Book Talk Podcasts with QR Codes

With CCSS lexile levels are important. I have my students read books within their lexile range independently. This is the sheet I make them fill out as they read https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxOiAHva3B1haGhSQnJPd09ZRDQ/edit?usp=sharing. It takes them 10 days to read their book (I tell them they can pick to read on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday). Then when they have completed the book and their sheet they complete a book talk podcast and create a QR code of their podcast. To do this I first created a blog in Blogger. I used the dynamic template and called it Mrs. Morgan's Book Talk Podcasts. I also created an Audioboo account at http://audioboo.fm/. Then in settings on Audioboo I selected Posting to Other Sites and selected Blogger. Then, I selected Mrs. Morgan's Book Talk Podcasts. So, now when my students record their podcasts in Audioboo they post directly to my class's book talk podcast blog! Sounds simple and it is! My students record their podcasts using the Audioboo iPhone app on our class iPads. On the iPads I just have to download the Audioboo iPhone app and log in with the same credentials I used when I created my account on the computer. After they have recorded they go to the blog and the students then create a QR code to take others to their book talk podcast using http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. Here is the direction sheet I give my students to create their book talk podcasts and QR code https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxOiAHva3B1hLXB5SnBfUkhyLTg/edit?usp=sharing. I walk my students through the process once, and then they have it! They enjoy listening to their own podcast and to other's! You can even put the QR codes of exemplary book talks inside the book in your school's library or your classroom library!

Here is a link to last year's book talk podcasts - http://mrsmorgansclassbooktalks2012.blogspot.com/.