Overview of  Bookshare.org and
Read OutLoud in the CCSU

Bookshare.org is a website where students can access digital copies of books for free.  Using Read OutLoud students may have books read to them on the computer using digital voices and the digital books can be converted into mp3s for students to listen to on iPods or other mp3 players.

It is free for schools to sign up for a membership with Bookshare and each of the six schools in the CCSU currently has a membership.  Students with a reading disability (note this is not a Specific Learning Disability) that makes it difficult for them to read or learn to read may be signed up for Bookshare for free.  Students do not need to be on an IEP or 504 to be eligible for Bookshare.

Parental consent is needed before signing a student up for Bookshare.  You may download the permission form for parents to sign to allow for school access to Bookshare materials.  After the parents have signed the form and returned it you may then very easily sign the student up electronically after you log into the website.  Faculty and staff may have an account at any time free of charge to download books for students (not for themselves though unfortunately).  Anyone with an account may sign up faculty, staff, and or students for a Bookshare membership, although, as mentioned, students need a signed permission slip before they may be signed up for their membership.

Bookshare.org even has books available for download that do not require a membership.  There are over 5,000 books in the public domain that may be downloaded at Bookshare.org without logging in.  A second group of books include copyrighted books – these are available for students with memberships to download for free.  Many copyrighted textbooks may only be downloaded by students with memberships who are on an IEP however.

Please contact the CCSU Assistive Technology Integration Specialist (ATIS) if you are interested in discussing the possibility of utilizing this great resource with one of your students or need any help with Bookshare.org or Read OutLoud Bookshare Edition.

Information about implementing Bookshare and Read OutLoud in the CCSU

Currently the ATIS is in charge of supporting Bookshare.org throughout the CCSU.  If you do not have a username and password for bookshare, you can ask anyone at your school who already does have a login to sign you up or contact the ATIS.

After you receive parental consent (download the form for parents to sign first if you do not already have it) and sign a student up for Bookshare.org, inform the ATIS and the student’s computer profile will be updated so that a Read OutLoud icon will appear on every computer the student signs into.  If Read OutLoud has not already been installed on that computer by another student, the first time the student clicks on that icon, the local software for Read Outloud will be installed.  This may take a few minutes.  After that first time, the software should open very quickly and the student can then use the software very quickly to have books read to them.

Students may also have individual memberships that will allow them to download books at home.  Individual membership forms may be printed out pre-filled out with the student’s information after logging into Bookshare.org from the My Organization link on the top of the web page.  Parents only need to fill in the appropriate e-mail address and contact information and sign the form, then it may be faxed or mailed to Bookshare.org.

Our agreement with Bookshare also allows us to send the Read OutLoud software home to families on flash drives for installation on home computers.  This may be especially useful for families without internet service at home.

Also, there is now a new app that allows Bookshare books to be read on iPads or iTouches (also known collectively as iOS devices).  It is called Read2Go and is $19.99 per individual copy.  You may learn more about it by checking out the iTunes preview page for Read2Go.

Please contact the CCSU Assistive Technology Integration Specialist (ATIS) at any time if you need assistance with Bookshare.org or Read OutLoud Bookshare Edition.

Bookshare and Read OutLoud Bookshare Edition Support Online

Can’t wait for help or want to learn more?  Check out the following resources -

• Go to  Bookshare.org and login or search for books using the search bars at the top of the page.

• You may also view the Getting Started with Bookshare web page for helpful tips about starting to utilize this great resource.

• Download the parent permission slip to get permission to sign your student up for Bookshare.

• Download the Read Outloud 30 Minute Tutorial to get started having a computer read books to your students.

• Also, you may download the user’s manual for the Don Johnston Read OutLoud Bookshare Edition to answer any questions you may have about using the software.

Last updated: Jan 17, 2012 at 10:51 am