Bookshare Blog

Published October 29, 2012

Myth-begotten Beasts

What better time than Hallowe’en week to read about this creatures and beasts? Are these legendary creatures fact or hoax? You be the judge! The Sea Serpent and Me (Grades K-2) When a tiny sea serpent tumbles from the bathtub faucet, a little girl finds an unexpected friend. The Mystery of the Lake Monster (Boxcar Children #62) (Grades 3-5) While visiting the Adirondack Mountains, the Aldens hear stories about a monster in the lake and then encounter evidence that it may be real. Animal Monsters: The Truth About Scary Creatures (Grades 3-5) We think of some scary-looking animals as monsters…

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Published October 25, 2012

Book Formats for Everyone!

Options are good, and Bookshare offers more choices in the form of books, reading tools, and now book formats. Bookshare wants to help its members read how and what they want to read. Over this past year, Bookshare added new download options to our existing book formats—DAISY Text and BRF (Braille Ready Format). Continue to use these formats with your existing assistive technologies; however, if you are looking for a different reading experience, you may want to try one of the new formats. The new book formats, DAISY Audio and MP3, provide more options in terms of technology and the…

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Published October 24, 2012

New Deaf and Deaf-Blindness Special Collection

We are proud to announce that Bookshare has a new Special Collection on Deaf and Deaf-Blindness. Now, rather than doing a subject search, books on these subjects can be found in one place. (If this link doesn’t work for you, go to the Bookshare homepage and choose “and more…” under the Browse Booklist link, where you’ll find our full list of Special Collections.) The current 200+ books gathered into one easy-to-locate group are categorized by topic: Culture, Biography/Autobiography, Sign Language/Training, Other Nonfiction, and Fiction. (Please note—while all fictional books have deaf characters, some are very minor or poorly portrayed.) Books…

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Published October 2, 2012

Understand Dyslexia in National Dyslexia Month

An adult with dyslexia watching the new HBO documentary “Journey into Dyslexia” suddenly began to understand a tremendous array of memories and emotions never understood before. The opening title screen with words artistically drawn at angles was reminiscent of how words can swim on the page for a dyslexic reader. He said, “I felt like when I read a book, I had to force the letters to stay in a consistent line across the page.” From those opening screens, the movie captures the frustration and isolation of being a dyslexic very well. According to the movie, 10% of the population…

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Published September 27, 2012

Students Volunteer to Make Textbooks Accessible for Bookshare Members

The Bookshare textbook image description volunteer program is excited to announce two partnerships kicking off the new school year. Last winter, Bookshare launched a partnership with BYU students through their Peery Social Entrepreneurship program. The partnership was so successful (and fun) that BYU, led by returning student Ted Jackson, chose to continue the work begun last term. The BYU charter promotes volunteerism by recruiting fellow students to write image descriptions in Bookshare textbooks. Last spring, the BYU Bookshare charter contributed hundreds of descriptions and developed a facilitator’s guidebook for establishing such charters on other college campuses. This fall, their goals…

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Published September 25, 2012

Announcing the Winners of the Bookshare Express Summer Reading Event

Congratulations to all who participated in the Bookshare Express Summer Reading Event. This year, we had over 245 Bookshare members participate all over the world, submitting over 775 entries. Way to go! In this year’s reading event, participants took virtual trips by reading books about different places, planets and imaginary places. They traveled from Alaska in Akiak: A Tale of the Iditarod to Bloors Academy and an underground passage in Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors. After completing their journeys, participants shared what they learned! This year, we expanded the contest to include two divisions: one for international and…

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Published September 20, 2012

Personnel Development on Assistive Technology and Digital Books

Do you teach future classroom teachers, existing teachers, or other professionals who want to know more about assistive technology and digital books? Teachers, counselors, and other professionals who work in special education and rehabilitation need to know about all available resources to find the right resource for each student. For example, these specialized teachers and professionals need to know that students with print disabilities benefit when they have access to assistive technology and books in alternate formats. They need to know how to use these resources in the classroom. To help provide a single source of instructional materials about assistive…

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Published September 18, 2012

There’s An Election Coming!

Learn more about democracy in action, or imagine what it would be like if you were running for office. (Maybe you are!) Nikki and Deja: Election Madness (Grades 1-3) Deja’s certain she can win the election for third grade class president – with her best friend Nikki by her side! Grace’s Letter to Lincoln (Grades 2-5) Grace has a great idea to help Abraham Lincoln get elected – he should grow a beard! The Everything Kids’ Presidents Book (Grades 2-5) You’ll have hours of fun with this collection of facts, trivia, games and puzzles about presidents through history. The Class…

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Published September 14, 2012

It Takes a Village and This Is What It Looks Like

Key U.S. Department of Education officials, administrators, teachers, parents, and students all participating in an event showcasing one of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) investments, and all seated together at a table, inspired Betsy Beaumon, Vice President and General Manager of the Literacy Program at Benetech to say, “It takes a village and this is what it looks like.” On September 11, 2012, the “village” at Toyon Elementary School in San Jose, CA, welcomed Melody Musgrove, the Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and Sue Swenson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Office…

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Published September 4, 2012

Not As It Seems: Tales of Disguise and Deception

Spy stories grab readers with their action and suspense. Below are recommendations of good gripping tales for students of all ages. Perhaps one of these stories will be the book for a book report or for fun reading when homework is done. Enjoy! Spy School (grades 3-5) When Ben Ripley learns he’s been recruited to the C.I.A.’s top secret Academy of Espionage, it sounds too good to be true – and it is! The Black Paw (Spy Mice #1) (grades 4-6) At the International Spy Museum, Oz Levinson befriends mouse superspy Glory, to foil the plans of both human and…

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