Our New Read-Aloud & Garage Band

We have been studying Informational Text for quite a while now, so it's nice that we're shifting into new units of study in both reading and writing. The kids will be writing Literary Essays using short text they will be reading, and I will be reading several aloud for modeling (along with some great picture books).  However, my kids have been begging for a new novel, and I can't disappoint them.  This week, we have slowly begun Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy:

So far I think we're all hooked.  In addition, I have been inspired by Kristen at Ladybug's Teacher Files to try out the podcast feature on Garage Band to record a homegrown "audio book" (Kristen--I hunted for the original post to link back to but I can't find your awesome idea!). I thought that using it for our read-aloud would be a great way to try it, and this new book will be my first test.

Basically, we have kids in and out of the room all day long for instrument lessons, various interventions, and so on, and between this issue and kids just being absent for some reason or another, kids miss chapters.  It happens enough of the time that it really impacts my ability to give assignments based off of our current book, because we're always playing catch up and making sure we're all up to speed. SO FRUSTRATING.

In any event, it's a small enterprise that I will have going. I'm using my personal Macbook and will be uploading the read-alouds to a set of iPod Touches, so 2 kids at a time will be able to get caught up.  Whatever it becomes, I'm excited to try it with the kids. I have two very fluent volunteers who will be my test readers, and we'll see how it goes.  If I can improve my understanding of Garage Band, I'd like to do more with podcasting, but I have more on my plate than I can manage right now, so it's in the future. If any of you use Garage Band in the classroom, I'd love to hear about it,