Using Video for an Assessment Tool for Blind Students

A picture is worth a thousand words. How many times have you as a teacher sat in a meeting and showed the team all the paperwork you have collected on the student, or as a parent looked at the paperwork and had no real ability to put all that paperwork into meaning.

A video of the child's progress is very powerful. You can lay out the paperwork, THEN say, here is a video of where Susie was when the school year started. Here is where she was in October and here is she now in December a few days before our conference. Immediately, people on the team can see the progress and what all that data means.

I have used this tool for years. Where people will toss aside all the paperwork because they do not really understand, they thrive on the videos. So I place the paperwork in their files so I can continue to collect it, guiding me in their goals; it is the videos that the parents want to see for clear understanding of their child's progress.

Another great benefit in videotaping is the children watch or listen to themselves also. They can hear their braille reading and then work to improve in the areas they are the weakest. They can hear the flow of their typing on any technology. As a teacher, you can see this also, and then write goals to assist them along on their journey.

Before you begin, make sure you get signed permission from parents and school, then watch the magic happen.