Read Me Story

Read Me Stories is a reading application. When one first logs on to Read Me stories, the parent or educator is given a set of questions about the child that addresses:  the reading level of the student, what the student needs to work on, how much the child read, if the child reads independently or with an adult, and how long each day the child reads. The program selects books that are appropriate  for the child's level and the child’s needs. Each day, the program gives students a book selected just for them. The book either reads the book to the child, or has the child read the book by themselves. As the application reads the book the book highlights the word being spoken.

I personally could see this application being useful in a lower-elementary classroom. I have seen in classrooms that teachers do “listening centers” during reading center times. During this time, students often listen to a book on tape. This could be a much cheaper alternative than to buy audiobooks for students. I think this application could be enhanced by questioning the students’ interest. Students can go back and reread books that they enjoyed. For students who are international, the application gives the option to read in different languages. This could be a good application to give ELLs to use with their parents.