on music genres, audio books are our on the road entertainment. I have used them at the gym and in my classroom as well. My daughter has used audio books when the library was out of the last
Harry Potter book in paper format and just couldn't wait for it to be available. For the most part,
I enjoy audio books, although I have 'read' a few that have put me to sleep due to the voice of the reader. It is really important for the reader to have a voice that is compatible with the story. I have noticed I like the readings by the actual authors most.
Currently my high school biology students are reading
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins during the school's mandatory 25 minute reading enrichment time after lunch. I play the audio book while they follow in their books. I play the audio because I find more students pay attention to the story than without. Without audio, most of the students sit there holding the book while day dreaming, sleeping, or passing notes. The audio makes it effortless on their parts. I had some negative feelings about audio books in school because I wonder if the students are actually following along in the book, using the reader as a reading model or if they are tuning the reader out as well. But after some consideration, I decided more would be 'reading' than without it. I have had several students ask to take the book home to get ahead. These are my true readers. As the plot thickens I am noticing more and more students paying closer attention. But I have had to work very hard to get this far. I have shown them the movie trailer, fan made book trailers, Youtube spoofs of scenes we read about, had our own class reaping and Hunger Games for extra credit, played games, etc. It is hard work getting a teenager to get interested in a book when they would rather do something else. I feel I would have much more success if my content area were language arts so I could hold them more accountable. But alas...back to the audio book...I read this book a few times before hearing the audio version. As soon as the reader started I knew I was not going to like it. I don't care for her voice at all. I feel I am having a harder time relating to the characters while listening to her. I have considered making my own audio of it and playing it that way, but I have not had enough free time. Maybe over the summer...
I personally would rather have a tangible copy of a book than one on audio, but I know audio has value. It provides a great model for students to see where and how to pause at various punctuation and grammar. It provides a model of fluency. There is a verbal example of how to pronounce new words. Plus you can listen almost anytime any where. I wish there were audio versions of our textbook for download because they do not read it at all (though they all claim they do). They could at least listen to summaries before a test on the way to school or while they are getting ready. Because they are convenient and more portable, I believe students would be more apt to listen to their lessons than to read assigned pages. They are especially useful for multitasking. For instance, one can listen to a book while folding clothes, driving a car, or working out. That cannot be done with traditional books So the convenience cannot be matched. They are a good alternative for busy people and those who do not enjoy reading. But they should not take the place of all reading one does. It is still important to read the written word as well.
