BOOKSHARE: The name of the technology I explored is Bookshare (http://bookshare.org). Bookshare is a site that is dedicated to making books, textbooks, and periodicals, accessible for individuals with disabilities related to reading print. This could involve those individuals with visual, physical, or learning disabilities. The adaptive technology used enables “text-to-speech”, or computer screen or Braille display capabilities. Even though much of what is available on Bookshare is copy written it falls under an exception to the U.S. copyright law given they are being provided to those individuals with disabilities. This technological service is free to students in the United States with “qualifying (or bona fide) disabilities”. Those are defined as “significant disabilities that affect reading, and meet the legal definition.” Since there is a requirement to register and provide Proof of Disability Bookshare is able to protect the integrity of the service. Regarding the membership process there are two options and for some reason, not sure why now, I signed up under Organization, as an IUPUI student but gave my home address and cell phone. There is a fairly straight-forward four (4) page document to sign. Once the agreement is completed online it is expected to mail or fax the form with an original signature. Memberships for students are funded, according to the website, by an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Bookshare provides an easily searchable online library of over 50,000 digital books, to include textbooks and reading as recommended by teachers. They in fact have a plea to teachers and educators to send in their reading lists since they scan any state or school district recommended reading list. There is a Getting Started Overview that provides the features Find Books, Download Books, Read Books, and Reading Tools (the software and hardware necessary). They also provide links to other electronic book services. I experimented with the online library and went to their Twitter site. The advanced search feature was fairly user friendly (http://www.bookshare.org/search). I searched by a Title (Gone with the Wind), and by an Author (Kurt Vonnegut) and they both came up as available to be downloaded if you are a member. You can do a search even if you are not a member which is nice. Out of curiosity I did try one search by ISBN (International Standard Book Number) but the ISBN on the book I personally had (The Rise of the Creative Class – Great book by the way. *See below for more on that. :)) came up as unavailable. I did revise my search and found it by the title. Twitter was easily accessible via http://twitter.com/bookshare.

Having reviewed this emerging technology I plan to recommend it to my boss, a Lead Resource Teacher of 5th and 6th graders, as well the school’s media specialist (aka librarian).

*From the website: “The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life, by Richard L. Florida. The Rise of the Creative Class gives a provocative way to think about why people live as they do today and where they might be headed. Weaving storytelling with masses of new and updated research, Florida traces the role of creativity in the economy.”