Site of the Day: Audacity

Audacity, free software that allows you to make and edit digital sound recordings through your computer, combines two of my favorite strategies: reading aloud to reluctant readers, and keeping an iPod handy to amuse kids during boring times.

Whether your computer uses Windows or Mac OS, you can use Audacity to record a story and convert it into a format for uploading into iTunes. You can also simply leave your recording on the computer for your kids to listen to, as suggested in the blog Play-Activities.com.

I sure do wish they'd had all this technology when I used to make tape recordings of my daughter's reading homework so she could listen to it again and again for improved comprehension. With my older kids now, I'm thinking they might get a kick out of recording their own messages and stories and hearing their own voices on their iPods.

Give the software a try, and tell me in the comments how you're using it. There are tutorials and quick reference guides on the Audacity site, but if you're having trouble figuring things out, email me and I'll try to help.