Bookshare Blog

Published September 3, 2010

What We’re Reading {September 3, 2010}

The Bookshare team reads a lot of books every week. And so do our children, friends and families. Among those, there are always a handful of standouts — the shortlist, the books with buzz–perfect for children, tweens, teens, college students, and young adults. “What We’re Reading” brings you picks of the most interesting recent reads, along with short descriptions; sometimes we’ll even include candid comments and notes from the team. We’ll be bringing you “What We’re Reading” every Friday, be sure to look for it and download some great books! This week our recommendations come to us from our tweens! All books are appropriate for grades 5…

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Published September 1, 2010

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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Published August 31, 2010

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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Published August 28, 2010

What We’re Reading {August 27 2010}

The Bookshare team reads avidly. And we read a lot of books every week. And so do our children, friends and families. Among those, there are always a handful of standouts — the shortlist, the books with buzz–perfect for children, tweens, teens, college students, and young adults. “What We’re Reading” brings you picks of the most interesting recent reads, along with short descriptions; sometimes we’ll even include candid comments and notes from the team. We’ll be bringing you “What We’re Reading” every Friday, be sure to look for it and download some great books! Mockingjay (The Hunger Games Trilogy #3) by Suzanne Collins – Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has…

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Published August 26, 2010

Collaborative Philanthropy: Deepen Your Commitment to Bring Social Change to Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods and Rural Communities

By Marcy Guttman, Summer Associate for Corporate Philanthropy Wisdom can often come from unexpected places. I remember a message that I read when traveling in the New York City subways: “kindness is contagious, and it begins with you.” Huddled in the crowded masses of people, holding on to bars and handles touched by thousands of other travelers, I generally tried to avoid “catching” anything. However, reading those seven words made me realize that kindness is something that I not only wanted to “catch” but also desired to pass on to others. The gratification of doing something kind for another consistently…

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Published August 25, 2010

Inside Higher Education…Suggested Books College Freshman Should Read

Inside Higher Ed, an online ezine I faithfully read, recently published an article on “What College Freshman Will Read.” If you are a college freshman or have students just starting college, like I do, you’ll want to read this article which suggests several books that will help first-year students bond through a common reading experience and jumpstart their ability to discuss intellectual content. A “Study by the National Association of Scholars,” a group that advocates for a more rigorous and traditional college curriculum, released a comprehensive analysis of what freshmen are being asked to read during college orientation programs. The…

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Published August 20, 2010

What We’re Reading {August 20, 2010}

The Bookshare team reads avidly. In fact, we read a lot of books every week. And so do our children, friends and families. Among those, there are always a handful of standouts — the shortlist, the books with buzz–perfect for children, tweens, teens, college students, and young adults. “What We’re Reading” brings you picks of the most interesting recent reads, along with short descriptions, sometimes we’ll even include candid comments and notes from the team. We’ll be bringing you “What We’re Reading” every Friday, be sure to look for it and download some great books! The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists…

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Published August 19, 2010

What You’re Reading {August 2010}

Bookshare Members have a lot to say about the books they read. And you share your thoughts, comments and recommendations with us on a regular basis. So, we thought that you might like to hear what other Members have to say about the books they are reading. With this post, we are introducing a new monthly post called “What You’re Reading.” This month we’re featuring some of our high school Members’ recommendations. Dead in the Family (Southern Vampire Mysteries #10) by Charlaine Harris – The #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series – the basis for HBO’s True Blood –…

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Published August 17, 2010

Calling all parents!

Parents, we want to know what you’re reading to or with your kids. Please comment and let us know who your kids favorite authors and characters are, what their favorite series is, and the books you think every kid should read. Below we’ve shared some of our favorites. Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School by Herman Parish A literal-minded young girl’s first day of school is filled with confusing adventures, much to her delight. Meet AMELIA BEDELIA! She’s shorter and she’s younger than the one you know. And her only job is having fun. But she’ll make you laugh all the same! If You Take…

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Published August 14, 2010

Summer Volunteers Make Exceptional Contributions

This post was contributed by Geneva Vander Poel in the Bookshare operations team. Bookshare is proud of its strong community of dedicated volunteers. Since 2002, we have depended on volunteers to keep the library stocked with relevant titles — books that our members are eager to read. Year round, a dedicated group of people work diligently to grow the collection. Without their efforts, Bookshare would not have as many accessible titles today (more than 80,000) to serve over 100,000 members. Summertime presents a unique opportunity for volunteering in our Palo Alto offices. Since schools are out of session and student…

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