k-12 Education Archives - Page 10 of 11

Published July 2, 2013

On the Future of Braille: Thoughts by Radical Braille Advocates… by Betsy Beaumon

On the Future of Braille: Thoughts by Radical Braille Advocates by Betsy Beaumon, VP and General Manager, Benetech’s Global Literacy Program I recently had the honor to speak at the first-ever Braille Summit, hosted on June 19-21, 2013 by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and Perkins School for the Blind. With the goal of promoting braille literacy, this landmark meeting brought together braille experts from around the world to Perkins’ campus in Watertown, Massachusetts. My biggest takeaway from the summit: the time could not be more urgent, and more hopeful, for the future…

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Published July 1, 2013

Bookshare Celebrates 250,000 Milestone and Members of All Ages!

Bookshare is helping people with print disabilities around the world to read books for school, work, and fun so they can reach their personal goals and more fully participate in society. This summer, we celebrate a very important milestone: we now serve 250,000 members! Did you know that Bookshare members include students, adults, seniors, veterans, and international members in over 40 countries? We could not have achieved this milestone without the help of members, advocates, and partners like you. Your tireless efforts have helped to build Bookshare’s thriving community. And your continued support will help us reach hundreds of millions…

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Published June 17, 2013

Bookshare Student Advisor Receives 2013 CEC Yes I Can! Award

Seventeen-year-old Brian Meersma embodies the characteristics of a leader. From the time he was diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade, Brian embraced his learning disability (LD) with strength and courage. First he learned how to use assistive technology, and then he explored many resources to help him read and write better. Today, he dedicates much of his free time to helping others with similar learning challenges. And for his advocacy, Brian just received the 2013 Yes I Can! Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. CEC President Christy A. Chambers said, “Brian deserves this award for his perseverance and hard…

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Published May 28, 2013

Special Education Teacher, Andrew Chalfin, and 34 Educators Champion a Mission—Access for All!

This Teacher Appreciation Month, we salute Andrew Chalfin, a special education teacher in East Rampo Central School District, NY. Mr. Chalfin wrote to us about the amazing educators in his district who now embrace Bookshare. They heard about the benefits the library can provide for students with print disabilities and wanted to be a part of the mission. With Mr. Chalfin’s support and hands-on professional development and training, 34 special education teachers in his district now effectively use the library to find the curricula and tools for students who qualify. “Not only is the Bookshare resource a time-saver (no more…

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Published May 16, 2013

Moms Say, “Bookshare Unlocks Reading Potential for Early Learners”

There’s no better resource than a mom to share quality educational tools, and these two moms are no exception. They are avid fans of Bookshare, an online library of digital accessible books and reading technologies free for U.S. students and children who qualify with print disabilities. A print disability is categorized as blind, low vision, a physical disability, or a severe reading disability, such as dyslexia. Thousands of educators and families across America now use the library routinely to provide K–12 and postsecondary classroom reading assignments, including textbooks, English literature, teacher recommended reading, periodicals, and pleasure reading, such as bestsellers…

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Published May 6, 2013

Daisy Audio and MP3 Offer More Choices to Read on the Go!

Recently, an educator stopped by our conference booth with questions about our book formats and how to read books on the go. The educator wasn’t familiar with our newer formats, Daisy Audio and MP3, so we thought this would be a great time to remind our members. Qualified Members can now choose from Daisy Text, Daisy Audio, Braille, or MP3 to read thousands of eBooks (185,000 and counting.) Just select a preference that’s right for you and you’re off reading Bookshare books at school, a library, a park, on the bus…you name the place and you can read there! Daisy…

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Published April 18, 2013

High School Students College-Bound Thanks to Assistive Technology Support and Accessible Books!

High school students with print disabilities are now college bound thanks to their educators and the use of accessible books and reading technologies. In this blog, we share the story of Rushelle and Aaron, from the eyes of Victoria (Tori) Foreman, their Assistive Technology Specialist. Ms. Foreman is also a third year Bookshare Mentor Teacher. “Rushelle transferred to our school. She had dyslexia and read below grade level. When I met her, she was ready to bolt from her remedial classes. We signed her up for Bookshare, and I couldn’t believe how quickly her reading skills improved. The first time…

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Published April 8, 2013

K-12 Assistive Tech Specialist Categorizes eBooks with New Bookshelf

When Donna Schneider, an early technology adopter and AT specialist in Brewster, NY, public schools, was asked to beta test Bookshare’s new Bookshelf feature, she jumped at the opportunity! “I love to try out new resources and technologies,” she said. “I knew that this tool could potentially save me a lot of time and eliminate redundant searches. Bookshelf makes it easy to organize and categorize books by students, grade, subject, textbook, summer literature, and even student-preferred formats.” Donna is a three-year Bookshare Mentor Teacher and was just elected to the 2013 Bookshare Advisory Board. She works with children in grades…

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Published March 29, 2013

Bookshare Webinars in April and May

During the next couple of months, we have several webinars to help you get your students prepared for summer reading, their transitions, and your fall planning. Register for the webinars that are of interest to you, and note that there are dates in April and May for each webinar. If you can’t attend, but are interested in the content, please go ahead and register anyway. You will be sent a link to the recording after the webinar. Google Education on AIR – Tips for Using Bookshare’s Web Reader with Chrome (a 45-minute hangout) Date: Weds, May 8, 2013 Time: 4:00…

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Published March 1, 2013

Category: k-12 Education

On the Future of Braille: Thoughts by Radical Braille Advocates… by Betsy Beaumon

Bookshare Celebrates 250,000 Milestone and Members of All Ages!

Bookshare Student Advisor Receives 2013 CEC Yes I Can! Award

Special Education Teacher, Andrew Chalfin, and 34 Educators Champion a Mission—Access for All!

Moms Say, “Bookshare Unlocks Reading Potential for Early Learners”

Daisy Audio and MP3 Offer More Choices to Read on the Go!

High School Students College-Bound Thanks to Assistive Technology Support and Accessible Books!

K-12 Assistive Tech Specialist Categorizes eBooks with New Bookshelf

Bookshare Webinars in April and May

More Training Opportunities for Bookshare Web Reader and Bookshelf!