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National Read a Book Day: The Best Reading Apps in 2016

 

September 6th is National Read a Book Day, a day that encourages us all to grab a book and get to reading.

Thanks to modern technology, there are now many ways to read books. While you have a right to prefer the old fashioned method of physically turning pages, you should know that there are tons of options that might even have the capability to change the way you or your students read forever.

Check out what Education World is calling the Best Reading Apps of 2016.

 

Novel Effect: The Modern Evolution of Storytelling

Novel Effect, which just launched last week, is a free app for Apple devices that uses voice recognition technology to play "theme music and sound effects at just the right moment.”

Designed to capture the attention of all child learners, the app was conceptualized by a veteran special education teacher of children with visual impairments. Melody Furze co-founded Novel Effect after being determined to make reading an immersive activity for those who might to be able to see a story’s illustrations.

When you sit down to read a book to your child this week, consider checking out Novel Effect to switch things up.

 

BookTrack: Create Soundtracks for Books

Similarly to Novel Effect, BookTrack reinvigorates reading as an activity by supplementing reading with accompanying music and sounds.

BookTrack lets the user customize the soundtrack by adding background music, ambient sound, and sound effects and even adjusting the pace to an individual’s reading speed.

For users interested in trying the product out, the company currently offers over 26,000 free-to-use music and ambient audio tracks.

And for teachers interested in the product, its recent integration with Microsoft Office 365 makes it more accessible than ever.

Check it out here. 

 

MTA, Transit Wireless and Penguin Random House Partnership

If you’re a New York resident and use the subway for your daily commute, a new partnership between MTA, Transit Wireless and Penguin Random House is going to make your National Read a Book Day much better.

In honor of "more than 175 underground subway stations in the system now having wireless connectivity,” subway riders will now have "free access to five full free e-shorts and samples from 175 e-books” on their mobile devices for the next eight weeks.

The shorts and samples, says TimeOut New York, are timed to your commute. Talk about a modern way to celebrate reading! 

 

Free Books: Download the Classics

This app provides users free access to 23,469 classic books.

Free Books represents a great opportunity for you to break up your recent reads with some timeless classics. As a plus, the app includes a dictionary, notes, and bookmark capabilities to really accentuate your free reading experience. It's not rated the top free book app for no reason, that's for sure. 

 

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