Web 2.0 Virtual Summer Reading Project

I am currently collaborating with a Middle School student I tutor (and his mother) to develop a virtual summer reading program (via tutoring) to be conducted over six to eight  weeks. The student has some learning challenges as well as gifts.  One challenge is reading comprehension.  We have been using comprehension strategies and slowed reading pace as well as attention to sentence structure and punctuation as ways to boost comprehension.

Ideas for Program

Structure:

Student chooses a book to read and reads it independently along with an audio book 4-5 days per week

Objectives:  

Multisensory practice in listening to smooth reading cued by punctuation and sentence structure

Practice using reading comprehension strategies

Enjoyment

Location:

Instead of meeting in the classroom as we do during the school year, we will meet virtually and potentially asynchronously, via a blog.  I proposed the idea to him, and before I got to the blog part, he was reluctant.  When I mentioned responding via the blog, his interest peaked.

Loose Ends:

I am not 100% sure how I am going to set this all up, but my goal is not so much to have him write, or learn about blogging perse, but more to learn to self-regulate his reading and be able to get support from me when he needs it.

Writing is arduous for him, and since writing is not my focus, but reading and reading comprehension, I thought it might be neat to have him use VoiceThread instead of, or in cooperation with the blog to respond to his reading.

I would like the responses to include his reflection on how, when and why he uses reading comprehension strategies, as well as how reading along with the audio helps (or hinders?) his understanding and/or enjoyment of reading.

Looking for Feedback!

Any thoughts?  Maybe it's too boring just to focus on strategies, but I don't want him to get bogged down by writing in this assignment and lose motivation for the self-regulation.  Any ideas on how to make this worthwhile and fun while minimizing the cognitive load via less writing are welcomed.  Thank you!