bookshare Archives - Page 2 of 20

Published December 14, 2015

Advancing Literacy Outcomes for Children with Disabilities in India

By Terry Jenna, Bookshare International Program Manager Benetech’s mission is to serve communities in need by creating scalable technology solutions. As the operator of Bookshare, we are working diligently to extend our reach across borders to the international community. While technological breakthroughs are creating new opportunities and lowering barriers for society as a whole, the sad truth is that millions of individuals with disabilities around the world are still left behind. This is a particular reality for students in the developing world who cannot read traditional books due to blindness and other print disabilities. They grapple with formidable challenges as…

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Published December 8, 2015

The Future Is Now: Bookshare and CSEdWeek Prepare Students for 21st Century Careers

“Computers are going to be a big part of our future…and that future is yours to shape.” President Obama Technology is all around us and an integral part of our everyday lives. And we know that whatever field students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works. In fact, employment in all information technology occupations is expected to increase by twenty-two percent through 2020. But only a fraction of students today are learning computer science and even fewer students are studying it than a decade ago. Closing the Gap Computer…

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Published December 1, 2015

Why We Are #Thankful

The Bookshare community is amazing. It’s over 370,000 people strong with an even larger cast of parents, teachers, and supporters. They live in over seventy countries and read more than a million and a half books every year. They dream big, accomplish great things, and live life to its fullest. The holiday season is a time for thanks, and we at Bookshare are thankful for this community. Let’s meet some of them. Lily loves to read, especially books about horses. She didn’t always like reading though. In fact, Lily disliked it because of her dyslexia. That changed when she started using Bookshare, and…

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Published November 24, 2015

A New Perspective on Literacy for Students with Low Vision

By guest author Allison Hilliker Imagine a reading solution where students with low vision could read for an extended period of time without eye fatigue. A solution where their ability to distinguish among letters was not dependent upon print size, contrast, lighting, color, or font style. Where skimming or rereading a paragraph or page wouldn’t be cause for frustration or eye strain. Where students could easily discern the subtleties of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraph layout. Imagine a reading option in which individuals didn’t have to hold the book close to their face or hunch over a tablet screen in…

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Published November 13, 2015

Top 100 Picture Books with Image Descriptions Now in Bookshare

Images and image descriptions provide a full multi-sensory reading experience for young readers. Where the Wild Things Are. Make Way for Ducklings. The Snowy Day. Corduroy. These classic books, and the rest of the Top 100 Picture Books, are well-loved tales that have been treasured and shared by grandparents, parents, and children alike. Their engaging stories and heartwarming illustrations bring characters and action to life in a rich, multi-sensory experience for young children. Educators and parents know how important books are for the earliest readers. Getting kids “hooked on books” through that classic bedtime picture book has profound…

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Published October 23, 2015

Beyond the Dys in Dyslexia

In recognition of Dyslexia Awareness month in October, we are reposting a blog by McKenzie Erickson, Marketing Coordinator at Benetech, which originally appeared in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Blog (U.S. Department of Special Education) on October 5. Dyslexia. It’s a word I’ve heard since the third grade. It was the explanation for why I couldn’t read, why I had to cheat on my weekly spelling tests, and why I felt different. I’ve since come to realize there is more to dyslexia than its disadvantages. When I was in school, I put a significant amount of energy…

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Published October 15, 2015

Special Guest Post – VA Educator Shares Sensory Teaching Ideas for Students with Dyslexia

October is a time to rally with our partners and advocates to raise awareness of dyslexia and learning disabilities. That’s why we’re sharing a valuable post on blended learning written by Virginia Educator and dyslexia teacher, Jennifer Cassese Appleton. This post was originally featured on the AIM-VA blog. Kudos to Ms. Appleton and to our partner, AIM-VA, for shining the spotlight on learning disabilities like dyslexia and sharing important information and resources. Special thanks also to the AIM-VA staff and editor, June Behrman. The Art of Blended Learning in Reading Classes Jennifer Cassese Appleton is a master at the art of blending multi-sensory learning…

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Published September 25, 2015

Unleash the Power of Bookshare’s Search Features

New search features put you on the fast track to finding your favorite books Bookshare’s collection is growing by leaps and bounds. As of today, Bookshare has 365,017 titles, and by tomorrow, the number will be even higher. As the number of books increases, it becomes even more critical to have a robust search capability so you can find the books you want quickly and easily. Let’s take a look at Bookshare’s new and improved search features that benefit students and adult members alike. How many of these search methods do you use? Search by Category The Bookshare library is…

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Published September 11, 2015

Student Logins Save Time, Build Independence

Empower students with their own logins to read independently Fall is in the air and classrooms buzz with excitement as teachers pass out textbooks and school supplies. For students with print disabilities, however, the excitement can turn into anxiety when faced with the sheer volume of books. Fortunately for these students, Bookshare allows them to read the same books in accessible formats so they can keep pace with their classmates. Teachers know how important it is to get students with print disabilities reading right away. We also know how busy you are. That’s why we created student logins. What are…

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Published September 9, 2015

Some of the Most Anticipated Digital Books for Back to School

Note: This blog first appeared on The Inside Track – a blog for the Understood community. Benetech, Bookshare’s parent nonprofit, is one of fifteen founding nonprofit organizations in partnership with Understood, a resource for parents of children with learning and attention issues. More than 275,000 free text-to-speech digital books. That’s how many are downloaded the first two months of school every fall from our online Bookshare library. This year, we expect an even higher number of downloads. What are some of the hottest digital books for back to school going to be? Our librarians at Bookshare decided to investigate. We looked at data from…

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