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Sound Gecko: Read the Web with Your Ears!

By Jessica Winstanley
www.soundgecko.com
This great site was recommended by one of our fantastic first grade teachers at Angling Road...Thanks Johnna Kline!

I spend a lot of time in my car....A LOT!  One thing that gets me through all that time behind the wheel is listening to the radio.  Music and NPR are frequently the companions that get me through the day.  There are also a ton of web articles out there that I have bookmarked to read....if I ever spend enough time at my desk to partake in that particular activity.  What if I could listen to these articles while I am driving from place to place instead of having to sit at my desk and read them...SWEET!

This is where Sound Gecko comes in!

Sound Gecko is a great app/website that will take websites and articles on the internet and read them aloud.  There is a free version that will allow you to listen to 30 articles a day, or you can upgrade to the premium subscription for $2.95 per month for unlimited listening and many other fancy features.  

Now this isn't just great for our personal use.  Imagine what a great tool it could be for our students, especially those who struggle with reading and/or need things read to them as part of an accommodation in an IEP.  They can do research and put the sites into Sound Gecko, stick in their ear buds and be ready to rock.

This site is SO easy to use.  All you need to do is enter (I prefer copy and paste) the website address (URL) for the site you want read to you.  You then enter your email and you are off and running.  So simple!


There are apps for Apple devices, Android devices, Windows Phone and there is even an extension in the Chrome web store that would send a web page to Sound Gecko with the click of a button (great for chromebooks!)

Check it out today, and let us know how you might use it with your students!
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