CHOOSING, USING, AND INTEGRATING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY for Braille - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CHOOSING, USING, AND INTEGRATING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

for Braille Readers in the Classroom K-12

TODAY’S TOPICS

Introductions Maps, routes, & journeys Orientation Travel Guides First Steps Rough Terrain

www.tinyurl.com/choose-use

SOME HINTS ALONG THE WAY

• There IS a map of the territory
• There is no ONE route
• You are the tour guide to this territory
• Your student is the client
• There will be seasons to each client’s journey

Read braille at 30 wpm Touch type at 50 wpm Use 2 screen readers Use cloud based storage Use Google based products Download digital books in multiple formats (BRF, EPub, Daisy) Send & receive email Use refreshable braille displays with computers and mobile devices Use OCR programs for text conversion Use smart phones & accessibility

• ptions

Independently connect devices to Wifi and Bluetooth Use emergent wayfinding devices & GPS applications Use internet browsers & search engines Use video conference tools Use basic suite of Microsoft Programs Troubleshoot problems, configure settings, contact technical support Explore emergent technology Use keyboard commands for Windows and OSX Use smart home devices Use gestures for mobile devices

THE MAP: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL BRAILLE USERS

Kelly & Kapperman 2018

THERE IS NO ONE ROUTE

CONTINUUM OF LEARNING

DATA PROVIDES A SNAPSHOT OF ACTIVITY STREAM FRAMEWORK SAFETY SUPPORT TRELLIS ROUTINE EXPECTATIONS Purpose is: Providing a stable base for growth GROWTH MINDSET EXPLORATION PROCESS RISK-TAKING SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING Purpose is: growth without pressure PIVOTS PLOT TWISTS ADAPTATION CHAOS BUDGET/MARGIN Purpose: Learning to adapt to shifting circumstances INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE & CONCRETE FEEDBACK Purpose is: Permanent products/Demonstration of abilities

INSTRUCTOR SCAFFOLDING & SUPPORT STUDENT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

CONTINUUM OF LEARNING

Belinda Rudinger 2018

GROWTH MAY NOT BE LINEAR

CONTINUUM OF LEARNING

DATA PROVIDES A SNAPSHOT OF ACTIVITY STREAM FRAMEWORK SAFETY SUPPORT TRELLIS ROUTINE EXPECTATIONS Purpose is: Providing a stable base for growth GROWTH MINDSET EXPLORATION PROCESS RISK-TAKING SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING Purpose is: growth without pressure PIVOTS PLOT TWISTS ADAPTATION CHAOS BUDGET/MARGIN Purpose: Learning to adapt to shifting circumstances INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE & CONCRETE FEEDBACK Purpose is: Permanent products/Demonstration of abilities

INSTRUCTOR SCAFFOLDING & SUPPORT STUDENT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

CONTINUUM OF LEARNING

Belinda Rudinger 2018

YOU HAVE A MAP, TOO…

My Map, My Plan Page 1, Part 1

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE KNOW YOUR ROLE

• Orient yourself so you can orient your client
• Periodically re-orient yourself & your client
• Make course corrections as needed
• TVI as Digital Workflow Facilitator &

Decision Maker (Siu & Emerson)

• Teaching Access to Learning vs. Learning to

Access (McClinden & Douglas)

ACCESS

§ General education § content/curricula, TEKS § plans & practices § Teacher of students with visual impairments § Trained & prepared? § Braille production resources & workflow § Materials/curricula available § Equipment available? § Personnel available? Trained? § Family § What support are they able to provide? § What support do they need? § Student § How can AT help them NOW? § How can AT help them in the future?

McClinden & Douglas 2016

SYSTEMS THEORY

§ Macrosystem: Drivers for change at

national, international level

§ Exosystem: Educational system

structure, culture, curriculum, policies, etc.

§ Mesosystem: Relationships between

home, school, community, or work

§ Microsystem: Instructional settings § The Child

Ecological Systems Theory by psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner, adapted by McClinden & Douglas 2016

TRAVEL GUIDES

• WATI AT Consideration Guide
• SETT Framework
• Quality Indicators of Assistive Technology
• Georgia Project for Assistive Technology
• AT for Students Who are Blind or

Visually Impaired

• International Society of Technology Education
• National Center for Accessible Educational Materials
• CAST & UDL
• Texas AT Network
• Paths to Literacy
• Paths to Technology
• EVALS kit
• Pinterest
• Our Little Corner

My Plan Page 1, Part 2

PRINCIPLES THAT GROUND AT SERVICE DELIVERY:

• 1. Person centered (not AT centered)
• 2. Outcome is enablement of participation in desired activities
• 3. Evidence-informed process is used
• 4. Provided in an ethical manner
• 5. Provided in a sustainable manner
• Note: AT that is recommended or prescribed without input from the user and

relevant others ends up abandoned or not used to its full potential. Cook & Polgar 2015

KEY FEATURES OF USABILITY

• Learnability
• Efficiency (minimal frustration, effort)
• Memorability (how the device is used can be easily

remembered, particularly when a function has not been used over a long period of time)

• Errors
• Satisfaction (user has positive experience)
• EASE OF USE
• (Fisk et. al, Cook & Polgar 2015)

INSTRUCTIONAL/EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

• T

eachers using technology during instruction of students to enhance the learning process

• ISTE Standards
• Educator Standard Indicators 5a-b: “Use

technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs. Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.”

• Students using technology to do the same stuff other

students do (reading, writing, doing math, communicating)

• The Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended

(2004): “Any item, piece of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”

• “The aim of AT is to overcome the gap between

what a person with a disability wants to do and what the existing social infrastructure allows them to do.” Hersh & Johnson (2008)

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

EVIDENCE INFORMED PROCESS

• Minimum district requirements
• Assessment
• FVE/LMA as part of FIE (*LEARNING CHANNELS*)
• AT Evaluation as part of FIE, or standalone
• Goal Writing: Task over tools
• Accommodation Writing
• Consider organizational constraints
• Instructional Planning
• Using technology in instruction
• Student response
• Data
• ECC documentation
• Goal progress
• Student’s own use of equipment

See Overview of AT; Form groups to review assessment instruments

FIRST STEPS

A SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF THE BEGINNING BRAILLE READER’S ENVIRONMENT

The Team The Tasks The Tools & Tool Skills

THE BRAILLE READER’S INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM

THE BRAILLE READER’S TASKS

• MATH
• Nemeth Code
• Tactile Graphics
• Spatial concepts
• Calculations
• Problem Solving
• READING
• Phonemic Awareness:

Ability to manipulate segments/phonemes

• Phonics: Sound+Symbols

correspondence

• Fluency: Reading Rate &

Prosody

• Vocabulary: Knowledge of

words & their meanings

• Contractions (*Savaiano)
• WRITING
• Phonemic Awareness: Ability

to manipulate segments/phonemes

• Phonics: Sound+Symbols

correspondence

• Spelling
• Morphology: knowledge of

roots, affixes of Latin or Greek origin (Rastle)

REMEMBER YOUR TEAM & YOUR TASK WHEN CHOOSING YOUR TOOLS

• Students and their devices do NOT exist in a vacuum
• Support is one of the key factors of progress
• Consider ease of use, learning curve of device
• Consider experience & engagement of team (& lack thereof)
• Consider what strengths and struggles the student brings to both the task and the tool
• There’s gonna be more than one tool…just saying...
• Remember that teachers can use technology in their instruction to reinforce learning and

engage learners—long before students are ready for their own dedicated device

THE BRAILLE READER’S TOOLS & TOOL SKILLS

• BEHOLD THE FANCY WHEEL OF TOOLS!
• What are some advantages/disadvantages of

this tool?

• Which members of the team would it support?
• What’s an example of a task using this tool?
• What are some related skills (think related

instead of pre-requisite)?

• What data could be taken to support the use
• f this tool for a given task?
• What role could this tool play in instruction?

TOOL REVIEW

• Mountbatten Braillewriter
• Braille Coach
• Braille Study Mode with JAWS
• Perkins Braillewriter
• Smart Brailler
• Tablet + Refreshable Braille Display
• Braille Notetakers

My Plan Page 3

BRAILLE WRITING (6 KEY)

• What team members are

involved?

• What did you learn about

tools?

• My thoughts…

BRAILLE READING

• How can TVIs use technology in instruction of

reading?

• Literary
• Nemeth
• Graphics
• What supports do TVIs need?
• How young can students be introduced to

technology?

KEYBOARDING

• Slow drip coffee machine
• Choices:
• Typio
• Custom lessons
• Talking Typer
• On computer or iPad
• Custom lessons
• Marvelsoft Talking Typing T

eacher

• Typability (requires JAWS license)
• Typing Club

“ONE DAY THAT CUTE KID TURNS INTO AN UGLY ADULT”

Read braille at 30 wpm Touch type at 50 wpm Use 2 screen readers Use cloud based storage Use Google based products Download digital books in multiple formats (BRF, EPub, Daisy) Send & receive email Use refreshable braille displays with computers and mobile devices Use OCR programs for text conversion Use smart phones & accessibility

• ptions

Independently connect devices to Wifi and Bluetooth Use emergent wayfinding devices & GPS applications Use internet browsers & search engines Use video conference tools Use basic suite of Microsoft Programs Troubleshoot problems, configure settings, contact technical support Explore emergent technology Use keyboard commands for Windows and OSX Use smart home devices Use gestures for mobile devices

THE MAP: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL BRAILLE USERS

Kelly & Kapperman 2018

TRAFFIC

(Harshman, Bretz, & Yezierski 2013)

MATH & SCIENCE

• Using algorithms, formulas, concepts,

reference materials & calculation devices to solve problems

• This area keeps getting better—experts are

working on it!

• DESMOS
• Pearson Accessible Equation Editor
• Nemeth Dictionary
• Orion TI-84

USE OF COMPUTERS VIA SCREEN READER

• Concepts Rather Than Keystrokes (referenced with permission from Amanda Fierro & Nina

Wibbenmeyer, TSBVI, TAER 2018)

• Skill Progression: Beginning→Intermediate→Advanced Concepts
• Leverage skills across devices
• Tablet & Computer both have main menus
• Braille Notetaker, Computer, & tablet all have files & folders
• Integrated model: use devices in conjunction (mix & match) rather than learning one at a

time in a serial fashion

UX PREFERENCES & PRACTICES

• Braille users ages 16-22: between 4-8 devices each
• College students rarely had materials in embossed braille, but

preferred it for math, science, & foreign languages

• Students produced very little embossed braille, choosing to write

using word processing equipment such as computers or notetakers

• “It has become critically important to provide students with as many

tools as possible…they must be proficient in multiple methods and tools for learning.”

• “A main advantage of using technology is that it is faster than using
• braille. Even the students who stated that they preferred to use braille

if possible acknowledged that in some cases using technology, particularly speech access, allowed them to complete school tasks

• faster. ”
• Another advantage of technology was searching & indexing functions
• “The lines have blurred between the

concepts of ’reading’ and ‘access,’ and between ‘book’ and ‘information.’ The students valued the greater access to information they have compared to students who read braille in previous

• generations. Although the interviewed

students continue to value the literacy

• pportunities that braille affords,

particularly for specific subjects such as mathematics, they also appreciate the virtually unlimited access to information that technology allows.” D’Andrea 2012

My Plan Page 2

BEYOND PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS: BUILDING A FRAMEWORK THROUGH RELATED SKILLS & CONCEPTS

• Operating System
• The Desktop
• Accessibility Features
• Keyboarding
• Brailling
• Word Processing
• Mobile Devices & Phones
• The Cloud
• Learning Management Systems
• File formats & attributes
• Awareness of transitions across settings

and stages

• Visual presentation factors
• Text extraction
• The art of balancing independence and

advocacy (soft skills)

“EDUCATION, EMPLOYABILITY, & RETENTION” –LARRY LEWIS

• Mobile devices vs stationary devices
• Use a computer for “the heavy lifting” and mobile devices for shorter assignments, sharing, &

collaborating

• To the extent possible, mirror expectations
• Tools (”get it done”) vs techniques (maximizing efficiency, productivity)
• Consider the digital environment: Google for Schools, Microsoft for Business
• Guiding questions:
• Does the device chosen promote functional literacy?
• Will a multi-sensory approach make the student more efficient?

TCS ASSOCIATES EXAMPLE

• Group Training
• Focus on speed, efficiency, office skills
• Being expanded to other locations, such as Tyler, Tx

• CSUN Conference 2018

SPEAKING OF EXPLORING EMERGENT TECHNOLOGY…

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP

• Just. Start. Somewhere.
• Less reading manuals, more play
• Learning over perfection
• Process over performance
• Concepts over isolated skills
• Experience over rote memorization
• Adaptability & experimentation over EGO
• Less fear, more growth
• Less frustration, more laughter
• A growth mindset

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

REFERENCES

• Photos courtesy of www.unsplash.com
• Miss Jaime, OT’s Website: https://www.missjaimeot.com/keyboarding-ages-and-stages/
• Cook, A.M. & Polgar, J.M. (2015) Assistive

Technologies: Principles and Practice (4th Ed.) Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.

• D'Andrea, F. M. (2012). Preferences and Practices Among Students Who Read Braille and Use Assistive T
• echnology. Journal

Of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 106(10), 585-596.

• Harshman, J., Bretz, S.L.,

Yezierski, E.(2013). Seeing Chemistry through the Eyes of the Blind: A Case Study Examining Multiple Gas Law Representations Journal of Chemical Education 90 (6), 710-716

• Hersh, M. & Johnson, M.A. (2008). Assistive

Technology for Visually Impaired and Blind People. London: Springer-Verlag.

• Kelly, S. & Kapperman, G. (2018). A Second Look at What High School Students Who Are Blind Should Know About

T

• echnology. Journal on

Technology and Persons with Disabilities.

• McLinden, M., Douglas, G., Cobb, R., Hewett, R., & Ravenscroft, J. (2016). ‘Access to learning’ and ‘learning to access’: Analysing

the distinctive role of specialist teachers of children and young people with vision impairments in facilitating curriculum access through an ecological systems theory. The British Journal of Visual Impairment, 34(2), 177-195.

• Siu,

Y.T., Emerson, R.W.(2017). Redefining Roles of Vision Professionals in Education and Rehabilitation. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 111(6), Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 111(6), 593-597.