As a special educator I was excited to review the AnyBook reader from Franklin Discover. The reader is an easy-to-use aid in literacy while giving children motivation to keep reading. I also came up with other ways the reader can be used for literacy, language aquisition and as a gift.
Ease-of-Use for the AnyBook
A simple four step process makes recording and playback easy for both adults and children. Stickers, which accompany the reader, are adheared to pages in a book. The read is than activated and the person reads while their voice is recorded. Once completed, the specific recording will play when the sticker is touched by the AnyBook reader.
Multi-functional AnyBook Stickers
The AnyBook comes with blank stickers used for recording stories and books, but it also includes stickers with pictures that play sounds of the items when touched by the read. The stickers can be made into simple picture books, added to flash cards or even stuck around the house. Using this method, readers learning a foreign language can place stickers on particular items with the reader reading the item in the foreign language.
Ages for AnyBook Users
The AnyBook is made for children three and older and seems to keep interest in children to about seven years-of-age. Of course this varies from child to child and it also depends on the voice being recorded. Even an older children would be happy to hear the voice of a friend or relative who lives far away.
Cost and Specifications
AnyBook offers two available models with differing storage capabilities. The $39.99 model affords 15-hours of story recording while the $59.99 model allows 60 hours. The less expensive model is a good choice for most families, however, if you have a story lover the 60-hour model might be the better fit.
Special Needs and the AnyBook
When I was teaching similar items were availble but were extremely expenive. My poor inner-city could not justify the prices so teachers were forced to use tape recorders. This item is portable, flexible and a much more decent choice for educators working with children with special needs. While the literacy component is relavant to all, speech pathologists are sure to enjoy the possibilities this unit has for practicing articulation and language aqusition.
The AnyBook reader has a lot of potential to do more than just promote literacy. It's a good choice for parents and teachers looking for an addition to teaching reading and keeping children motimated to learn.
Vivian Nelson Melle was solicited for this review and was given the Franklin Discover AnyBook reader for free for reviewing purposes. The reader was than given to a local family-in-need.
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