Posts
J was in middle school a year before I had met him. He had an incredible Special Education Teacher who noticed that he was getting closer and closer to his pages of work as the months went on. She also noticed that he would not walk around in any dark places. She convinced the parents to take him to an eye doctor and sure enough, he came back with a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).
There was no Teacher of the Blind in the area, so the Special Ed teacher did the research on the Internet to pull a program together for him to start teaching him Braille. A year later, I enter the scene greatly impressed with what she created. She knew someone blind so she knew how to position his fingers on the braille sheet and brailler and she picked out a wonderful Braille program called "The Braille Connection" for children who knew print but were transitioning to Braille. J had learned many letters and some contractions, but his progress was slow. J was several grade levels behind his peers and struggled with learning. He was one of the kindest gentlest people I have ever met and he had many friends. His special ed. teacher was incredibly fond of him as all people in the building and really wanted to see him succeed so was really hoping there were more tricks to teaching students braille.
He had been very active in sports but started missing the ball; or rather, the ball started hitting him because he could not see it coming. When I talked with him, he said that he noticed something funny about his seeing years ago but never said anything to his family. His family was very poor and their focus was on survival. He just did not want to burden them.
One of the biggest challenges was J did not want anyone to know he was losing his sight and he said he would not do any blind skills outside the room. This is why he was learning slowly, he only spent 1 hour a day learning blind skills at school. But, I combined his learning of hard copy braille and the brailler with the Braille Note. As soon as he put his fingers on the Braille Note, brailled a letter and it gave him verbal feedback as well as tactile, he was hooked. He was so hooked that he wanted to take it home and practice. He knew he could succeed because the Braille Note told him what he was brailling and if he made a mistake, it was easy to correct. Within 2 years, he had learned the Braille code. This child labeled "slow" learned the whole Braille code in 2 years.
To challenge him, I would give him Braille to read and he would either input it into Duxbury or the Braille Note...This is the way he did homework also. Then he got hard copy braille reading practice and brailling practice at the same time. While in school, he always wanted to use Duxbury. He could enlarge it enough to see the braille, so what he was seeing matched the braille display hooked to the computer and to what he was hearing with JAWS. With him "seeing" the braille, then hearing it, then touching it, he was able to excel in his learning.
I have discovered there are many children that need multiple ways to learn one thing. By giving a myriad of options, people excel in the process.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
In the Effort to Become Braille Certified
Oh so many years ago, leading up to my braille certification, I killed a LOT of trees in the process. I would braille hours every night after school and after work in order to learn that code. Using 11 x 11 paper and a great deal of it.
Today, things have changed tremendously. People who want to learn how to braille can download Perky Duck, which is free and is a minor program compared to its parent Duxbury, which is a very powerful and superb braille to print, print to braille translation program, but cost money. I also use the Library of Congress Braille Handbook and many supplements for my adult students to work from. They six key in their work, then email it off to me for correction. In this process, we save hundreds of trees. When there are too many students, I have them sign up with the Library of Congress, which the National Federation of the Blind has taken over in the correction and helping mode. They too are set up to receive everything through email and they respond using email also, with a grade and or corrections that need to be made.
When taking the Braille certification test, you can use your reference manuals. When I take them through the lessons, I have them mark the sections and underline the areas they are struggling with, so when the test comes and they are unsure, they can quickly turn to the answer in their book. A great supplement to the classes is the Braille Enthusiast's Dictionary. It has every word and contraction you can think of that may be in text.
When my students are preparing for the test I have them braille it out in Perky Duck or Duxbury to get an electronic copy. Then they move to the brailler and braille another copy out. Next, they compare their hard copy to the electronic copy. Proofreading your own work is one of the hardest things for students. It was for me too, so it is great with these new techniques to use to double check your work. If they are really in doubt, they rebraille another copy on Perky Duck or Duxbury. When they are practicing their proofreading or slate n stylus, once again, they can use Perky Duck to braille out all the different options they believe it to be.
I have had more people pass their braille certification quicker using these methods versus not using them. Using everything at our disposal gives us a better idea of how to help our students too. Many methods, mean more success, for more people.
Today, things have changed tremendously. People who want to learn how to braille can download Perky Duck, which is free and is a minor program compared to its parent Duxbury, which is a very powerful and superb braille to print, print to braille translation program, but cost money. I also use the Library of Congress Braille Handbook and many supplements for my adult students to work from. They six key in their work, then email it off to me for correction. In this process, we save hundreds of trees. When there are too many students, I have them sign up with the Library of Congress, which the National Federation of the Blind has taken over in the correction and helping mode. They too are set up to receive everything through email and they respond using email also, with a grade and or corrections that need to be made.
When taking the Braille certification test, you can use your reference manuals. When I take them through the lessons, I have them mark the sections and underline the areas they are struggling with, so when the test comes and they are unsure, they can quickly turn to the answer in their book. A great supplement to the classes is the Braille Enthusiast's Dictionary. It has every word and contraction you can think of that may be in text.
When my students are preparing for the test I have them braille it out in Perky Duck or Duxbury to get an electronic copy. Then they move to the brailler and braille another copy out. Next, they compare their hard copy to the electronic copy. Proofreading your own work is one of the hardest things for students. It was for me too, so it is great with these new techniques to use to double check your work. If they are really in doubt, they rebraille another copy on Perky Duck or Duxbury. When they are practicing their proofreading or slate n stylus, once again, they can use Perky Duck to braille out all the different options they believe it to be.
I have had more people pass their braille certification quicker using these methods versus not using them. Using everything at our disposal gives us a better idea of how to help our students too. Many methods, mean more success, for more people.
The Para who became an Incredible ProTech
There is a lot of debate about para educators and how to utilize them, so I thought I would tell a story of one of my greatest and best experiences.
I worked in a particular school district for 7 years. It was typical in this district for the para educators to do too much for the students. But that is all they knew what to do. It became clear that the paras needed to gain blind skills in order to stop doing the work for the blind children as if they were sighted. So, the paras started attending training classes that met a couple times a month to learn how to be a para and how to braille. Within a year and a half over a dozen paras passed the braille exam and had increased tremendously in their technology skills. Another year went by and another half dozen or so passed their braille certification and all continued in their advancement of skills. As they passed the braille certification test, they became known as ProTechs--highly skilled individuals working with students.
Most of their time is utilized adapting work. They have fine tuned their knowledge to know when to step in to help and when to step back. They easily can adapt the work for their student or students and assist them when needed. When one Protech is out, the others take over their student or students. Everyone works together with each others best skills.
Skill advancement has to come to all: Protechs (or past paras), students and Teachers all have to constantly advance in their skills in order to help the students learn what is best for them. They will meet their goals and dreams.
One of my favorite things to hear is when the Protech asks the student if they will need any help in a certain class that is difficult and the student replies, "No Thank you, I got it."
I worked in a particular school district for 7 years. It was typical in this district for the para educators to do too much for the students. But that is all they knew what to do. It became clear that the paras needed to gain blind skills in order to stop doing the work for the blind children as if they were sighted. So, the paras started attending training classes that met a couple times a month to learn how to be a para and how to braille. Within a year and a half over a dozen paras passed the braille exam and had increased tremendously in their technology skills. Another year went by and another half dozen or so passed their braille certification and all continued in their advancement of skills. As they passed the braille certification test, they became known as ProTechs--highly skilled individuals working with students.
Most of their time is utilized adapting work. They have fine tuned their knowledge to know when to step in to help and when to step back. They easily can adapt the work for their student or students and assist them when needed. When one Protech is out, the others take over their student or students. Everyone works together with each others best skills.
Skill advancement has to come to all: Protechs (or past paras), students and Teachers all have to constantly advance in their skills in order to help the students learn what is best for them. They will meet their goals and dreams.
One of my favorite things to hear is when the Protech asks the student if they will need any help in a certain class that is difficult and the student replies, "No Thank you, I got it."
Sighted Students with Reading Challenges
Talking software works great for a child with a reading challenge. This one particular student started with me when he was in 2nd grade. He struggled terribly in school and could not do the work, though is very bright. The way the school was giving instruction did not suit his dyslexia and inability to read print.
I started him on JAWS talking software as I knew he needed to listen in order to comprehend. I taught him about audio books and where to get them. He listened, watched the words on the page, and began to learn to read. He typed, listened, and watched and I showed him tricks on how to spell check when he could not figure out how to spell the word. (arrow into the word and hit your applications key or right click with a mouse and the correct spelling of the word appears). When you finish the document, hit F7 for a complete spell check. Slowly but surely this child learned how to read and write.
He is now going into high school and has been doing online school for the past years with great success: A 3.9 grade average. He has learned that he needs to hear those words in order to comprehend them. He uses audio books from all genres, and I am now introducing him to SKYPE and other chat and texting methods to continue instruction with him. He is also working with an online academy that really caters to audio learning. He will also be learning more advanced JAWS talking software techniques, so as he progresses through school and life he will be able to do anything he wants to do.
Talking software is for anyone who happens to be challenged in accessing the printed word.
I started him on JAWS talking software as I knew he needed to listen in order to comprehend. I taught him about audio books and where to get them. He listened, watched the words on the page, and began to learn to read. He typed, listened, and watched and I showed him tricks on how to spell check when he could not figure out how to spell the word. (arrow into the word and hit your applications key or right click with a mouse and the correct spelling of the word appears). When you finish the document, hit F7 for a complete spell check. Slowly but surely this child learned how to read and write.
He is now going into high school and has been doing online school for the past years with great success: A 3.9 grade average. He has learned that he needs to hear those words in order to comprehend them. He uses audio books from all genres, and I am now introducing him to SKYPE and other chat and texting methods to continue instruction with him. He is also working with an online academy that really caters to audio learning. He will also be learning more advanced JAWS talking software techniques, so as he progresses through school and life he will be able to do anything he wants to do.
Talking software is for anyone who happens to be challenged in accessing the printed word.
Learning, starting at 3 months Old
I always tell people I want to get children "Coming from the Womb." Well, 3 months is pretty close. I did not get him earlier because the family did not move into my district until he was 3 months old.
We spent the first 3 years with tactile and full sensory exploration. By 3, he was ready to begin formal braille, technology and cane skills instruction. From 3-5 this little guy learned his braille and technology and by kindergarten was ready to fully participate as any other child. Since he was low vision, he learned his print letters and numbers also. He would type to output his work and hand it in to the teacher at the same time as his peers.
For Braille instruction, before reading time, he would go with the teacher of the blind or braille certified para educator, to learn the new contractions he had in his reading class book coming up that day, so when he was with his class he could read the same material as his peers. This enables him to keep on grade level now and in the future.
There are many wonderful Braille instructional methods, but if you go this route, the child will always be behind his peers until he learns all the contractions according to the particular Braille instructional methods and manuals you are using. You will also have a frustrated child because he is never reading the same stories as the rest of the class. This will lead to resistance in learning the braille. All they can see is they are behind their peers and they blame braille for the lag.
If you just teach the contractions the child is using in class in the books everyone else is using, he can keep up with his peers. More importantly, the child sees braille as a method to help him, not keep him behind his peers.
We spent the first 3 years with tactile and full sensory exploration. By 3, he was ready to begin formal braille, technology and cane skills instruction. From 3-5 this little guy learned his braille and technology and by kindergarten was ready to fully participate as any other child. Since he was low vision, he learned his print letters and numbers also. He would type to output his work and hand it in to the teacher at the same time as his peers.
For Braille instruction, before reading time, he would go with the teacher of the blind or braille certified para educator, to learn the new contractions he had in his reading class book coming up that day, so when he was with his class he could read the same material as his peers. This enables him to keep on grade level now and in the future.
There are many wonderful Braille instructional methods, but if you go this route, the child will always be behind his peers until he learns all the contractions according to the particular Braille instructional methods and manuals you are using. You will also have a frustrated child because he is never reading the same stories as the rest of the class. This will lead to resistance in learning the braille. All they can see is they are behind their peers and they blame braille for the lag.
If you just teach the contractions the child is using in class in the books everyone else is using, he can keep up with his peers. More importantly, the child sees braille as a method to help him, not keep him behind his peers.
Virtual Teaching Options
On virtually teaching, you do not need to have video. It can all be audio. On lessons where I am teaching the braille note or braille, it is all done through the phone. I am listening and giving directions and the people on the other side follow through. I have even done this with computer lessons because the bandwidth was not strong enough to take both video and audio. If you know your stuff, listening is all you need.
On braille instruction. If you are a totally blind teacher, even if you were sitting next to a child teaching them braille, or even touch typing, you need someone sighted to make sure they are using their fingers correctly (that is an in general comment--most blind instructors need the sighted to watch the child's hands unless you have been blessed with working with someone like Jerry Whittle from Louisania Tech, one of the most gifted blind braille instructors around). When present with a student, I start out positioned behind a blind child and I actually guide their hands in the correct way on the paper or the keyboard. It is just as easy to tell someone on the other end to do so also, so the child has an idea of what to do, but there has to be someone constantly making sure they are using their hands correctly. Even when you become a TVI and are not there at the school, someone has to follow through on your instruction. If you are virtual, or even part time virtual and part time direct contact, schools will actually have more contact and communication with you, thus you are able to give better service because you know virtual techniques.
I am looking at this as another way to teach. Not to take over for direct contact necessarily, though it can. I do both, but have more access to more people in the World virtually. If you are trying to do all teaching in person, you can only touch a few lives. If you teach virtually, you can touch and help the world.
The methods that are presently in place are not meeting all the needs of our children. We have over worked TVIs and paras that need a lot more direction and guidance. This is a supplemental way to teach or all inclusive...getting into areas where there are NO TVI's or not enough. Using the combination of virtual techniques and direct contact gives you the ability to do more with efficiency. However, total virtual instruction allows you to sit in one spot and teach hundreds and thousands of miles away in different corners of the world by the hour.
On braille instruction. If you are a totally blind teacher, even if you were sitting next to a child teaching them braille, or even touch typing, you need someone sighted to make sure they are using their fingers correctly (that is an in general comment--most blind instructors need the sighted to watch the child's hands unless you have been blessed with working with someone like Jerry Whittle from Louisania Tech, one of the most gifted blind braille instructors around). When present with a student, I start out positioned behind a blind child and I actually guide their hands in the correct way on the paper or the keyboard. It is just as easy to tell someone on the other end to do so also, so the child has an idea of what to do, but there has to be someone constantly making sure they are using their hands correctly. Even when you become a TVI and are not there at the school, someone has to follow through on your instruction. If you are virtual, or even part time virtual and part time direct contact, schools will actually have more contact and communication with you, thus you are able to give better service because you know virtual techniques.
I am looking at this as another way to teach. Not to take over for direct contact necessarily, though it can. I do both, but have more access to more people in the World virtually. If you are trying to do all teaching in person, you can only touch a few lives. If you teach virtually, you can touch and help the world.
The methods that are presently in place are not meeting all the needs of our children. We have over worked TVIs and paras that need a lot more direction and guidance. This is a supplemental way to teach or all inclusive...getting into areas where there are NO TVI's or not enough. Using the combination of virtual techniques and direct contact gives you the ability to do more with efficiency. However, total virtual instruction allows you to sit in one spot and teach hundreds and thousands of miles away in different corners of the world by the hour.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Joy of Learning to Virtually Chat
One of my high school students has been learning technology for awhile, but because she did not start it until high school, she had no paradigm for how technology worked, so struggled with using it. This year, it has started to click in and she is really getting it. When she is learning a new skill on the computer, she can start to figure out where I am going to take her and what we are going to do.
I have been telling her about Google chat for awhile, but she had so many other areas that needed addressing that we were not able to start it until today. With JAWS tandem I can connect and disconnect with just a keystroke, so once I got her all set up, I told her we would just communicate through chat and I was going to disconnect for a bit. We text each other back and forth and as she was inputting her 5th response I quickly brought her computer and her up again. The smile on that child's face lit up the room.
I told her that once she gets really good at it, that she can leave her Gmail and chat box open all day. Whenever she does not know how to do something, she can just text me and get an answer within seconds. I asked her if she understood the power of this tool. "YEAH!!" was the quick response. That incredible happy smile of JOY beaming throughout her will warm me for quite some time.
I have been telling her about Google chat for awhile, but she had so many other areas that needed addressing that we were not able to start it until today. With JAWS tandem I can connect and disconnect with just a keystroke, so once I got her all set up, I told her we would just communicate through chat and I was going to disconnect for a bit. We text each other back and forth and as she was inputting her 5th response I quickly brought her computer and her up again. The smile on that child's face lit up the room.
I told her that once she gets really good at it, that she can leave her Gmail and chat box open all day. Whenever she does not know how to do something, she can just text me and get an answer within seconds. I asked her if she understood the power of this tool. "YEAH!!" was the quick response. That incredible happy smile of JOY beaming throughout her will warm me for quite some time.
Teaching Virtual Teachers
I have teachers of the blind calling me from all over to learn the virtual techniques to teach students. The excitement of showing them another way to help the children is always a joy for me. Today was no exception to this rule. If you want to be one of these teachers...send an email and we can get going.
A few days ago, I received an email from a teacher who had quit her job last year to have a beautiful baby. Before she had quit I told her what I had been doing in regards to virtual teaching and that if she wanted, she could do it too from home, while still caring for her children. A couple days ago I got the email asking about the virtual teaching.
I took her through the process of being the student and how I connected to her and then her being the teacher and connecting to me and all the many aspects that went along with virtual teaching. Her excitement of its potential could be felt across the wires. We will practice until she is comfortable and then when she gets students I can assist when she needs it.
I have discovered several different ways to do virtual instruction. When you go across state or country lines, the connections vary. Instead of phoning and adding up long distance charges, I connect with SKYPE, give directions, then bring up JAWS Tandem and we continue both throughout the lesson. If the video becomes too garbled because of bandwidth, we use only audio. Local calls can be phone and straight Tandem. I have also given lessons straight through chat, text and Tandem. There are so many ways and options. Meetings with school personnel can happen through SKYPE or a phone. If teaching braille or other hands on skills, a para educator is on the other side following instructions on how to help the child position their fingers....all watched through video on my side.
Most importantly, we have the ability to teach every child as long as there is a phone line. Every child could potentially have the ability to receive as much instruction as they need to achieve their goals and dreams. This is one more option to address the challenge of teaching so many children.
A few days ago, I received an email from a teacher who had quit her job last year to have a beautiful baby. Before she had quit I told her what I had been doing in regards to virtual teaching and that if she wanted, she could do it too from home, while still caring for her children. A couple days ago I got the email asking about the virtual teaching.
I took her through the process of being the student and how I connected to her and then her being the teacher and connecting to me and all the many aspects that went along with virtual teaching. Her excitement of its potential could be felt across the wires. We will practice until she is comfortable and then when she gets students I can assist when she needs it.
I have discovered several different ways to do virtual instruction. When you go across state or country lines, the connections vary. Instead of phoning and adding up long distance charges, I connect with SKYPE, give directions, then bring up JAWS Tandem and we continue both throughout the lesson. If the video becomes too garbled because of bandwidth, we use only audio. Local calls can be phone and straight Tandem. I have also given lessons straight through chat, text and Tandem. There are so many ways and options. Meetings with school personnel can happen through SKYPE or a phone. If teaching braille or other hands on skills, a para educator is on the other side following instructions on how to help the child position their fingers....all watched through video on my side.
Most importantly, we have the ability to teach every child as long as there is a phone line. Every child could potentially have the ability to receive as much instruction as they need to achieve their goals and dreams. This is one more option to address the challenge of teaching so many children.
Frustrated Blind Field
I receive many personal emails about fear or frustration. Paras and teachers do not know how to let the district and the families, know how frustrated they are with the teaching system for the blind children. They feel hopeless and trapped and sad for the child. Not everyone, but a good portion.
I have paras who know their students are dependent on them and that they do a bulk of the work, but they are waiting for direction from the teacher of the blind (TVI). They fear for their jobs if the students they are working with do not show a good grade..... they are waiting for that help and direction.
The teachers of the blind are overloaded with a huge caseload. The teachers generally can only see children a miniscule amount of time each week. They are putting out fires more than really teaching. Not to mention the teachers have no time to help the para and no time to gain further skills to help themself and in turn help the student.
We have districts with the directors, that IF they know, they are trying to look for more personnel to hire but cannot find qualified people. But many directors do not know. Many teachers of the blind and paras suffer in silence over the condition and are not sure where to turn.
As a collective community of people that want to help make a difference, we need to start really thinking outside the box...and way outside. I see this condition getting worse in many areas, especially now that I am communicating and teaching all over this county and in different parts of the world. People are looking for direction.
Virtual teaching is a "think outside the box" area that is blooming in its possibilities. If anyone is interested in a virtual lesson, email me and I will get you going. I have been teaching this way for over a 15 years with great success. Teachers can access more students in one day than if they are trying to drive to every school.
Another aspect of virtual instruction is if our community all gets on texting, chat, video conferencing, everyone is always 1 second away from an answer or the help they need. Get more information on virtual instruction at blindgeteducated.blogspot.com or email me personally.
I have paras who know their students are dependent on them and that they do a bulk of the work, but they are waiting for direction from the teacher of the blind (TVI). They fear for their jobs if the students they are working with do not show a good grade..... they are waiting for that help and direction.
The teachers of the blind are overloaded with a huge caseload. The teachers generally can only see children a miniscule amount of time each week. They are putting out fires more than really teaching. Not to mention the teachers have no time to help the para and no time to gain further skills to help themself and in turn help the student.
We have districts with the directors, that IF they know, they are trying to look for more personnel to hire but cannot find qualified people. But many directors do not know. Many teachers of the blind and paras suffer in silence over the condition and are not sure where to turn.
As a collective community of people that want to help make a difference, we need to start really thinking outside the box...and way outside. I see this condition getting worse in many areas, especially now that I am communicating and teaching all over this county and in different parts of the world. People are looking for direction.
Virtual teaching is a "think outside the box" area that is blooming in its possibilities. If anyone is interested in a virtual lesson, email me and I will get you going. I have been teaching this way for over a 15 years with great success. Teachers can access more students in one day than if they are trying to drive to every school.
Another aspect of virtual instruction is if our community all gets on texting, chat, video conferencing, everyone is always 1 second away from an answer or the help they need. Get more information on virtual instruction at blindgeteducated.blogspot.com or email me personally.
Little Sight but Great Vision
I am blessed to have known one particular young person for almost 2 decades. She came to me in lst grade with little blind skills, and had a progressive eye condition. She loved print...large print and was determined to stay with it and nothing else. IN ADDITION, she would argue to stay with large print, if allowed. Consequently, it took her hours to do the work that the other children did within shorter periods of time.
I asked her if she wanted to learn how to do her work as fast as her friends did. She immediately said "Yes" but then added, "What do I have to do," with a concerned look on her face. I demonstrated the talking software on the computer and she was amazed at how fast my fingers flew across the keyboard and how I could not only get everything to speak for me, but I could get it to repeat and make that computer do anything I wanted. I had an older braille student demonstrate her fast fingers moving across a braille page, sitting up straight and tall and confident in her abilities. The younger child was impressed and hooked.
This young person was convinced this was the path for her...but not without "buyer’s remorse." The technology was easy. It always is for the kids. They pick it up incredibly fast and are pretty much independent with it within a couple of weeks. By third grade, she was emailing her work and receiving it back from the teacher. However, the braille was harder. It took more work. She got the idea of how much faster it was, but she still resorted to large print and could see it if she got a couple inches from the paper.
We compromised on her using the large print for everything but reading books, as I knew she would need to practice to become proficient but also to be ready for such little vision that she would not be able to use large print any more. You have to get students to "buy" into where you want to take them. If they are not on board, it will not happen.
I have had low vision children go from seeing large print in the spring to NOT seeing in the fall. I have had children come to me who had vision one day and woke with NO vision the next. This sudden loss brings with it terrible depression and a lack of will to do anything. We have no idea when loss will come, so be prepared. It takes a lot more effort to get the child turned around if they have no idea how they are going to handle life. I knew that if this young person learned those blind skills along the way, the transition would be far easier into the no vision.
Her sight loss was very gradual. Every year, she used the large print less and less and increased her Braille. She was already full on board with the technology so the output was easy for her, whether it was Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet, email or an adapted laptop with braille display. She had it down. She did not even have a bump in the road on her sight loss. The progression of gaining the blind skills made it easy. Though little sight, she had her VISION of who she was and what she was going to do in life and she just continued to gain the skills she needed to achieve those goals. She is in college now, pursuing those dreams and goals, happy and blessed with many friends and a great family and the ability to embrace life.
I asked her if she wanted to learn how to do her work as fast as her friends did. She immediately said "Yes" but then added, "What do I have to do," with a concerned look on her face. I demonstrated the talking software on the computer and she was amazed at how fast my fingers flew across the keyboard and how I could not only get everything to speak for me, but I could get it to repeat and make that computer do anything I wanted. I had an older braille student demonstrate her fast fingers moving across a braille page, sitting up straight and tall and confident in her abilities. The younger child was impressed and hooked.
This young person was convinced this was the path for her...but not without "buyer’s remorse." The technology was easy. It always is for the kids. They pick it up incredibly fast and are pretty much independent with it within a couple of weeks. By third grade, she was emailing her work and receiving it back from the teacher. However, the braille was harder. It took more work. She got the idea of how much faster it was, but she still resorted to large print and could see it if she got a couple inches from the paper.
We compromised on her using the large print for everything but reading books, as I knew she would need to practice to become proficient but also to be ready for such little vision that she would not be able to use large print any more. You have to get students to "buy" into where you want to take them. If they are not on board, it will not happen.
I have had low vision children go from seeing large print in the spring to NOT seeing in the fall. I have had children come to me who had vision one day and woke with NO vision the next. This sudden loss brings with it terrible depression and a lack of will to do anything. We have no idea when loss will come, so be prepared. It takes a lot more effort to get the child turned around if they have no idea how they are going to handle life. I knew that if this young person learned those blind skills along the way, the transition would be far easier into the no vision.
Her sight loss was very gradual. Every year, she used the large print less and less and increased her Braille. She was already full on board with the technology so the output was easy for her, whether it was Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet, email or an adapted laptop with braille display. She had it down. She did not even have a bump in the road on her sight loss. The progression of gaining the blind skills made it easy. Though little sight, she had her VISION of who she was and what she was going to do in life and she just continued to gain the skills she needed to achieve those goals. She is in college now, pursuing those dreams and goals, happy and blessed with many friends and a great family and the ability to embrace life.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Reaching Your Potential
One of the biggest issues in the blind field (and there are many) is how much should a para educator be with a child?
What I have seen:
When a district does not have a teacher of the blind, a para is glued to the child's side and does most of the work for the child because the para lacks the blind skills to help the child do it for themselves. The child appears to be succeeding (though only because of what the para is doing, NOT the child) and all are happy. BUT the parents do not realize how much their child is NOT doing and many times, the district is unaware of this also. Or, parents fight for a para next to their child all day, without realizing this para will be a big brick wall between their child making friends and achieving their own goals and potential.
I went to a school district and watched a blind child rocking back and forth while the para did the work. Sitting side by side, the child was miles away, in her own little world. When I talked with the child, the most intelligent words came from her mouth, so I knew there was a brain there. We spent the next couple of years teaching her all the technology, braille, and other blind skills, and she was completely independent by the third year. The para just adapted the work for her and made sure she had it in class when all the other students did. This is more of what SHOULD be happening with all paras and students.
I have had the first scenario over and over and depending on the "pain" level of weaning the child from the para, it is really up to the child and parents. Most are on board with the heavy duty technology, braille lessons and other blind skills and within that 2-3 year window you can have an independent child.
However, there are the people who are not thinking ahead to graduation, college, a job. They really think that somehow, miraculously their child will be completely independent when they graduate, when in fact, they have been completely dependent on a para throughout their school career and this dependence and lack of ability follows the child. The child ends up living with the parents and the parents continue to do everything for this child who has the potential to climb Mt. Everest inside, but instead the child sits like a rock going no where.
Parents and children bring the fear to each other. The child brings that fear to the parents and the parents have the same fear, or the parents put the fear on the child and they tell the child they cannot live without the para (the second scenario is the most common). They truly believe they cannot live without that para being right next to the child all day long. It kills the confidence of the child. The child lacks friends because the para has become the end all to be all of their life. They fail to gain enough skills to go onto college, and worse, be gainfully employed to their IQ level.
So, back to reaching your potential. We can't do it without "pain". It will be painful, not physically, though I have seen a lot of sweating, but emotionally. The fear. The dread of not being able to do your work because you forgot something. The fear of getting lost in the school or on a bus ride because you got on the wrong bus.
I use the phrase: We learn more from our failures than our successes. I give everyone permission to fail because we are going to fail at something no matter what it is. Don't feel bad about it, feel happy that you are progressing toward something. We can learn from our mistakes, but if we never try, we do not know our own potential.
When the children are getting ready to take their first solo bus ride, they are very fearful of getting lost. I tell them, cheerfully, "Don't worry...you will!! And they laugh. That is why God gave you a mouth. Speak up and ask someone directions. Same thing goes for class. Speak up and ask." I see relief come over my students. Yep, it is better to fail at trying something than to never try anything. You can only reach your potential with work and pain....but the pain goes and confidence and success stay.
What I have seen:
When a district does not have a teacher of the blind, a para is glued to the child's side and does most of the work for the child because the para lacks the blind skills to help the child do it for themselves. The child appears to be succeeding (though only because of what the para is doing, NOT the child) and all are happy. BUT the parents do not realize how much their child is NOT doing and many times, the district is unaware of this also. Or, parents fight for a para next to their child all day, without realizing this para will be a big brick wall between their child making friends and achieving their own goals and potential.
I went to a school district and watched a blind child rocking back and forth while the para did the work. Sitting side by side, the child was miles away, in her own little world. When I talked with the child, the most intelligent words came from her mouth, so I knew there was a brain there. We spent the next couple of years teaching her all the technology, braille, and other blind skills, and she was completely independent by the third year. The para just adapted the work for her and made sure she had it in class when all the other students did. This is more of what SHOULD be happening with all paras and students.
I have had the first scenario over and over and depending on the "pain" level of weaning the child from the para, it is really up to the child and parents. Most are on board with the heavy duty technology, braille lessons and other blind skills and within that 2-3 year window you can have an independent child.
However, there are the people who are not thinking ahead to graduation, college, a job. They really think that somehow, miraculously their child will be completely independent when they graduate, when in fact, they have been completely dependent on a para throughout their school career and this dependence and lack of ability follows the child. The child ends up living with the parents and the parents continue to do everything for this child who has the potential to climb Mt. Everest inside, but instead the child sits like a rock going no where.
Parents and children bring the fear to each other. The child brings that fear to the parents and the parents have the same fear, or the parents put the fear on the child and they tell the child they cannot live without the para (the second scenario is the most common). They truly believe they cannot live without that para being right next to the child all day long. It kills the confidence of the child. The child lacks friends because the para has become the end all to be all of their life. They fail to gain enough skills to go onto college, and worse, be gainfully employed to their IQ level.
So, back to reaching your potential. We can't do it without "pain". It will be painful, not physically, though I have seen a lot of sweating, but emotionally. The fear. The dread of not being able to do your work because you forgot something. The fear of getting lost in the school or on a bus ride because you got on the wrong bus.
I use the phrase: We learn more from our failures than our successes. I give everyone permission to fail because we are going to fail at something no matter what it is. Don't feel bad about it, feel happy that you are progressing toward something. We can learn from our mistakes, but if we never try, we do not know our own potential.
When the children are getting ready to take their first solo bus ride, they are very fearful of getting lost. I tell them, cheerfully, "Don't worry...you will!! And they laugh. That is why God gave you a mouth. Speak up and ask someone directions. Same thing goes for class. Speak up and ask." I see relief come over my students. Yep, it is better to fail at trying something than to never try anything. You can only reach your potential with work and pain....but the pain goes and confidence and success stay.
Creating Beautiful Excel Graphs
I try to have my students take a class called Financial Fitness...This class allows practical application of life and how we spend money...or over spend it. The students have to set up a monthly budget, get a simulation job and pay their bills. They use an excel sheet to layout all their information, do auto calculations and very sophisticated formulas, then they create a graph that encompasses all this information. The graph does not mean much to my blind students, but it does to the teacher. If the rest of the class is going to create a beautiful and colorful graph with headings, titles and number plots, then I want my students to do it also. After all, they will most likely needs this in college and they may need it for their job.
After my students create the graph, I have them type it out in long form so I truly know they understand what they are doing. They move their cursor below the image of the graph and start to type out every number in an XY plot graph or shade in a bar graph selecting each cell accordingly, and then they plot the graph. If they need further detail, we take out the Draftsman or some other tactile drawing kit and draw it so they can feel what they just did. Once they have the concept in their head, they can easily create any graph required by the teacher.
After my students create the graph, I have them type it out in long form so I truly know they understand what they are doing. They move their cursor below the image of the graph and start to type out every number in an XY plot graph or shade in a bar graph selecting each cell accordingly, and then they plot the graph. If they need further detail, we take out the Draftsman or some other tactile drawing kit and draw it so they can feel what they just did. Once they have the concept in their head, they can easily create any graph required by the teacher.
Orientation & Mobility Made Fun
In one of my school districts we were fortunate to have the Elementary, Middle and High School within a block of each other. In addition, there was a grocery store and many other stores that we could travel to and practice our O&M skills (orientation & mobility-cane skills). I selected days to go shopping with the whole class. We would make a grocery list. Some of the students chose to put the list on their Braille Notes, others practiced brailling it on a piece of paper and took the list with them. The advantage of the braille note is, the students were able to keep mathematical track of the cost of our purchases: adding in a math lesson also. Whatever we bought, we would take back to school and cook.
These were always multifaceted lessons: Making the lists, walking there, learning to pay with money and credit cards, walking back, cooking the food, and socializing. The buying and cooking would happen on different days, so the lesson could be accomplished within 1.5 hours. The older students would mentor the younger students, and all learned how to purchase products and use money. It really gave the students examples of real life experiences.
Another huge advantage of mentoring is the younger students get to see how quickly the older students accomplish their skills: whether walking, brailling, reading, or accessing the computer. Likewise, some of the older students who walked very slowly increased their speed significantly and by the end of the school year were walking as fast as the others, so they too could keep up and socialize as they progressed down the streets.
We all need each other to learn about the best we each have to offer, and in the process improve our own skills.
These were always multifaceted lessons: Making the lists, walking there, learning to pay with money and credit cards, walking back, cooking the food, and socializing. The buying and cooking would happen on different days, so the lesson could be accomplished within 1.5 hours. The older students would mentor the younger students, and all learned how to purchase products and use money. It really gave the students examples of real life experiences.
Another huge advantage of mentoring is the younger students get to see how quickly the older students accomplish their skills: whether walking, brailling, reading, or accessing the computer. Likewise, some of the older students who walked very slowly increased their speed significantly and by the end of the school year were walking as fast as the others, so they too could keep up and socialize as they progressed down the streets.
We all need each other to learn about the best we each have to offer, and in the process improve our own skills.
Creating Math Timed Speed Tests with Duxbury
Timed math quizzes in elementary school are popular: The teacher hands out a math sheet to all the students with the math drills they have been working on. The teacher times the students to see how fast they can complete a certain number of math problems within a given amount of time.
Enter the blind student. The blind student has the exact same problems, but his are brailled out on an 11x11 piece of braille paper. He reads the problems with his left hand and prints the correct answer with his right hand (or vice versa depending on hand dominance). He races across the braille page at record speed to finish as high as his peers do, or higher depending on his skills. Hence, another reason why it is so important for blind students to learn their braille print letters and numbers also.
Nemeth lessons (braille math) can be created very quickly using Duxbury Nemeth mode. Duxbury is a print to braille, braille to print translation program. I have had para educators who were just learning braille be able to create the perfect braille document using this software program. I have people taking distance education classes by 6-key brailling their lessons and emailing it to their teacher. Duxbury is truly a gift to the blind world and its power to create a brailled lesson quickly.
Enter the blind student. The blind student has the exact same problems, but his are brailled out on an 11x11 piece of braille paper. He reads the problems with his left hand and prints the correct answer with his right hand (or vice versa depending on hand dominance). He races across the braille page at record speed to finish as high as his peers do, or higher depending on his skills. Hence, another reason why it is so important for blind students to learn their braille print letters and numbers also.
Nemeth lessons (braille math) can be created very quickly using Duxbury Nemeth mode. Duxbury is a print to braille, braille to print translation program. I have had para educators who were just learning braille be able to create the perfect braille document using this software program. I have people taking distance education classes by 6-key brailling their lessons and emailing it to their teacher. Duxbury is truly a gift to the blind world and its power to create a brailled lesson quickly.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Magnification with your Technology
I frequently get asked, What type of magnification system do I use with my low vision students? So, let's address this.
I have tried Zoomtext and Magic, and a plethora of other items, which are good, but found one method to work the best for students. I always give them options and this is the one they chose by far because it is so easy and on every computer they sit at.
There are so many methods to enlarge everything, something, a bit or whatever you desire on your computer with just a couple key strokes. These attributes of magnification are already built in, but in general it is NOT the magnification system built into the accessibility feature.
Example. Last week while a low vision student and I were working, she was having a difficult time visualizing a long math problem with just her talking software. With an ALT+V then a Z to zoom (this will work on any PC system), she was able to increase the magnification to 500% to see the problem. Then she matched it with her talking software and could completely understand the math problem. She decided to do the rest of her problems this way and finished within record time. With zoom in effect, the student never has to worry about printing something with 78 font characters. The font is 12 point always.
With another student, she was working in Excel and needed that visual feedback also. With a quick F6 she jumps to her zoom and increases to 400% and continues her work.
I have some students who love the black background with green font and everything enlarged all the time on the screen. This feature is easily accessed in the accessibility feature on a PC. If you only want to increase the ICONS or taskbar or anything, you can pick and choose with a simple applications key (right click with a mouse for mouse users). The options are endless. Because a student can pick and choose, they prefer this method.
The most important skill I teach my low vision students is to use touch typing on their keyboard and their talking software. Mouse use really slows them down. Their hearing is far stronger than their eyes, but when they want to use their eyes, they have the skill to do so. When done with the visual task, they go back to using their ears and their fast fingers.
I have tried Zoomtext and Magic, and a plethora of other items, which are good, but found one method to work the best for students. I always give them options and this is the one they chose by far because it is so easy and on every computer they sit at.
There are so many methods to enlarge everything, something, a bit or whatever you desire on your computer with just a couple key strokes. These attributes of magnification are already built in, but in general it is NOT the magnification system built into the accessibility feature.
Example. Last week while a low vision student and I were working, she was having a difficult time visualizing a long math problem with just her talking software. With an ALT+V then a Z to zoom (this will work on any PC system), she was able to increase the magnification to 500% to see the problem. Then she matched it with her talking software and could completely understand the math problem. She decided to do the rest of her problems this way and finished within record time. With zoom in effect, the student never has to worry about printing something with 78 font characters. The font is 12 point always.
With another student, she was working in Excel and needed that visual feedback also. With a quick F6 she jumps to her zoom and increases to 400% and continues her work.
I have some students who love the black background with green font and everything enlarged all the time on the screen. This feature is easily accessed in the accessibility feature on a PC. If you only want to increase the ICONS or taskbar or anything, you can pick and choose with a simple applications key (right click with a mouse for mouse users). The options are endless. Because a student can pick and choose, they prefer this method.
The most important skill I teach my low vision students is to use touch typing on their keyboard and their talking software. Mouse use really slows them down. Their hearing is far stronger than their eyes, but when they want to use their eyes, they have the skill to do so. When done with the visual task, they go back to using their ears and their fast fingers.
Losing Sight Fast
When I was in my last semester in college, both of my eyes hemorrhaged. I had to drop out because I had no idea how to finish school or get on with life with sight loss. I moved to the Midwest to receive medical attention and lived with a family who cared for me. I was completely dependent on them. I could do little but knit and wait around for people to take me places and do things with and for me.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot of energy and my brain is always going a mile a minute. I had many minutes to think about my life in the months that followed, sitting at home, sitting at the doctors and waiting for people to "do for me."
The dependence was not boding well with or for my soul. I knew nothing about the blind world or really the route I was to go. Doctors were the one who brought up braille and schooling. So, I went back to school and met one of the most incredible life changing people ever. He had been blind from birth, but had a vision and outlook so vast, even at 60 years old, that he inspired me on to do great things. He had been teaching all his life and was more advanced in technology skills than even the sighted people I knew. He kept up with the newest and best of teaching strategies and gave his students a vision for what they could do with life: My life. I got a vision for what I could do with my life.
So, many years later, here I am; A teacher of the Blind for over 23 years, teaching virtually all over the country. I clearly know that gaining blind skills along the way instead of having to stop your life completely to learn them is far better. The most important aspect of gaining blind skills along the way is you can skip that terribly depressed time you will go through when you do lose that remaining useable sight. Now my sight loss was unexpected and sudden, so there was not much I could do about that, but I can help those under my wing of guidance. I have seen students come to me in their teens that had lost sight progressively and were not taught any blind skills. They talk of death not life. I have been able to teach children from the beginning of their education who never go through the "death" talk because they always knew how they would do life as they lost their sight.
God can take things that Satan means for evil and turn them to Good. My eyes hemorrhaging became a blessing, as I would never have gotten into this field if not for that experience. My sight did return and I am thankful. This career has been incredibly life fulfilling and I hope to touch as many people as possible and give them a VISION for what they can achieve in life.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot of energy and my brain is always going a mile a minute. I had many minutes to think about my life in the months that followed, sitting at home, sitting at the doctors and waiting for people to "do for me."
The dependence was not boding well with or for my soul. I knew nothing about the blind world or really the route I was to go. Doctors were the one who brought up braille and schooling. So, I went back to school and met one of the most incredible life changing people ever. He had been blind from birth, but had a vision and outlook so vast, even at 60 years old, that he inspired me on to do great things. He had been teaching all his life and was more advanced in technology skills than even the sighted people I knew. He kept up with the newest and best of teaching strategies and gave his students a vision for what they could do with life: My life. I got a vision for what I could do with my life.
So, many years later, here I am; A teacher of the Blind for over 23 years, teaching virtually all over the country. I clearly know that gaining blind skills along the way instead of having to stop your life completely to learn them is far better. The most important aspect of gaining blind skills along the way is you can skip that terribly depressed time you will go through when you do lose that remaining useable sight. Now my sight loss was unexpected and sudden, so there was not much I could do about that, but I can help those under my wing of guidance. I have seen students come to me in their teens that had lost sight progressively and were not taught any blind skills. They talk of death not life. I have been able to teach children from the beginning of their education who never go through the "death" talk because they always knew how they would do life as they lost their sight.
God can take things that Satan means for evil and turn them to Good. My eyes hemorrhaging became a blessing, as I would never have gotten into this field if not for that experience. My sight did return and I am thankful. This career has been incredibly life fulfilling and I hope to touch as many people as possible and give them a VISION for what they can achieve in life.
Braille--Get them Hooked
I had 2 students who were sisters. They both were losing their sight. It was a gradual loss, so they went from large print most of the time and gaining on braille to mostly braille. One child just switched completely to braille because she just did not like the eye strain, but the other kept with the large print as long as possible, despite her nose was sitting on the page to read it. She just did not want to be different. Interestingly, a child does not think it is different to be hunched over a large piece of paper with large print on it but yet it is different to sit up straight and read Braille as fast as their peers. However, you cannot fight with a child's logic, just find other ways to steer them the direction that would help the most. With good steering, I know they will make the leap into Braille when they are ready.
When children do their lessons with me, it is to read Braille: Their favorite stories of course. I always start out reading the first few chapters to really get them hooked. Then they really want to finish. This method has always worked. The one child above who resisted reading Braille at school in front of her peers, did not resist at home. In fact, her mother would tell me that after lights out, she would periodically check on the girls and there they would be reading their braille books in the dark: Sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. When mom would wake them the next morning, there the braille books would be laying on top of them. They would wake and fess up they read until very late, or early (in the morning as the case may be).
They would come to school and tell me about the story. Harry Potter always seemed to be the mainstay of books to get kids hooked. Even in the middle of the book, they would ask for me to read a chapter at the start of our lesson. Of course, I would. To increase their speed, I would do what I called paragraph jumping. I would read a paragraph and they would follow along, then they would read. If they got lost because I read so fast, they would jump down to the next paragraph and wait. They had their right finger on the last 2 words of my paragraph, and their left fingers on the start of their paragraph, so they would know when to begin reading without a stop in the flow. This method increased their speed significantly, especially with all the reading at home too.
The biggest key is "Get them Hooked on the Story", Then they learn the secret of reading in the dark, Then they don't want to put the book down, Then they get hooked on Braille.
When children do their lessons with me, it is to read Braille: Their favorite stories of course. I always start out reading the first few chapters to really get them hooked. Then they really want to finish. This method has always worked. The one child above who resisted reading Braille at school in front of her peers, did not resist at home. In fact, her mother would tell me that after lights out, she would periodically check on the girls and there they would be reading their braille books in the dark: Sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. When mom would wake them the next morning, there the braille books would be laying on top of them. They would wake and fess up they read until very late, or early (in the morning as the case may be).
They would come to school and tell me about the story. Harry Potter always seemed to be the mainstay of books to get kids hooked. Even in the middle of the book, they would ask for me to read a chapter at the start of our lesson. Of course, I would. To increase their speed, I would do what I called paragraph jumping. I would read a paragraph and they would follow along, then they would read. If they got lost because I read so fast, they would jump down to the next paragraph and wait. They had their right finger on the last 2 words of my paragraph, and their left fingers on the start of their paragraph, so they would know when to begin reading without a stop in the flow. This method increased their speed significantly, especially with all the reading at home too.
The biggest key is "Get them Hooked on the Story", Then they learn the secret of reading in the dark, Then they don't want to put the book down, Then they get hooked on Braille.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Learning Disability and Blindness
I was working with a child with SOD-Septo optic dysplasia. She had a lower IQ and struggled socially and behaviorally. If a child can talk, walk and wiggle their fingers, there is a good chance I am going to teach them braille, technology and other blind skills. For 2-3 diligent years she learned her braille and typing skills for class and her orientation and mobility skills to move around the school. She was integrated into her regular education classroom, minus the direct one on one time with me to go over the contractions she would be reading in her classroom.
One day as they began their spelling test (story told to me by the regular education teacher), every time the teacher gave the spelling word, she would notice this child reach up to the braille sheet to the left of her keyboard. The child would feel something on the page, then go to the keyboard and type the word. After a couple more words, the teacher figured out that the child was reading the braille word, then typing it on the computer. The children were then let out for recess. When the test was done, she called me in to check her thoughts. As she told me the story, I walked over to the child's computer and sure enough, the braille-spelling list was sitting on the table.
We called her in from recess and asked her about the spelling list by her computer. She wiggled, squiggled and squirmed and finally fessed up she had not studied for the test. She knew the teacher did not know braille, so she thought she could get away with cheating. She had clearly moved into the power of Braille and understood the magic that it carried. Now, we just needed her to use it for good. --smile :)
One day as they began their spelling test (story told to me by the regular education teacher), every time the teacher gave the spelling word, she would notice this child reach up to the braille sheet to the left of her keyboard. The child would feel something on the page, then go to the keyboard and type the word. After a couple more words, the teacher figured out that the child was reading the braille word, then typing it on the computer. The children were then let out for recess. When the test was done, she called me in to check her thoughts. As she told me the story, I walked over to the child's computer and sure enough, the braille-spelling list was sitting on the table.
We called her in from recess and asked her about the spelling list by her computer. She wiggled, squiggled and squirmed and finally fessed up she had not studied for the test. She knew the teacher did not know braille, so she thought she could get away with cheating. She had clearly moved into the power of Braille and understood the magic that it carried. Now, we just needed her to use it for good. --smile :)
A Parents Influence in a Child's Learning
I teach during summer for those children who need a boost in their learning. Any child starting out in Braille or Technology must have summer instruction for several summers for it to "stick" or they will be starting over in square one in the fall. It takes them even longer to catch up to where they were from spring and in that time of catching up, they get further behind their peers.
One of my students who was in first grade was losing vision fast. He was and still is very bright, but had a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder. He could not come to grips with his vision loss so he choose to deal with it by fighting everyone who got in his way....and everyone seemed to get in his way. He was so busy fighting everyone and everything that all learning in school was slow and arduous...especially learning his blind skills.
He had started with me in kindergarten, so a year and a half later with little progress his mom and I had a long discussion on what could possibly help him. I asked if it was possible that she could join us for summer lessons. She rearranged her day and I had early morning lessons to fit her schedule. Every day the two of them would show up and she learned the braille and technology right along with her son. The joy of her son was overwhelming. The excitement to learn and that his mom was learning it too, must mean it was important....and he learned!
That is how kids think. More importantly, that young child sailed in his learning and caught up to where he needed to be to begin 2nd grade. I see this often. Whether it is with deaf/blind students and the parent learning sign to "speak" with their child, or braille and technology to "speak" the language of blind skills; If a parent puts in the effort, the effort is 10 fold for the child. Parents do not even need to be proficient in the skills, but just sitting and learning even a small amount goes a long way. This extra effort excels the student forward in their learning in their confidence of who they can become
One of my students who was in first grade was losing vision fast. He was and still is very bright, but had a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder. He could not come to grips with his vision loss so he choose to deal with it by fighting everyone who got in his way....and everyone seemed to get in his way. He was so busy fighting everyone and everything that all learning in school was slow and arduous...especially learning his blind skills.
He had started with me in kindergarten, so a year and a half later with little progress his mom and I had a long discussion on what could possibly help him. I asked if it was possible that she could join us for summer lessons. She rearranged her day and I had early morning lessons to fit her schedule. Every day the two of them would show up and she learned the braille and technology right along with her son. The joy of her son was overwhelming. The excitement to learn and that his mom was learning it too, must mean it was important....and he learned!
That is how kids think. More importantly, that young child sailed in his learning and caught up to where he needed to be to begin 2nd grade. I see this often. Whether it is with deaf/blind students and the parent learning sign to "speak" with their child, or braille and technology to "speak" the language of blind skills; If a parent puts in the effort, the effort is 10 fold for the child. Parents do not even need to be proficient in the skills, but just sitting and learning even a small amount goes a long way. This extra effort excels the student forward in their learning in their confidence of who they can become
Friday, September 16, 2011
Resolving Big Problems
One of my student’s sent me a text this morning from her Gmail chat and told me she is getting an error box when she tries to start her JAWS. I told her to do a PrintScreen to take a picture of it, so she could send me what it looked like. Then I can diagnosis the problem, pull up her machine and fix it.
The PrintScreen is at the top of every keyboard. Most people have no idea what to do with it. It is a way to copy your desktop and all its information. Then you open WORD and paste it with a CTRL+V. The big advantage in this is, when your student has no idea what to do, they can quickly hit PrintScreen, copy it, paste it into Word, save it and email it off to me or to another person who is helping them. Within minutes the student can have an answer to their problem, or their machine can be pulled up and fixed depending on the level of difficulty and their expertise.
Just a fast way to resolve problems…..
The PrintScreen is at the top of every keyboard. Most people have no idea what to do with it. It is a way to copy your desktop and all its information. Then you open WORD and paste it with a CTRL+V. The big advantage in this is, when your student has no idea what to do, they can quickly hit PrintScreen, copy it, paste it into Word, save it and email it off to me or to another person who is helping them. Within minutes the student can have an answer to their problem, or their machine can be pulled up and fixed depending on the level of difficulty and their expertise.
Just a fast way to resolve problems…..
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