I had an experience the other day that helped me remember why I love teaching, and especially why I love working with struggling readers. I was visiting an 8-9th grade school, and one of the students that I had taught in 6th and 7th grade came up to me and asked if I could help him download some more ebooks from Bookshare on his laptop.
Here is a little bit of background on this student: He is a very bright guy who really struggles with reading, but wants to read the same popular novels that everyone else is reading. He is one of the very first students that we signed up for Bookshare several years ago. I'll never forget the look on his face, when, as a sixth grader, he learned he could read Harry Potter all by himself with the help of an electronic device. That is what got me so excited about Bookshare back then, and still one of the main reasons why I'm excited about it to this day.
This was all reaffirmed to me the other day when I helped him and his teacher download Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief from Bookshare onto his laptop. As soon as the book was loaded on his laptop, he sat down, got out his headphones, and instantly became absorbed in the book. No one else in the room existed to him at that moment, except for the characters in the book. That is the power of a great book, and one of the incredibly rich life experiences that many students with reading disabilities miss out on.
That is why I am so excited when I see a teacher or student become interested Bookshare. Because I know the world that the technology can open up for students. To me, it breaks down barriers to education, enlightenment, personal growth and fulfillment that comes from finally having access to the world of great literature. For more information about Bookshare, check out www.bookshare.org, or this post I wrote about Bookshare.
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