#34206
Speaker(s)
- Rick Johnson, Vice President of Product Strategy, VitalSource Technologies
- Stacy Ray, Bookshelf Installed Apps Product Manager, VitalSource Technologies
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Interactive/Discussion
- Expertise Level: All Levels
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
As digital content becomes more interactive, will learners be left behind? No! Come see how interactivity and content transparency can seamlessly work with assistive technology to make sure all learners are accommodated with digital textbooks.
Abstract
This session will focus on interactivity, a critical component of digital learning, and demonstrate the ways in which VitalSource’s Bookshelf supports the latest interactive and assistive technologies. We will discuss how digital textbook publishers can use industry standards to make their products accessible and interactive, and how a title’s accessibility is essential to instructor adoption and learner purchase. We will showcase how VitalSource’s content transparency initiative is solving this critical gap.
Keypoints
- Explain how the latest interactive tools are supported by VitalSource Bookshelf and your assistive technology.
- Empower digital textbook publishers to enable accessibility and interactivity by following industry standards.
- Discover how title accessibility is critical to instructor adoption and learner purchase.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Vision
Topic Areas
Accessible Course Design, Accessible Educational Materials, EPUB Track, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Rick Johnson
Rick Johnson is the Vice President of Product Strategy, and one of the founders of VitalSource Technologies, Inc. He manages the strategic direction of the fast-growing platform, guiding the architecture, and implementation of its clients and systems. He is a frequent speaker on electronic textbooks, their integration into an institutional environment, and how the accessibility needs of individual students can best be accommodated in their delivery. He has served on multiple committees addressing the needs around delivering accessible content to students, was a member of the working groups responsible for version 2 and version 3 of the EPUB standard, currently serves on the board of directors for IMSGlobal, and is the co-inventor of 3 domestic and international patents dealing with electronic books and their distribution. Prior to Ingram and VitalSource, Rick spent more than 12 years with Apple Computer, Inc. as a Senior National Consulting Engineer.
Stacy Ray
Stacy Ray is a Senior Product Manager with VitalSource where she manages the Bookshelf learning platform. As part of the Bookshelf product team, Stacy works closely with design, engineering and our testing partners to ensure our content and tools exceed industry accessibility standards. Prior to VitalSource, Stacy spent six years, managing the CPA Review Program for Becker Professional Education, the industry’s leading provider of CPA Exam preparation. Stacy holds a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University.