Ripple connects loved ones with kids through books
Ripple is an online service that connects kids with loved ones such as parents on the battlefield or grandparents in another town through the magic of reading.
Users record themselves reading books in Ripple’s online library that the child can access to hear their own story with their copy of the book in hand. Designed for kids 4-8, the service has kids listening to stories again and again.
Users can buy a single recording session for $9.95 or a package that brings the per-recording price as low as $4.58. Ripple is also supporting schools and libraries. To find out how your local school or library can take part, see www.RippleReader.com.
Another way to connect with kids this way is through recordable hardcover books available from Hallmark.
Nook
Nook is Barnes and Noble’s new e-reader and Amazon’s big competition.
With a full-color touch screen with e-ink, millions of available titles and a $259 price tag, the Nook is looking to supplant Kindle in the electronic book market.
Nook even lets you lend books to friends for free. You can send the book to your friends phone, computer or e-reader for up to 14 days. Also, there are thousands of free e-books (like all your English teacher’s favorites).
The reader has 2GB memory and measures 7.7 x 4.9 inches. It weighs just 11.2 ounces. You can also use the reader as an mP3 player. Unlike Kindle, the memory is expandable via microSD card.
Another plus for Nook is the ability to share your e-book with your iPod touch, iPhone, Blackberry or PC. Kindle is working on this as well with PC in Beta.
nook arrives Nov. 30, but you can preorder it online now, or beginning Wednesday in any Barnes & Noble store. And come Nov. 30, you’ll be able to test-drive nook in any Barnes & Noble store as well.
The Kindle Ate My Homework
Even as a very tech oriented person I still love books. Not just stories, but books. The paper, the pages, the bookmarks, Barnes and Noble, I sincerely love it, so I’ve never fallen in love with the Kindle (I fear it actually).
Well, here’s just another reason why I trust paper. The Kindle ate a kid’s homework. Literally, Kindle gobbled his notes into cyber space never to be seen again. I know you can lose a notebook, but that’s a personal fault, this was a technology problem. I guess the version of George Orwell’s 1984 he was taking electronic notes on was discontinued by the retailer not only did his copy of the book disappear but so did his hard written notes (and 1984 is not a short book). Amazon has since offered a refund for those who lost their copy, but that doesn’t take the sting out of things.
So again I say, lets not step beyond out bounds in gadgetry. Developments in tech and science are supposed to help, not hurt, after all.
Readeez–learning disguised as smiling
Readeez is a clever way to teach reading to your kids while they have fun. It uses a combination of written and spoken word to help children learn to read one syllable at a time.
The DVDs feature clever and simple lyrics with simple but beautiful drawings to engage kids and parents alike.
You can preview many of the brief songs on the company’s website. The DVD is available via Amazon for about $17 and features 30 Readeez
Speakboos for those long summer days
Speakaboos takes your favorite stories, fables and tales digital with video versions of children’s classics and even popular characters such as Curious George and Arthur. Popular celebrities such as Nick Cannon and Kevin Bacon lend their voice talents to the tales.
The stories also are accompanied by games, e-cards, create your own story opportunities and more. There is also a whole section just for teachers with additional worksheets and more to enhance learning.
All the stories are free to watch and can be downloaded for your iPod or computer for 99 cents. A portion of the proceeds goes to children’s charities
Learn more about Speakaboos on this video tour.
Found via Goody Blog
Kindle 2
Amazon has announced the newest member of the Kindle family.
The Kindle 2 is sleeker and lighter but has a stronger battery. The Amazon homepage touts it as being thinner than a magazine and lighter than a paperback. It also can operate for two weeks on a single charge.
The Kindle 2 can also store 1,500 titles and with its text-to-speech feature it can even read it to you.
You can download more than 230,000 different titles to the Kindle 2, including more than 100 books on the NYT best seller list. Amazon says their goal is to have every book ever written available for download.
The new device will be available Feb. 24, 2009 and they are now accepting preorders. Price is $359.
If you already own a Kindle, you can get first priority if you place your order by midnight PST tonight (Feb. 10).
I’ve been a little skeptical in the past, but this new version is very enticing. See Amazon’s site for complete details. I never thought I would really be able to make the switch, but I can begin to see the appeal.
Book Glutton takes reading online
If you aren’t ready for Amazon’s Kindle, but you want to see what online book reading is all about try out Book Glutton. (Found via Geek Sugar)
Now, in some ways there is no comparison as Kindle is its own dedicated device, but the Book Glutton site is an interesting option for those who don’t want to carry books or additional equipment with them.
You can read public-domain works (like all the classics and thousands of other things) via their reader. In addition, you can comment and read what others are saying page by page. If you have your own group, you can have a “virtual book club.” If you prefer, you can also read in private.
The site is currently in beta with additional features and more contemporary works in the plans. For now, it is a nice way to find public-domain works in a readable format. It also could work well for your kids who are online anyway so they could at least be reading a good book! Many English teacher favorites are on the site. You might recommend it to your child’s English teacher as an alternative to the “reader-response” notebooks we are all so found of assigning. Integrating technology in the classroom is a great way to get kids engaged.
Weekly Links–Great Books edition
There are so many wonderful book-related sites I can only scrape the surface, but here goes.
Like GoodReads, Shelfari is a social network for book lovers. Keep track of what everyone is reading. My favorite feature of Shelfari, however is a very nifty widget for sharing your “bookshelf” with the world.
Paperspine is the Netflix of books. For a monthly fee $9.99 and up, you can rent books, keeping them for as long as you want before returning them and receiving the next book on your list. If you don’t live near a good library or don’t like late fees, this could be a really nice option. You get to enjoy the book, but you don’t have to front the full cost. Booksfree is a similar service.
If you don’t want to go the monthly fee route, you can get books free, for the cost of postage, at PaperBackSwap, an on-line lending library of sorts. Learn more about how you can join the community and get credits for lending out your books.
Open Books Radio is a weekly conversation with authors. You can download interviews from the website to learn more about your favorite authors or ones you’ve never heard of.
Librivox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Their goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. Download mp3 or podcasts of classics and listen in your car, at home or while you workout. Also great for students who need reading support to follow along in their book while they listen to the story.
I could go on and on, but that is probably enough for now. Enjoy!
Book Week–Read any good books lately?
Want to keep up with the best books, see what your friends are reading, and track your book history? You can with Goodreads.
When I was in middle school, my best friend and I were on a reading team together at our local library. From then on, we would often share great books we found. As we grew, years and distance kept us from sharing until recently when she introduced me to Goodreads. Now I get updates as she adds new reviews to her “now reading” list or updates to her “must-read” shelf.
What’s more you can explore what the community finds interesting, join a discussion group, start a book club, chat with authors and more. Now you can search by the most popular, most read and even unpopular books. You can also explore listopia with lists like “The Thickest Books Ever,” “The Worst Books of All Time, and “The Best Books of 2008″.
Want to learn more? There is a video tour posted on the goodreads blog.
