I would raise the bar on reading levels and open the world of books for every child that can visit the library.
The public library is free for everybody, but we aren't lining up to read the books because our system is broken. Ninety-five percent of kids can't access audiobook versions of the books they want to read.
We do have CD audiobooks for many classic titles, but these aren't always available, and many people don't have CD players or find it inconvenient to use one. Modern libraries are phasing these out. Another option is Vox books, but they are seriously limited, available in less than 0.01% of books, and cumbersome to carry around. The tiny speaker, among other issues, makes it impractical. There is a screen-time version of audiobooks called OverDrive, but its selection is slim, and these versions don't have embedded page signals—a deal-breaker for early readers and semi-literate children.
What we need now is a way to scan a book cover and instantly start playing the audiobook version, complete with page signals and a slew of other options to enhance engagement. It is widely known that active reading is magnitudes better than passive reading when it comes to developing our memory, thereby fostering better learning. What does this mean? When we read out loud, at the end of the page or book, we ask the users a few questions to check if they've understood what they just read.
This would be a non-profit organization. Contributing to society starts with literacy. Literacy begins with engagement and accessibility. This is my contribution to making a society more rational, health, and well-coordinated.
UPDATE:
We have applied to the Amazon Small Business Grant, and this vision is soon to become a reality! interested in joining our mission, or following along? we need readers! we need testers! join us on discord!
The public library is free for everybody, but we aren't lining up to read the books because our system is broken. Ninety-five percent of kids can't access audiobook versions of the books they want to read.
We do have CD audiobooks for many classic titles, but these aren't always available, and many people don't have CD players or find it inconvenient to use one. Modern libraries are phasing these out. Another option is Vox books, but they are seriously limited, available in less than 0.01% of books, and cumbersome to carry around. The tiny speaker, among other issues, makes it impractical. There is a screen-time version of audiobooks called OverDrive, but its selection is slim, and these versions don't have embedded page signals—a deal-breaker for early readers and semi-literate children.
What we need now is a way to scan a book cover and instantly start playing the audiobook version, complete with page signals and a slew of other options to enhance engagement. It is widely known that active reading is magnitudes better than passive reading when it comes to developing our memory, thereby fostering better learning. What does this mean? When we read out loud, at the end of the page or book, we ask the users a few questions to check if they've understood what they just read.
This would be a non-profit organization. Contributing to society starts with literacy. Literacy begins with engagement and accessibility. This is my contribution to making a society more rational, health, and well-coordinated.
UPDATE: We have applied to the Amazon Small Business Grant, and this vision is soon to become a reality! interested in joining our mission, or following along? we need readers! we need testers! join us on discord!
https://bit.ly/join-ichatbook-discord