What is a screen reader?

A screen reader is a piece of software which reads web pages and documents out loud. Originally developed for persons who were visually impaired, it is now often used for a multitude of other reasons. Many who may have learning challenges, concussion syndrome, or those who simply want to listen to their email or a web page while they do something else use screen readers. All Apple products have VoiceOver built in – from iPhones to Mac desktops. Some Android devices have TalkBack. Windows users often use tools like JAWS (available on our public machines), and NVDA. If you are … Continue reading What is a screen reader?

How Swarthmore Uses Lynda.com

Over roughly four years, Swarthmore has used Lynda.com videos to expand our knowledge.  A quick glance through the courses completed suggests that folks use Lynda for class-related activity the most (great!) — but peeking at the long tail of courses shows that we are well-rounded and might even have fun, too (see: Ethical Hacking, YouTube for Musicians, Understanding Patents, Insights from a  Professional Songwriter, and Learn Instagram: The Basics. Let’s take a look at the historical data.  In our first year (2013-2014 — the one where we wore wigs and glasses to look like the logo), we had 739 users, 14,142 … Continue reading How Swarthmore Uses Lynda.com

Students gather around a laptop computer listening to a podcast

Language & Identity in the African Experience Podcast Project

Students from Professor Jamie A. Thomas’ Spring 2017 linguistics seminar, Language and Identity in the African Experience, recently completed a semester long project creating a podcast series titled AFROLATINX PODCAST™ and an informative and media-rich companion website Language & Identity in the African Experience. AfroLatinx … Continue reading Language & Identity in the African Experience Podcast Project