Listening Station

My students LOVE our class listening station...

I, however, not so much.  

My anxiety level was high as I worried that the CD's, that I bought with class Scholastic points, would break.  I would often hear, "Mrs. Neels, my CD player doesn't work!"  

Ugh!  Dead batteries again! 

Or I would hear that awful sound as the CD player hit the ground and sent pieces shooting across the room.  Oops!

I finally decided this wasn't working for us.  I had been very interested in using iPods, so I put up a project on Donors Choose!  I asked for two iPod Nanos.  To my surprise, the project was funded!  

I rummaged through our old electronics and found one I had used once upon a time before iPhones.  Then I put a plea out to parents, Facebook friends, and family that I needed iPods.  I was able to come up with three more (one from my own sister).  I decided to take my chances once more and put another project up on Donors Choose for 5 iPods.  Yep!  Funded again!  

I now have a total of 10 iPods!!  

Now I needed a place to store, display, and charge them.  I found these little plastic containers at the dollar store.  They were 2/$1!  I even found a few packaged for 3/$1!  The iPods fit perfectly (so does a deck of cards)!

I found this red mailbox system through Scholastic.  I was able to buy it with saved points.  I love it because there is a hole in the back that I feed all the cords through.  Every Friday, before leaving school, I plug them all in and they charge over the weekend.

I then downloaded all 80+ of my books on CD's to my own personal iTunes at my home.  I rotate books each month.  It works out to be approx. 10 books or so that are new for the students to read each month.

I just made a playlist in iTunes for each month. 

Then I assigned the books to a specific month.

My students love them...and so do I!

 Now when they go to the listening station, they simply pick an iPod, a book, and a set of headphones!  

Then they sit and enjoy (with no anxiety from me)!