Reading Tools

Bypass Reading

Low Tech

• Audio Books for Free: http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/screen_main.asp?gg=2
• Books Aloud: http://www.booksaloud.org/home.htm
• LibriVox: (free) http://librivox.org/ Audio versions of Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive digital text
• Storynory: (free) http://storynory.com/archives
• Learn Out Loud (some free) http://kids.learnoutloud.com
• State Library of Kansas (free with library card): http://kansas.lib.overdrive.com/
• Kids Audible: (cost) http://kids.audible.com
• iTunes: Kids and Early Teen books (cost)
• Lookybook: (free) http://www.lookybook.com/

High Tech (electronic text)

• World Wide School Library: http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/catalogs/bysubject-top.html
• WikiBooks: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org
• University of Virginia Library: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/subjects/subjects-young.html
• MightyBooks: http://www.mightybook.com/
• Tumble Book Library: http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp
• Amazing Adventure Series: http://www.tosiproductions.com/_amazingadventure/
• American Folklore: http://www.americanfolklore.net/

High Tech (electronic text readers)

• ReadPlease (free Windows software) http://www.readplease.com/ Copy and paste text into the reader and save files
• Fire Vox (free software) – http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/features.html Reads Firefox internet browser
• Read the Words (free online) http://readthewords.com/ Upload a file (Word, PDF, HTML, or cut/paste), choose reader, and download mp3 file of story to computer, ipod, or burn to disc
• Mac VoiceOver (free Mac software) http://www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover/

Decreasing Reading

Cognitive Rescaling – Altering the difficulty level of information that is being read.

• Autosummary (Word): Sample Summary Report
• Windows to the Universe Website: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/

Support Reading

• Idiom Site: http://www.idiomsite.com/
• The Internet Picture Dictionary: http://www.pdictionary.com/
• Word Central: http://www.wordcentral.com/
• Google Definitions: http://www.google.com/ Type define, colon, word
• Little Explorers English Dictionary: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Dictionary.html
• ThinkMap Visual Thesaurus: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/trialover.jsp
• Usborne’s Animated Thousand Words: http://www.tomsnyder.com/products/product.asp?SKU=USBFIR
• VisuWords: online graphical dictionary http://www.visuwords.com/

Organize Reading

• Text2Mindmap: http://www.text2mindmap.com/
• Bubble.us: Free web-based brainstorming tool (http://www.bubbl.us/)
• Wise Mapping: http://www.wisemapping.com/c/publicView.htm?mapId=5603
• Inspiration/Kidspiration:
• Downloadable Resources: (http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/tools/index.htm)

Guided Reading

• CliffNotes: http://www.cliffnotes.com/
• SparkNotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/
• Free Book Notes: http://www.freebooknotes.com
• Pink Monkey: http://www.pinkmonkey.com

Staying Informed

• Websites
• Assistive Technology Training Project: http://atto.buffalo.edu/
• Open Source Assistive Technology Software: http://www.oatsoft.org/Software
• TechMatrix: http://www.techmatrix.org/index.aspx
• Blogs
• Free Resources from the Net for Special Education: http://paulhami.edublogs.org
• The Assistive Technology Blog: http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu/
• Inclusion Revolution: http://www.classroom20.com/group/technologyinspecialeducation
• Del.icio.us: http://del.icio.us/network/kyliestewart
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/kyliestew

Literacy Development

• Free Reading: http://www.free-reading.net/: Research-based curriculum sharing project and online free reading program
• Read-Write-Think: http://www.readwritethink.org/ Lessons, resources, and online tools to support literacy instruction
• KidSpace: http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/
• Lit2Go: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go Leveled audiobooks by Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score and downloadable to iTunes
• Literacy Center: http://www.literacycenter.net/ Identify Uppercase and Lowercase Letter, Identify Shapes, Practice Writing Letters, and Practice Spelling
• Speaking of Speech: http://www.speakingofspeech.com/Home_Page.html Locate resources to improve communication skills
• Starfall: http://www.starfall.com Online books with audio and modeling, activities for phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension
• Clifford Interactive Storybooks: http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/index.htm Audiobooks with integrated comprehension questions
• Between the Lions: http://pbskids.org/lions Audiobooks, Mobile Media, and games

Creating Your Own Audiobooks

• PowerPoint – (Click here for directions)
  
• Garageband (Mac) – (Click here for directions)
  
• Audacity (Mac/PC) – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/