Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

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A shining example of quality (and fast!) Volunteer work

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Jim From: Rick Costa Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 3:26 PM To: Bookshare Team Subject: A shining example of quality (and fast!) I get great emails all the time, but this one needed to be posted right away!

Volunteer 113
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Join Benetech in the Skoll Foundation’s 2014 Social Entrepreneurs Challenge!

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Zach’s encounter with accessible ebooks is but one example of how Benetech empowers people who often face difficult challenges and whose needs are neglected. “It’s amazing that I can find most books I want in the Bookshare collection, even post-secondary textbooks, and no one has to scan them for me.

Challenge 144
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Technology for All: From Gandhi to TED - Part 2

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

For example, the Giving Pledge campaign that began with efforts by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett is encouraging the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. In addition, now more than ever, those who have benefited greatly from technology are giving back.

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Big Meeting on the Treaty this Week!

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

This is why the making of accessible books is a classic example of market failure: if publishers could make a lot of money selling braille, large print, audio, and fully accessible textbooks, we wouldn’t need a copyright exception. For example, we run Bookshare in the U.S. The biggest challenge for access is that it’s expensive.

Copyright 158
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A Worthy Read: National Education Technology Plan

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

It is full of examples of interesting ed tech from for-profits and nonprofits, as well as local, state and federal government agencies. I just finished reading the National Education Technology Plan , and I can recommend it to anyone interested in the future of technology in American education.

Education 100
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Our WIPO Statement on the Treaty for Access for People with Disabilities

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

For example, all residents with the qualifying disabilities in Australia, Denmark and Qatar, to pick just three examples, now have free access to Bookshare thanks to our joint efforts with local and national disability groups in these countries.

Qatar 154
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Big Data Means More Than Big Profits

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Let me share two examples of the Big Data opportunities we’ve seized at Benetech: a long-standing use of data that has global implications and a nascent one that has just launched. I knew we could help a lot of people if we focused on finding a sustainable—instead of a highly profitable—way to develop technology for the social good.

Profit 171