By Adam Sockel, OverDrive’s Social Media Specialist

These days, technology and classroom are two words that go hand in hand. Students around the world now have access to devices like Chromebooks and tablets that have become a part of their everyday learning environment. Thanks to a commitment to education technology, millions of these students also have access to eBooks through their schools’ OverDrive-powered digital collection, providing them 24/7 access to school required text and leisure reading options.

eBooks are great for students on the go but they aren’t the only tool available through OverDrive that you can provide. Audiobooks offer your students numerous advantages including the ability to multi-task and help with comprehension. Here are seven reasons why you should be using OverDrive audiobooks with your students:

  1. Audiobook TestimonialTime saver – Students are busy. Homework, sports, extracurriculars, etc. It’s a lot. Audiobooks enable them to listen to the books they need to read while doing chores, working out, on the bus or before they fall asleep. They can also increase the speed of the title to get through them faster as well.
  2. High Low readers – Some readers struggle to read at their age level or get discouraged from reading at all. Audiobooks are a great solution to allow them to follow the story and get comfortable again with literature.
  3. ESL students – There are many schools across the country who have English as a Second Language Students. Audiobooks are wonderful for teaching these students English grammar and overall language and sentence structure.
  4. Classroom story time – A great way to break up lectures is by having story time with a class. Traditionally, teachers and librarians read while students listen or they have the students read short sections. Try using an audiobook instead and pausing in between chapters to discuss what the students think is happening to work on comprehension.
  5. Critical Listening – Speaking of comprehension…Critical listening is essential in all walks of life and audiobooks force students to hear important information and process it properly.
  6. Introduce new vocabulary – We’ve all been there. You’re reading a book and a word comes along that you simply don’t know so you skip passed it. Audiobooks not only help you learn pronunciation of these words, but by using them properly in a sentence students can better understand what these words mean. You’ll also find that students can tackle titles at higher reading levels thanks to audiobooks.
  7. Convenience – One of the reasons many schools don’t offer traditional audiobooks is because they often come with multiple CDs that can be damaged or lost. Digital audiobooks make this a thing of the past. Titles are enjoyed and then automatically returned.

Audiobooks are a great way to help students fall in love with reading, regain their confidence and offer privacy about their reading choices. They make it easier than ever to tackle higher level texts and get through reading assignments even with a busy schedule. Best of all, we have thousands of them up to 50% off right now during our Holiday Spectacular sale. There’s never been a better time to start featuring the ability to read through listening!