General news Archives - Page 6 of 16

Published July 16, 2014

Bookshare’s Braille Gets an Upgrade!

Notice anything new about how you read Bookshare titles in braille? It’s gotten even better. Reading in electronic braille is popular among many of our members, who download titles in BRF, or braille ready format, on compatible reading tools. The Bookshare team is committed to braille literacy and providing braille content that is high quality and timely. If you want to learn more about Bookshare’s position on braille literacy, read this post titled “On the Future of Braille: Thoughts by Radical Braille Advocates,” written by Betsy Beaumon, VP and General Manager of Benetech’s Global Literacy Program. About the Upgrade In…

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Published June 16, 2014

The Summer of Sleuths Contest Is Live. Enter Today!

It’s time to solve some clues! The Summer of Sleuths reading contest for U.S. Individual Members has officially launched! Put on your favorite detective cap, pull out your magnifying glass, and get ready to inspect some great detective books in Bookshare. Through Friday, August 1st, contestants will download, read, and solve clues within great detective books from Bookshare. For every clue you answer correctly, you will be entered into a drawing for awesome prizes like detective gadgets, gift cards and free year-long Bookshare memberships! (Read our initial contest announcement to learn more about the contest). Important Tips for Summer Sleuths…

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Published June 13, 2014

From the Eyes of Fathers…Honoring Dedicated Dads!

We’re honored to feature two proud dads of Bookshare students. Mr. Drake Leong from Palo Alto, California, is the father of Kevin Leong, and Mr. Andrew Cooper from Austin, Texas, is the father of Ben Cooper. Both dads care deeply about their sons and are intimately involved in their education and use of Bookshare. These fathers represent the best in parental dedication to students with print disabilities. Today, we’re sharing their thoughts about their sons. Drake Leong “Life before Bookshare was very difficult for my son,” says Drake. Kevin suffered an unexpected brain injury when he was little and had…

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Published June 10, 2014

Support Question of the Month: How Do You Renew Your Individual Membership?

Renew Your Bookshare Membership Now! Our June support blog on how to renew your Bookshare Individual Membership is just in time for our Summer of Sleuth’s Reading Contest. Have you tried logging into your account, but were unable to download books? It’s possible that your Bookshare membership has expired. Make sure your membership is up-to-date by following the easy steps below and join us for a super fun summer reading event! The contest begins on June 16th. Steps to Renew as a Student Member: 1. Log into Bookshare, select “My Account” in your Task Bar. 2. Choose the “Student Status”…

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Published May 27, 2014

Bookshare Community Rocks First Live Twitter #PoetryJam!

In April, we celebrated National Poetry Month by featuring poets and poetry books in our social media channels. We also invited our Twitter friends to join us in creating poetry online together. During the week of April 21st through 25th, we switched our focus from reading poetry to writing poetry and experimented with an interactive Twitter event: our first-ever Bookshare Community Poetry Jam! You, our fun-loving Bookshare members, educators, volunteers, parents, and accessibility advocates, rocked this event with creativity, sentiment, humor, and love. During the week, anyone could tweet lines of poetry day or night using the #PoetryJam hashtag. Our…

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Published May 16, 2014

Bookshare Support Question – What’s the Quickest and Easiest Way to Read Books from Bookshare for Individual Members?

Welcome to Bookshare’s support question of the month. In this inaugural post, our knowledgeable and responsive Support Team will address a commonly asked question from members just like you! Every month, the team will choose a new support topic to help you get more out of Bookshare, so make sure you subscribe to our blog for these great tips. Here’s our first month’s support question: “What’s the quickest and easiest way to access and read a Bookshare book for Individual Members?” Drum roll please… The answer is through the Bookshare Web Reader. This reader works on both Mac and Windows.…

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Published May 6, 2014

Sharing Best Practices to Celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day!

Today we recognize educators everywhere for their dedication to teaching. That’s why we’re featuring some of the country’s most effective educators and specialists who work with students with print disabilities. Did you know that across the country, there are nearly 500 Bookshare Mentor Teachers? They use the online library and reading tools in innovative ways in their classrooms and to train other teachers, students, and parents. Why Do Bookshare Mentor Teachers Do What They Do? When asked, they’ll tell you it’s for the children, teens, and older students who could not enjoy reading a book or studying advanced curriculum.…

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Published March 31, 2014

TCEA 2014 Conference Roundup. We Got Inspired!

Bookshare staffers and the Accessible Books for Texas team recently attended TCEA, a leading education conference in the beautiful and musical city of Austin, Texas. This year’s theme was “Get Inspired!” and you could tell from the energy in the hallways that educators were primed to do so! In this blog, we’re sharing our favorite learning experiences and photos with you. About TCEA The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) is a member-based organization devoted to the use and support of instructional technology in PreK-12. It was founded in 1980 and is affiliated with the International Society for Technology in Education…

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Published March 26, 2014

It’s Only About Copyright!

Post written by Jim Fruchterman, Benetech/Bookshare Founder and CEO. Which students qualify for Bookshare in the United States? This is an important question for American students with disabilities, since Bookshare is the largest online library designed to provide accessible eBooks to people who cannot read standard print. The answer: it’s only about copyright. It’s not about special education, and not about special education disability categories. It’s not about 504 plans or Individualized Education Programs. It’s not about state policy, or local policy. It’s not about private schools or home schools. It’s not about medical doctors. It’s not about whether your…

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Published March 19, 2014

Stay Connected to Get More Out of Bookshare!

In this blog, you’ll get the scoop on all your favorite online hotspots like the Bookshare blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so that you can quickly reach our staff, get timely answers to your questions, learn about Bookshare products, trainings and events and connect with the broader community that supports people with print disabilities. Are you fully connected? If not, join us now! The Bookshare Blog If you like reading stories, the Bookshare blog is your best bet! It’s a great place to keep up with real-time news and events, learn best practices, and enjoy testimonials from members who use…

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Category: General news