MyNotes - How To Convert Books to Audio & Get Them on Your iPod

In the near future, my team is getting ready to implement an iPod initiative with middle school Bilingual/ESL students. The model will be based on the work of San Marcos CISD’s Rhonda Stonecipher. You can read my notes on her presentation and get a copy of her handout online.

In addition to pulling media from a provider like the monopolistic video media providers available for K-12 schools in the United States, another possibility is pulling video/audio from a variety of sources or “mixing your own.” To this end—mixing your own—I found this MakeUseOf.com blog entry relevant and cited some of their main recommendations below. I encourage you to read the complete blog entry for more information!

In the meantime, anyone care to share links to their own existing blog entries on similar type iPod programs for ESL/EFL learners?

[How To Convert Books to Audio & Get Them on Your iPod](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks)

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    How To Convert Books to Audio & Get Them on Your iPod
    
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    ### **Step 1: Get a Good Free Text to Speech (TTS) Program**
    
    ![SpesoftLogo](http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/SpesoftLogo.gif)Of the three TTS programs I tested with my text file of tongue twisters, the one I liked best was [Spesoft’s Free Text To MP3 Speaker](http://www.spesoft.com/spesofttexttomp3.aspx). I also tried [Speakonia](http://www.cfs-technologies.com/home/?id=1.4) and [Ultra Hal Text to Speech Reader](http://download.cnet.com/Ultra-Hal-Text-to-Speech-Reader/3000-7239_4-10071733.html).
    
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    Step 2: Get a Good Book
    
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    Step 3: Edit the Text as Necessary
    
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    Step 4: Open the Book in Your TTS
    
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    Step 5: Let the TTS Do It’s Thing
    

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