Assistive Technology- Bookshare.org

The assistive technology that I want to share is https://www.bookshare.org/. Bookshare is a free federally funded library of ebooks for students in kindergarten through 12th grade that have a qualifying learning disability. This includes dyslexia, visual impairment, and even cerebral palsy. While students who use Bookshare do have to qualify for the free account, the benefits of using Bookshare are tremendous. The program offers the largest library of audiobooks and ebooks with assistive reading features to help remove any barriers that students may have with reading. Some of the assistive reading features included are word highlighting, changing text size and color, changing background color, audio tracking, and word tracking. Books are also offered in up to 40 different languages for students who receive MLL services or need extra support in their native languages.  Because of the variety of ways that students can engage with the content on this website and the content being accessible in multiple ways, this makes Bookshare a component of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Overall, this is a great resource for teachers as they can assign specific books to their students. Bookshare also offers textbooks for students in addition to a variety of high interest fiction and nonfiction texts. Teachers can use this technology for independent reading where students have free choice of the books they read. This would be a great way to boost student reading engagement for those students who struggle with reading. I think that boosting students' reading engagement is one of the most important things we can do as teachers! As Dr. Copeland puts it, "We must help children realize that they are just like everyone else." (2011). Once students realize that they can read, they start making huge gains! Teachers could also use this to assign specific reading or to assign a particular textbook. The extra support that Bookshare offers helps to level the playing field for any student that struggles with reading. The highlighting features, word tracking, and audio features would also work to boost students' reading fluency and decoding skills.

Even though this service is only available to students who qualify for it, it is one that I think all educators should know about. For a student to qualify for a free account they must be evaluated as "needing reading accommodations for reasons other than being English Language Learners." This could even be determined by a librarian or classroom teacher. Once this has been determined, a teacher or librarian can sign the student up for a free account. This is an invaluable resource that really has the ability to help students with, not only their reading skills, but also all academic skills! If you would like more information or are interested in signing someone up for an account, please visit https://www.bookshare.org/help-and-learning-articles/how-do-i-know-if-my-student-qualifies-for-bookshare.

References

Copeland, C. A. (2011). School librarians of the 21st century. Knowledge Quest, 39(3), 64-49.

Spina, C. (2017, May 5). How universal design will make your library more inclusive. School library journal. https://www.slj.com/story/how-universal-design-will-make-your-library-more-inclusive.