[CALIBK12] Audio Books Justification?

[Barbara Duffy]

Our teachers love playaways and the little speakers so the class can
listen.  However, the last teacher to check them out did not return them
at the end of the year and has not come back this year.  We do need to
get all our equipment barcoded but that is difficult in our district.  I
bought another set of Playaways speakers this summer to replace the set
that I will probably never see again.

Barbara

Barbara J. Duffy, Ed. D.
Library Teacher
Jordan High School, Main Campus
6500 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90805
562-423-1471   x 2131
Fax 562-422-8918

"What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels
about education." - Harold Howe, former Secretary of Education

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that
of an ignorant nation." - Walter Cronkite, Newscaster 

 "I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness
about the underpinnings of our culture and our concren for the future
can all be tested by how well we support our libraries." 

>>> Judy Johnson <Judy.Johnson at fresnounified.org> 10/02/08 9:18 AM >>>
At our middle school we are getting more and more requests for audio
books.  Over the past two years we have had numerous requests for audio
textbooks, because they were written into a student's IEP.  I just sent
off for my first order for Playaways and my teachers are excited to get
them.  I know there will be at least a couple of titles that will find
there way into a teacher's class permanently.  And that's OK.  That book
will reach more students in one year than if we had it in our library
and I know the circulation of that book will increase dramatically. 
Audio books do not circumvent reading, they encourage it.

Encourage that teacher to play just a few chapters of the book they are
requiring their students to read, and I'm sure more students will be
motivated to read the book on their own. If it doesn't work, they
haven't lost anything.


Judy Johnson
Teacher Librarian
Baird Middle School
5500 N. Maroa Ave.
Fresno, CA  93704

Judy.Johnson at FresnoUnified.org

(559)451-4310

"Research means that you don't know, but are willing to find out." -
Charles F. Kettering