accessible instructional materials Archives - Page 6 of 16

Published January 28, 2014

Teacher-Recommended Titles for Black History Month

Earlier, we wrote about Black History Month. In this blog, we want to share some great reading recommendations from one of our amazing sponsor members, Donna Schneider. Donna is an Assistive Technology Specialist and Bookshare Mentor Teacher. She gave us her list of teacher-recommended books to read and learn about black history. Some titles meet Common Core Standards, so please share them with other teachers and students. Here’s a tip! Use Reading Lists to save, organize, and share these books with students who have Individual Memberships. View this tutorial for educators or this tutorial for Individual Members. * * *…

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Published January 20, 2014

Honoring Black History Month – February

February is Black History Month. Did you know that Carter G. Woodson originated Black History Week in 1926 in an effort to place African American history into the study of American history? In preparation for this event, here are titles to check out in the Bookshare library in honor of many individuals who impacted American history. We also invite you to join our discussions on Facebook about these courageous men and women. Carter G. Woodson—A Life in Black History by Jacqueline Goggin (HS, College, Adult) In 1912, Woodson (1875–1950) became the first and only individual of slave parentage to earn…

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Published January 13, 2014

Two FREE “Bookshare for Educators” Workshops during ATIA 2014 Conference in Orlando

Educators near or close to Orlando, Florida, and those who will attend the ATIA 2014 conference, reserve your seat now for FREE Bookshare training workshops on Friday, January 31. This is your chance to get hands-on training and answers to questions directly from our Bookshare trainers. You do not have to register for ATIA to participate. The events will take place at the Caribe Royal Hotel in conjunction with ATIA 2014. Once we reserve your spot, we’ll send you details in a confirmation email. Space is limited, so please sign up on the waiting list for these in-depth training sessions:…

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Published January 8, 2014

Calling All K-12 Bookshare Members: Enter the White House Student Film Festival by January 29 2014!

Are you or do you know a Bookshare student member in grades K-12 who enjoys filmmaking? Do you use Bookshare to help with your studies at school? If yes, President Obama has a super cool contest for you! Enter the White House Student Film Festival! The White House is holding its first ever film festival to showcase the power of technology in schools and students who win may get to visit the White House! We know that you use Bookshare to learn all sorts of amazing things. Do you use Bookshare Web Reader to read and listen to your textbooks and…

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Published December 26, 2013

Praise for Accessible Books and Reading Technologies by Bookshare Mentor Teacher

As 2013 comes to an end, we want to send our heartfelt thanks to all educators, sponsors and Bookshare Mentor Teachers who continue to partner with us to provide accessible educational opportunities to their students. With that sentiment, we’d like to share this letter from Theresa Brousseau, a teacher of the visually impaired, who wrote us this letter. “Thanks to Bookshare, I feel good that I’m able to help more students with print disabilities achieve their goals, make progress and be successful! As a VI teacher, the students I work with require reading assignments in accessible formats to access the…

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Published December 19, 2013

Bookshare Listed Among World’s 100 Most Inspiring Applications of Digital Technology for Social Innovation

This post is reposted from the Benetech Blog. The Nominet Trust, a United Kingdom leading social tech funder, included Bookshare, a Benetech Global Literacy initiative, on its list of 100 global ventures using digital technology to solve some of the world’s biggest social problems. Through its innovative technologies, Bookshare is raising the floor for people with print disabilities (such as visual impairments, physical disabilities, or severe learning disabilities) by providing them with the world’s largest collection of accessible copyrighted content and reading tools. Bookshare currently has over 250,000 members and a collection of more than 220,000 titles, which are delivered…

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Published November 29, 2013

NYC Tech Coach for Visually Impaired Students Shares Value of Bookshare’s Online Library

David Cohen, the Vision Technology Coordinator for the New York City Department of Education’s District 75/Citywide Services, is considered the go-to guy for anything tech-related. David has 18 years experience working with students who are visually impaired (VI) in one of the largest districts in the United States. He says a good portion of VI students in his districts now attend general education classes and that “technology is an empowering learning solution for students and the district.” David’s main job is to work with staff, students, and parents to help them evaluate personalized learning needs. Whether it’s assistive technology, digital…

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Published October 7, 2013

Dyslexia Specialist Says, “Introduce Children with Print Disabilities to Technology Early to Help Them Be Independent!”

Cathy Wilson is a dyslexia specialist at Coppell ISD, TX, and a Bookshare mentor teacher. She trains her colleagues and students who qualify how to use the online Bookshare library and reading technologies. Last year, Cathy had nearly 40 youngsters on her Bookshare organizational account. This allowed her and other approved teachers, or sponsors, to find and download books for students who qualify. She has helped more than 90 percent of these students get individual memberships. “Introducing children with print disabilities to technology early helps them to be more independent and eventually find and download books on their own,” she…

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Published October 1, 2013

Get Students a Bookshare Individual Membership at Home!

Throughout October, parents and educators often meet to discuss how students are progressing through the school year. Parent-teacher conferences, IEP meetings, and other face-to-face opportunities are the perfect time to discuss how students can take reading and studying to the next level with Bookshare. How? Get qualified students access to Bookshare at home. Most of our student members access Bookshare through their school account. This means that educators find and download books for students. A fast growing number of students are also getting individual memberships. This allows them to discover books on their own, download independently, and develop a personal…

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Published September 20, 2013

Best Practice from a Bookshare Mentor Teacher — Train Teachers and Students Together!

Lisa Gutheil, a teacher of the visually impaired and early intervention specialist, encourages teachers and students to participate in her Bookshare training sessions together. Why does her dual-training model work so well? “Because kids get the technology!” says Lisa. Co-training may not surprise you, but what will is that Lisa trains younger students, as early as third grade, to use Bookshare and its technology tools. “If you want to ensure lifelong learning then give students resources and tools as early as possible so they don’t fall behind,” she says. This busy Bookshare Mentor now calls New York her home after…

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Category: accessible instructional materials