Many people have worked hard to get classical books onto the internet, so that they will be available to as many people as possible. These are books that are in the public domain. "Public domain" means that a book is past its copyright (usually published in the early 1900's and before).
Librivox provides books that are read orally by readers for your - or your child's - listening pleasure. If your computer is equipped to read an MP3 file, you can simply click and read. Alternatively, if you wish, you can download a file onto your hard drive.
If your student can use a computer with the aide of a screenreader, screen magnification, or refreshable Braille, you may also like the more plentiful options available in text at byGosh.com. Or you can copy the stories and Braille them yourself, print them for your child to read with a video magnifier, or use them in any educational way you wish. This site provides: Kid's Classics, Short Stories, Novels, Nonfiction, and Poems. For your older child or yourself, you may be interested particuarly in the Autobiography of Helen Keller. Also available is Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington.
Another resource I would like to share is the Gutenberg Project. These are files that you download onto your computer. I haven't tried them yet, as I had an overloaded computer until very recently; so I got used to using only things that we could just "click and read"; but the advantage here is the scope. The Gutenberg Project has 20,000 free books available. If you like the Gutenberg Project, you may like some of the curriculum suggestions of Miss Maggie at her Old Fashioned Education website.
Another resource where downloading is required is AudioBooksforFree.com. At this site, they will be happy to sell you downloads to your MP3 or other personal player; however, they also offer free downloads to your computer.
I hope something here will be helpful to you!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
More Access to Free Books
Coming up! (The "More Access to Free Books" will be coming up soon...either later today or another day.) I have great stuff to share but at the moment I am needing to get out of the house to shop...and so I wanted to write quickly; but I am being hit by writer's block. Never thought that would happen!
Everything I try to write just doesn't work (at both blogs). So...know that I'm thinking of you all, thinking of things to share, thinking too much and writing too little.
And I will be back! So please bookmark this blog and check back. Okay?
Everything I try to write just doesn't work (at both blogs). So...know that I'm thinking of you all, thinking of things to share, thinking too much and writing too little.
And I will be back! So please bookmark this blog and check back. Okay?
Thursday, March 1, 2007
A Treasurehouse
Is your child a user of the Library of Congress, National Library Service Talking Books*, which are available on specially formatted tapes? And the many Braille books they offer?
Did you know that you can look for specific books -- and you can also look for specific categories of books? The Library of Congress search page for this has a drop-down box where you can choose Audio, Braille, or both.
Once you find out what books are available, you can request them from your local NLS library by phone or by email.
*("for the Blind and Physically Handicapped")
Did you know that you can look for specific books -- and you can also look for specific categories of books? The Library of Congress search page for this has a drop-down box where you can choose Audio, Braille, or both.
Once you find out what books are available, you can request them from your local NLS library by phone or by email.
*("for the Blind and Physically Handicapped")
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Kester Braille
Kester Braille by Louise Johnson
Review by Margaret Mary Myers
Would you like to start teaching your child to read - using braille? If you homeschool, these books would be an ideal place to begin. Or if you are a teacher of the visually impaired who has learned Braille, but you don't have a lot of experience with it yet, these books could be very helpful for you in teaching your students.
You don't need to have prior knowledge of braille in order to use these books, which enable you to teach your children both Braille reading and Braille writing. The Teacher's Guide provides all the information that you need, including how to teach your student tracking. All you need is the books, a few minutes a day, and a Perkins braillewriter (which - as a homeschool parent or as a teacher - you can probably borrow through your state resource center).
Even for an older child who already knows how to read in print, and now must learn braille, I feel thse books are worthwhile as a starting place. They helped me get my then-nine-year-old started on Braille after he experienced vision loss.
Level One introduces the letters of the alphabet and beginning sounds. Level Two introduces three-letter words with short vowel sounds, writing sentences, and the numbers 0 to 20. These books are one of the best buys you are going to get...both as far as the cost and as far as getting your young child started on the road to literacy. Visit the author's website for more information.
Review by Margaret Mary Myers
Would you like to start teaching your child to read - using braille? If you homeschool, these books would be an ideal place to begin. Or if you are a teacher of the visually impaired who has learned Braille, but you don't have a lot of experience with it yet, these books could be very helpful for you in teaching your students.
You don't need to have prior knowledge of braille in order to use these books, which enable you to teach your children both Braille reading and Braille writing. The Teacher's Guide provides all the information that you need, including how to teach your student tracking. All you need is the books, a few minutes a day, and a Perkins braillewriter (which - as a homeschool parent or as a teacher - you can probably borrow through your state resource center).
Even for an older child who already knows how to read in print, and now must learn braille, I feel thse books are worthwhile as a starting place. They helped me get my then-nine-year-old started on Braille after he experienced vision loss.
Level One introduces the letters of the alphabet and beginning sounds. Level Two introduces three-letter words with short vowel sounds, writing sentences, and the numbers 0 to 20. These books are one of the best buys you are going to get...both as far as the cost and as far as getting your young child started on the road to literacy. Visit the author's website for more information.
How to Homeschool Your Blind or VI Student
Nothing But the Best, by Sarah J. Blake
Book Review by Margaret Mary Myers
(This book review was written several years ago, but the e-book is still available today.)
How would you like to have a friendly, knowledgable person in your living room any time you wish, telling you all about how to homeschool your blind or visually impaired child? Imagine her speaking to you conversationally over a cup of tea, telling you of her own experiences as a blind child and a blind adult, making complex explanantions about the eye simple to understand, sharing with you what methods various people have used in homeschooling their children. Now imagine that in her Mary Poppins type carpet bag, she has a limitless supply of resources of all types about homeschooling, blindness, and the education of blind children. And sometimes when she comes, she brings guest speakers who are experts on various related subjects. This is the virtual reality of Sarah J. Blake's electronic book, "Nothing But the Best."
If you've never bought an e-book before, now is the time. When you buy this user-friendly e-book, you follow the prompts to download it to your computer, where you can read the author's ample explanations and illustrations, print pages as you wish for your own use, and connect to countless other resources. Each link opens in a new window; you never have to worry about losing your place. The text also boasts a search feature, so if you are interested in a particular topic, you can type it into the search and it will quickly give you the page or pages where you can find that topic.
Although the book was designed and designated particularly for homeschoolers, other parents may also find much useful information, including the chapters on blindness, low vision, social skills, college preparation, career planning, music, art, and other subjects. Teachers of the visually impaired may find the abundant resources for all the academic subjects helpful in their planning. And homeschooling parents, as well as prospective homeschooling parents, will gain insight on making the decision to homeschool, getting started, where to find supplies, books, organizations, and other resources, besides all the valuable information on teaching children who are blind.
You can skim the table of contents, the layout, the features, and get a feel for this book in a day or two. You can spend many an enjoyable evening perusing its contents. You can use it as a resource for many years to come. But I believe the benefits will be with us and our children for a lifetime.
To download yours, go to Sarah Jane's.
Book Review by Margaret Mary Myers
(This book review was written several years ago, but the e-book is still available today.)
How would you like to have a friendly, knowledgable person in your living room any time you wish, telling you all about how to homeschool your blind or visually impaired child? Imagine her speaking to you conversationally over a cup of tea, telling you of her own experiences as a blind child and a blind adult, making complex explanantions about the eye simple to understand, sharing with you what methods various people have used in homeschooling their children. Now imagine that in her Mary Poppins type carpet bag, she has a limitless supply of resources of all types about homeschooling, blindness, and the education of blind children. And sometimes when she comes, she brings guest speakers who are experts on various related subjects. This is the virtual reality of Sarah J. Blake's electronic book, "Nothing But the Best."
If you've never bought an e-book before, now is the time. When you buy this user-friendly e-book, you follow the prompts to download it to your computer, where you can read the author's ample explanations and illustrations, print pages as you wish for your own use, and connect to countless other resources. Each link opens in a new window; you never have to worry about losing your place. The text also boasts a search feature, so if you are interested in a particular topic, you can type it into the search and it will quickly give you the page or pages where you can find that topic.
Although the book was designed and designated particularly for homeschoolers, other parents may also find much useful information, including the chapters on blindness, low vision, social skills, college preparation, career planning, music, art, and other subjects. Teachers of the visually impaired may find the abundant resources for all the academic subjects helpful in their planning. And homeschooling parents, as well as prospective homeschooling parents, will gain insight on making the decision to homeschool, getting started, where to find supplies, books, organizations, and other resources, besides all the valuable information on teaching children who are blind.
You can skim the table of contents, the layout, the features, and get a feel for this book in a day or two. You can spend many an enjoyable evening perusing its contents. You can use it as a resource for many years to come. But I believe the benefits will be with us and our children for a lifetime.
To download yours, go to Sarah Jane's.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Adapting the Writing
I began writing this at my other blog, and then realized that it was just as appropriate - probably more so - for this one. So, my "next post" was supposed to be a book review, but by that I meant later today or tomorrow. The following post is just a bonus:
Is this how the kids feel when they're supposed to write something, and they sit and look at a blank screen? (Remember when we used to call it a blank piece of paper?)
This morning I am wondering just how I've been coming up with posts nearly every day! I hope this morning's blankness isn't related to my having split my mind into two blogs. (Smile. Not that my mind wasn't already scattered here, there and everywhere.)
This staring at blank whiteness makes me think of my youngest son - the one who is visually impaired - who struggles to write. He is extremely good at talking, expounding, articulating. Can I think of any more verbs for him? You get the picture. But all he has to do is sit down to the keyboard to write a book report, and suddenly he doesn't know what to say. I finally figured out that it was the process...that if I sat myself at the keyboard and had him dictate, he could think and speak as fast as his mind works, and yes, I can type that fast. So he dictates; I type. Then on another day, I dictate what I've typed for him, and he types it. So, in the end, it's "all his".
This is, of course, a temporary plan, as he prepares to enter high school level work. I hope to get him typing faster, and in the meantime, I would like to get him doing this process using a tape recorder.
But the other day he had a little spare school time, so he watched a show on the history channel about Fort Knox, which he found fascinating. The next time he needed to write, he said he wanted to write about Fort Knox. Instead of sitting down at the computer, he got a pen and paper, and began writing (in his one-inch print). He wrote about six pages and did a great job. He said that on another day, he will type it. Who would have thought he'd be more comfortable writing by hand?
One thing I love about homeschooling is the flexibility it allows us. We can push the children to do what they aren't comfortable with, but at the same time, allow them to find ways to overcome their discomfort, grow, and even become enthusiastic.
Is this how the kids feel when they're supposed to write something, and they sit and look at a blank screen? (Remember when we used to call it a blank piece of paper?)
This morning I am wondering just how I've been coming up with posts nearly every day! I hope this morning's blankness isn't related to my having split my mind into two blogs. (Smile. Not that my mind wasn't already scattered here, there and everywhere.)
This staring at blank whiteness makes me think of my youngest son - the one who is visually impaired - who struggles to write. He is extremely good at talking, expounding, articulating. Can I think of any more verbs for him? You get the picture. But all he has to do is sit down to the keyboard to write a book report, and suddenly he doesn't know what to say. I finally figured out that it was the process...that if I sat myself at the keyboard and had him dictate, he could think and speak as fast as his mind works, and yes, I can type that fast. So he dictates; I type. Then on another day, I dictate what I've typed for him, and he types it. So, in the end, it's "all his".
This is, of course, a temporary plan, as he prepares to enter high school level work. I hope to get him typing faster, and in the meantime, I would like to get him doing this process using a tape recorder.
But the other day he had a little spare school time, so he watched a show on the history channel about Fort Knox, which he found fascinating. The next time he needed to write, he said he wanted to write about Fort Knox. Instead of sitting down at the computer, he got a pen and paper, and began writing (in his one-inch print). He wrote about six pages and did a great job. He said that on another day, he will type it. Who would have thought he'd be more comfortable writing by hand?
One thing I love about homeschooling is the flexibility it allows us. We can push the children to do what they aren't comfortable with, but at the same time, allow them to find ways to overcome their discomfort, grow, and even become enthusiastic.
Blown Away
Yesterday I thought about posting a book review that I wrote several years ago on an out-of-print book called Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Students. But before posting it, I decided to check out the availability on Amazon. Yep, there it was; but I was blown away by the prices! The starting price was $174.09. This is a used-book-seller's dream. I bought this book several years ago for probably about twenty or thirty dollars. If I could sell my copy now, the money would pay for my son's math curriculum for next year. This was very tempting. Okay, I admit, it was more than tempting. I listed the book...but only for about an hour, until I went in to Amazon and removed the listing. First of all, if I am going to sell a book to help people teach visually impaired students, I don't want to take that kind of advantage of supply and demand. If this were a fiction book or a non-fiction book in another field, I would have no qualms. But in this field, I would feel like I was price-gouging. Secondly, as my son pointed out to me, "I thought you WANTED the book." Oh yes, good point. I do want to keep my book. If ever I don't, I will feel my way around to the best option for selling or sharing or trading it.
In the meantime, I am not going to post the book review at this time, because I think there are better options for homeschoolers, many of whom are living on "one-income in a two-income economy", as they say. My next post will be about an ebook written specifically about homeschooling your blind or visually impaired student.
In the meantime, I am not going to post the book review at this time, because I think there are better options for homeschoolers, many of whom are living on "one-income in a two-income economy", as they say. My next post will be about an ebook written specifically about homeschooling your blind or visually impaired student.
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