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- Yesterday
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Alyssa, Unfortunately, this is one of the limitations with the WebReader. All of our titles use text to speech (TTS), which is why we are able to have such a large library. I recommend our members download an app that works with Bookshare, like Dolphin EasyReader (free) or Voice Dream Reader (paid). These apps have many more voices to choose from, and also have features that the WebReader does not offer at this time.
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Lisa Moore joined the community
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I have a student and his family who are unhappy with the voices offered on Bookshare's WebReader. They feel that they are very robotic and hard to listen to, which I must agree with them on. They were hoping for something more comparable to Learning Ally in this respect. Anyone know if I am missing something when it comes to voice options? Or would Bookshare ever consider adding more realistic, human voices to the site?
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Alyssa Arato joined the community
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Karrie Musgrove joined the community
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Esther McKay joined the community
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Cindy Okolo joined the community
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Stacy joined the community
- Last week
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Cynthia Curry joined the community
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Please do forward the suggestion to the developer. But the developer should also know that there is a bug in that I cannot correct the pronunciation of "Dr." to be "doctor" rather than "drive". Also, if there is a period followed by a comma as in "a.m., tomorrow" the pronunciation includes the word "comma" being spoken.
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Unfortunately at this time you are not able to import the dictionary. Though we can send this feedback over to the developer of the app. When it comes to how the app is reading words this is another major limitation to the technology. Currently adding the word to the pronunciation dictionary is the only way to try, and correct this issue.
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Mary-Pat Goble joined the community
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Making Kids Discover Magazine accessible to U2 technology device
Jerri Partee replied to Kathy O'Neal's topic in General Discussion
Hi Kathy, I will reach out and contact you directly. I think I found the title you're searching for in our collection, however, if not I can provide further details. -
Robin Ekstrom joined the community
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Donna Kiernan joined the community
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I have both the iOS version and the Android versions of VoiceDream Reader. I have been using the iOS version for about a year. My pronunciation dictionary is now fairly long. On the iPad, that app allows you to forward the dictionary in text format by email, message, etc. That is GREAT! But, how does that really benefit us if there is no way to import it? I would like to find a way to import that dictionary and have it be used as the pronunciation dictionary on the Android. Any ideas? BTW, I don't see a way to export the pronunciation dictionary on the Android. Another issue with the Android pronunciation dictionary is that it sometimes says "comma" when there is a comma. I don't know how to change that one. If you know, tell me. Also, when there is a "Dr.", it says "drive". I know this is common like for the word "read" which is pronounced "red" or "read" inappropriately sometimes. However, I read more books that have "Dr." that should be pronounced "doctor" rather than "drive" so I added it to the pronunciation dictionary. The Android ignores this every time. It never says "doctor". Any ideas how to change this? Thanks, Linda P.S. If there ends up being a way for importing a pronunciation dictionary to improve the experience, we could collaborate and build a really great version that has less mistakes.
- Earlier
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Hi Courtney, Unfortunately we have been experiencing a few issue with this app. Due to the fact it is not being supported as much with new firmware on certain devices. I would suggest deleting the app, and downloading it again. This seems to push any updates through to the app itself. I would also recommend downloading the free app Dolphin EasyReader. Not only is this currently one of the more popular apps it also links directly to Bookshare's reading lists. I have also used this app myself, and find it to be one of the more accessible ones.
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Ellen, Unfortunately, if you are using the ReadNow option you can only change the speech rate of the voice. I would recommend downloading the app Dolphin EasyReader. Not only is this app free but you can edit the voice, speech rate, and choose from many different voices to find what best fits your needs.
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Making Kids Discover Magazine accessible to U2 technology device
Kathy O'Neal posted a topic in General Discussion
Hello, I am a VI teacher in a small rural public school district. One of my student's general ed. classroom teachers (social studies) is sometimes using Kids Discover magazine (in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) in the classroom. I have been copying and pasting the content from what I've found online of the magazine, but it is not the same print (most current) materials as what is in the magazine that I have from the teacher. I have to retype much of the document so that I can save it to a USB for my student to use on her Braille Sense U2 in class. I need to know if Bookshare can help me get access to the magazine in a Word format that is current or if someone has a suggestion to gain access to the materials. -
Hi Linda, The Internet Archive is a partner collection that our members can use to search for books outside of the Bookshare collection. The Internet Archive has a large collection of books, including over 3 million DAISY titles, including periodicals and older reference materials. Unfortunately you won't be able to search the Internet Archive on Voice Dream Reader or any of the mobile apps. To search for books in the Internet Archive, go to Advanced Search (https://www.bookshare.org/search), and select "Internet Archive" from the "Collections to Search" drop-down menu. You'll still need to run an active search in order to show results. Please note that the Internet Archive is a separate collection from Bookshare. We do not produce the books in the Internet Archive. As such, we cannot ensure the quality of Internet Archive books, nor can we provide support on using their resources. For more information on the Internet Archive, visit their website: http://archive.org/details/texts
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I am trying to locate where I can customize the voice and cadence with which my daughter's books are read to her. Is there a way I can find a voice that sounds a little less mechanized? Thank you in advance for your help
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I have a student with the Read2Go app on her iPad, but we have learned that some books only read one word at a time. Other books read the sentences smoothly, but some books pause between each word. I have played with the settings and made zero progress. Any suggestions for getting all books to read without hesitation?
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Where can I learn more about downloading current books from the Internet Archive eBook library? I found information about being print impaired and their cooperation with BookShare. However, I tried to download only one book and the page then showed "Sorry, we need more time to finish generating your ebook. Please refresh this page after a few minutes." I tried many times over an hour to refresh the page and it just does not work. Another question about it is, can I use VoiceDream Reader with these books? It mentions Adobe Digital Editions. I downloaded that and it is DEFINITELY not for the print impaired. I may just not have understood the correct process for registering, letting that website "know" that I am a member of BookShare with proof of disability and do not know what eReaders are able to be used with their downloads. Linda
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Brinn, Depending on the computer/laptop you are using, you can just drag and drop files. You can move the entire folder instead of pulling files from the folder itself this should work out better for you. I would also recommend calling our technical support team so that we can walk you through the process over the phone.
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How do I access a book that is on NIMAC?
Jerri Partee replied to Chiquita McCoy's topic in Bookshare Help
Hi Chiquita, NIMAC-sourced books are digital K-12 textbooks produced from publisher files deposited in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center (NIMAC), a national repository. Bookshare converts these books from the NIMAS format (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) to student-ready formats before placing them in the Bookshare library. Access to these books is different than other Bookshare media because of the terms of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) that established the NIMAC. As a result, these books are subject to the terms of the NIMAC’s Limitation of Use Agreement (http://nimac.us/pdf/NIMAC_LUA_2017.pdf). There are two key points to remember about accessing Bookshare’s NIMAC-sourced books. For more information, please visit: https://www.bookshare.org/cms/help-center/access-nimac-books -
Parents Forgot Username and Password for Private Memberships
Jerri Partee replied to Chiquita McCoy's topic in Bookshare Help
Hi Chiquita, They'll need to reset the password by visiting the Forgot Password page and entering the email address associated with the member's account. Bookshare will send an email with a link to create a new password: https://www.bookshare.org/forgotPassword -
So if I download as a Daisy file Text only and unzip it, there is a folder with a bunch of files. In the Transferring books directions it says "Connect the thumb drive or SD card to your computer and copy the entire unzipped book folder to the root directory (main folder)." But then it doesn't say what happens next. Am I moving the entire unzipped book folder to "My Books"? (If so how do I move a whole folder?) Or when importing the file am I just pulling the Daisy file out of that folder?
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Hello Brinn, First the file must be downloaded on a computer. You can download in DAISY, BRF, or Word, and save the file to a thumb drive, or SD card. Once unzipped you can then transfer this to the APEX. The Book Reader app can open the DAISY files, and Word Processor can open Word or BRF.
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Hello Julie, Unfortunately, there could be a few different issues causing that issue. I would highly recommend calling our Technical Support team so they can help diagnose the issue further. You can locate our phone number and hours of operation at the bottom of the Help Center page: https://www.bookshare.org/cms/help-center
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Why would the pause /play button not work?. The cursor keeps going to top of chapter when student is listening. He and I are getting very frustrated.
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I am a little confused as to how to access books that are on NIMAC. After hitting the read button I received a notification that the text is available via NiMAC but I cannot access it. Thanks for your guidance.
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Parents Forgot Username and Password for Private Memberships
Chiquita McCoy posted a topic in Bookshare Help
Hello, how do I help parents retrieve usernames and passwords for private memberships who have forgotten them? -
I downloaded the book as Daisy Text. I unzipped the folder and moved the whole folder to the USB drive. My students are comfortable moving files from the USB drive to the BrailleNote, but I'm missing something in then getting the Bookeshare book from the USB driver to the BrailleNote. We tried just moving the Daisy file but that didn't seem to work. I'm guessing maybe the whole folder needs to be moved, but we don't know how to do that. Any advice is appreciated!
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Hi Kai, There can actually be a number of reasons why a book might be withdrawn from our collection. For example: --A publisher might have sent it to us with errors, or lost rights to distribute it in litigation with the author or other publishers. --The book may have had formatting issues that were significant enough and couldn't be fixed with current tools. (this rarely ever happens though) --Most commonly, the book was overwritten by another copy of the same title – the new copy can be located by searching our library collection by the title or ISBN number, rather than using any links that were previously saved for the earlier copy. We appreciate your feedback and I'll make sure we get this information added as a Help Center article.
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SunshineLizzzie changed their profile photo
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I originally requested a copy of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn through Bookshare a few days ago. However, I was unable to download it because of a "Withdrawn" status not listed with the status help descriptions. I searched for the same book and found a downloadable copy of the novel. Can someone explain the process of the "Withdrawn" status? On a side note, it may be a good idea to add a few details for this particular status in the help window found under the [?] button in the My History screen. Thank you!
