I like the idea too. Isn't there going to be a bunch of people from the united kingdom joining as well as all the students from the U. S? Does anyone know when that's going to be set up?
Julia----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon" <mt281820@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 4:46 AM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: A modest proposal
I like the idea. There will be so many new people trying to learn how to usethe system. The textbook idea sounds good. as well both as a reference for new people and even those of us trying to help them. Sharon -----Original Message----- From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Ann Parsons Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 7:31 AM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] A modest proposal Hi all, <smiling> No, I'm not proposing anything to do with the consumption of children, as did Jonathan Swift some two hundred and fifty years ago. No, I'm thinking about something Monica said in her recent message that piqued my interest. She said that volunteers help people to learn to use Bookshare. This made me think of all the new members we're likely to get in the next year and more. I think that we ought to do something about this. I propose that a web page be created with contact info of people who are willing to help newbies to do two things, to apply to and use Bookshare; and second, to submit and validate books. The first task is to help brand new folks to learn to use Bookshare; how to apply, how to download tools, and what tools to download; how to find books, and finally how to download and to read the books they obtain. This seems like a simple process, and probably is to those of us who do it on a regular basis, however, if you think of it in terms of tasks, and you break down those tasks into smaller steps, it becomes clear that either some kind of step-by-step guide needs to be developed, and/or there needs to be a pool of readily available talent to help newbies navigate this mine field. The application process is straight forward, but then, how do you decide which tools to download? Do you need the unpack tool? Do you need the reader? What *are* these anyway? Finally, with the plethora of computers, OS's, notetakers, software DAISY book readers, hardware DAISY book players, the process of getting a book from the computer to its ultimate player is no longer easy. Secondly, these trainers would help people to submit and validate books. If Monica's quality control is to be adopted, then training for volunteers is a must. We all need to be on the same page. Using the Bookshare Community room for training classes more than occasionally would help here. Perhaps a training program could grow out of Cindy4's manual project. An organized training program would formalize the excellent information which is already available in the Volunteers' Manual. If volunteers went through a formal training process, they could obtain their approval as volunteers. If all volunteers had the same training, then the quality issues might be minimized. So, I propose that first, there be a web page listing trainers/helpers. Secondly, just as Cindy4 is working on a manual on submitting and validating, I am proposing that in odd moments, I start working on a text book to help folks with the ins and outs of applying, preparing and then using Bookshare. If this is something that you folks think would be good, I'll start on it soon. I can't promise to do anything in the next three weeks, but after the 15th of December, my life is going to settle down, and I can devote some time to this. Any suggestions on how to implement my suggestions are sought and appreciated. Ann P. -- Ann K. Parsons Portal Tutoring EMAIL: akp@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.portaltutoring.info "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost." Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network. Visit www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxput the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list ofavailable commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxput the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
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