Why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Bookshare

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.

Bookshare tutorials

This post will share some tutorials we have made or found that will walk you through some of the basics you will need to know to use bookshare.org with your students on a PC or Mac.  If you do not know what Bookshare is, please click here.

Note: Bookshare can also be accessed via iPod/iPad and Android powered phones and tablets.  For more info about these platforms, click here.

There are two basic processes involved in using Bookshare:
1) Download books from www.bookshare.org and save them to your computer
2) Open the books using DAISY reader software and read it.

One of the most popular DAISY reader options available today is called ReadOutLoud Bookshare Edition.  You can download the program for free from the Bookshare website (if you are logged in as a member).  To see a tutorial on how to download and install the program, click here.

To see a tutorial on how to Download books from the website and save them to your computer, click here.

To see a tutorial on how to Read books you have downloaded, click here.

I hope you will find these tutorials helpful.  Please let me know in the comments section if you have any questions or problems with accessing or using the tutorials.  Good luck using this wonderful resource with your students!

Mobile Bookshare Apps for iOS and Android devices

Bookshare.org is a wonderful resource for students with print disabilities.  If you have not yet heard about what Bookshare is and how it can change your student's lives, please check out www.bookshare.org, or check out our Bookshare post. 

Students wanting to access free books from Bookshare on their iPad, iPod, iPhone, or Andoid phone or tablet can now do so with the help of a couple of nifty apps.  These apps will access the bookshare website directly from your device, download books directly to the device via wireless internet, and read them aloud using synthetic computer voices.  They are very easy to use and a great tool for mobile device users.

The Bookshare app for iOS devices is called Read2Go.  It costs $19.99 on the iTunes App Store and is compatible with any iOS device.  The app comes with high quality voices pre-installed.  You can change the font size and screen/text/highlighting colors, as well as the speed, pitch, and gender of the voice.  You will need to access a wifi network to download books to your device, but do not need to access wifi to read books already downloaded to your device.

One Caution: In order to use Read2Go, you will need to sign in using your Bookshare username and password.  This means that if students do not have an individual Bookshare account, they will need a teacher to sign in and download books for them using the Teacher's Bookshare username and password.  (Teachers, be careful with your password if using this option).  I have had several families who, once they purchased the app on a personal device, and got set up with an individual Bookshare account, take off and use the app completely independent of the schools, which can be a very powerful thing.

If you are an Android user, there is a free, open source Bookshare app called  GoRead.  The basic setup and idea is similar to the Read2Go app.  You will still need wifi to download books, but not to read, and you will still need a Bookshare username and password to use the app. 

There are still no direct solutions for reading Bookshare books on a Kindle, Kindle Fire, or Nook.  These three devices do not support the DAISY format and, (to the best of my knowledge) do not have DAISY apps available like iOS and Android.  There is a way to convert DAISY books to the Nook's ePub format using a $99 software program called DAISYtoEPUB.  Since the Kindle uses a proprietary book format, you have to then convert the Epub file to a MOBI file using a program called Calibre. or convert it to plain text (.txt) format.  Hopefully these devices will become more user friendly in the future for Bookshare members.

As always, please let me know about any problems or questions in the comments section, and thanks for reading!

Bookshare- Free Digital Accessible Books for Students with Disabilities

I count my ability to read as one of the greatest joys and blessings in my life.  Reading provides me with opportunities to learn, think, escape, relax, and grow.  Sadly, there are people who cannot fully enjoy reading due to visual, physical, and learning disabilities.  That is why I love to tell people about a resource for free accessible books called Bookshare.  Here is a description of what Bookshare is, taken from their website (www.bookshare.org):

Bookshare® is an online library of digital books for people with print disabilities. It operates under an exception to U.S. copyright law which allows copyrighted digital books to be made available to people with qualifying disabilities. In addition, many publishers and authors have volunteered to provide Bookshare with access to their works. By requiring individuals to register as Members and provide a Proof of Disability, Bookshare ensures that only qualified individuals use the service.

Bookshare Members download books, textbooks and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file. They then read the material using adaptive technology, typically software that reads the book aloud (text-to-speech) and/or displays the text of the book on a computer screen, or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays.

Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students

Bookshare opens the door to the enjoyment of reading for people who cannot otherwise access text because of disability.  In order to qualify for a free bookshare account, a person must be a student (K-12 or higher ed) with a qualifying disability.  Students can qualify in one of three ways:

1) be unable to see a book because of blindness or low vision

2) be unable to hold a book or turn pages because of a physical disability

3) be unable to read a book because of a learning or reading disability.  For more info on who qualifies, click here:

  

  They can then qualify for a organizational membership through a participating school and/or an individual membership.  Members who already have an organizational membership simply need to send in a form to bookshare to request an individual membership.  For more info on membership options, click here

 Over the next little while, I am going to work on producing some simple tutorials as a resource to download books from bookshare.org and read them using assistive technology.  So stay tuned and please check out www.bookshare.org for more info!