Teachers and parents alike are using audiobooks to catch the interest of the "mp3 generation".
Though some teachers have trouble accepting the fact that learing can be fun, a growing number say that such an approach can make learning more interesting for today's youngsters who have never known a world without the internet, cell phones, text messaging, and playstations. In fact they say it can have kids learning in spite of themselves.
The audio format attracts youngsters because it's considered a cool reading alternative, especially now that they can download a book direct to their MP3 players.
Audio books are providing a rich learning environment that can be used in innovative and engaging ways, supporting learning and appealing to the digital characteristics of today's generation.
And when you think about it, the spoken word is how people have communicated and learned for centuries. It only makes sense therefore that when a new technology comes along that resonates with the today's kids they tend to get hooked.
"It makes "reading" more interesting," are some of the comments from young students. "You don't have to listen to the teacher talk all the time. You don't have to look at a book all day."
The audio industry over the last decade has experienced tremendous growth, even as formats have moved from cassettes to CDs and now digital downloads.
"The rule of thumb over the years has been that the audio industry is about 10% of what the book industry is in size," according to Jae Taylor of http://www.audiodigitalbooks.com.
In fact, according to Mr. Taylor, “audiobooks have withstood the economic downturns of the retail book market better than books themselves."
While children's audio books remain a small segment of the overall audio book market, sales have been increasing over the years, following a general industry trend," Mr. Taylor says.
Audiobooks are particularly helpful in studying for exams or in situations where you need to take in a lot of information. They also make things like learning foreign languages much easier.
In fact, the Commission on Reading report, entitled "Becoming a Nation of Readers" states, "The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children,' "
Studies show that audiobooks help children increase their vocabulary and develop greater reading fluency because they can listen to books that they might otherwise show no interest in.
