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Category: Higher ed

Nichole Maples Wants People with Disabilities to Share her Joy of Reading

In rural Tupelo Mississippi, there’s a teenager who cannot speak or hold a book, yet is so passionate about encouraging people to read, she visits her local library to make sure reading happens for people like her. Nichole Maples, now 17, has severe Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, a disability caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia, an area of the brain that coordinates body movements. Nichole has little control of anything except her eyes, but she loves to read with the help of her computer and can listen to stories read aloud. For this bright young gal, reading has…

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What We’re Reading {October 1 2010}

In celebration of Banned Books Week, I have focused this week’s “What We’re Reading” on, no surprise, banned books. The first known record of banned books is The Index of Prohibited Books, developed by Pope Paul IV, intended to protect Catholics from controversial ideas. Since that time many lists have been developed around the world as various groups have tried to censor authors and prevent the publication of works the groups objected to. The good news, for us, is that many authors have found ways around censorship by publishing their books in other countries. One of the most well-known authors, who published…

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What We’re Reading {September 24 2010}

This week “What We’re Reading” recommendations come to us from our Facebook fans. Several weeks ago we asked our fans to share some of their favorite books with us, recent reads that left them wanting more, books that they consider the best of the best. This list is long and covers many grade levels and genres. Perhaps, like me, you’ll discover some new authors or find a new favorite title!  Be sure to comment and let us know what your must-read titles are! This I Believe – Based on the National Public Radio series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty essayists—from the famous to the unknown—completing…

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Transitioning from High School to College – Students with Disabilities

By Guest Blogger Jean Ashmore, President, Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). This article was originally published on www.disability.gov. It’s the time of year again when yellow school buses are on the roads, uniforms and school supplies are everywhere, and students and parents alike are excited and anxious about a new school year. Those years when a student switches schools are particularly salient, with much to be learned and encountered in the new school. This is especially true when a young person transitions to college. All college students bring along academic and social experiences and lots of expectations and…

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What We’re Reading {September 17 2010}

This week in “What We’re Reading” we’re sharing Fiction & Literature Classics that are regularly included on high school required reading lists. Download these books today; they’re fantastic reading! I would also like to ask you to please share your required reading lists with us. And be sure to take a minute to let us know what you think about the weekly “What We’re Reading” feature. We love to hear from you! Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of growing up, discovering, and embracing one’s true self. Janie, in her attempt to find love, navigates through…

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What Does Bookshare’s Librarian Do?

This post was contributed by Amy McNeely, Bookshare’s librarian. While this post is longer than most, it’s quite interesting and worth taking a few minutes to read. After you’ve read the post be sure to leave Amy your thoughts, comments and questions! ****************** How to read a book like a (particular) (cataloging) librarian To begin with, there are three main types of librarians: the kind who find things, the kind who build things, and the kind who put things away.  The kind that find things are called public services librarians, and these are the most widely known of all librarians.  They include…

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Digital Resources in the Classroom?

A guest post from Robin Seaman, Publisher Liaison for Bookshare “At the revamped Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) summit, the opening session took a unique tack.  Months earlier, the AEP decided the best way for traditional publishers to understand what teachers needed and wanted in digital resources in the classroom was to hear from the teachers directly – using the digital tools already at the teachers’ disposal,” explained Frank Catalano, the noted educational consultant. Frank worked with the AEP and the social networking site edWeb.net to solicit teacher videos to be submitted via YouTube and he posted the following in…

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Get the Most Out of Study Time with Textbooks From Bookshare

This very informative article written by Deborah Armstrong, Alternate Media Specialist at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA,  provides some great tips and ideas to get the most out of your study time reading textbooks from Bookshare. She is a lifelong learner who is addicted to reading and says that she’s downloaded over 1,075 books and has read over 900 of them.  While this post is a bit longer than others, it’s really good. ****************** If you are new to electronic books, or don’t read much, you’ll find study skills training intended for print readers might not work well for you. Worry…

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