[blindkid] Math technology

Albert J Rizzi albert at myblindspot.org
Mon Apr 12 00:48:32 UTC 2010


Thanks. Was confused myself, sorry for adding to it.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
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PH: 917-553-0347
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-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Carol Castellano
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010 4:45 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology

One more time...the actual website for the What Works Clearinghouse is:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

At 11:26 AM 4/11/2010, you wrote:
>The website is www.whatwork.ed.gov
>
>
>--- On Sun, 4/11/10, Carol Castellano <blindchildren at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
>From: Carol Castellano <blindchildren at verizon.net>
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents 
>of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 10:52 AM
>
>
>There is interesting research--yes, real
>research--on various teaching methods and materials on whatworks.gov.
>Carol
>
>At 04:48 AM 4/11/2010, you wrote:
> >Hi Heather,
> >As I said, the learning styles issue is a big one and people love to
> >believe in it. However, there doesn't appear to be an aptitude
> >treatment interaction. So, in real educational terms, learning styles
> >is not a factor in educational outcomes. Read, write say is successful
> >because it gives a student proper practise, decoding, encoding and
> >speaking. This is about memory training, it isn't successful because
> >it addresses different learning styles. I personally don't employ
> >read, write and say when I teach children to read because most of my
> >students are under five and don't have the motor control to write.
> >But, I get them to find and arrange letters on a magnetic board as a
> >separate activity. Reading is a complex set of tasks and I have found
> >use of designed context presentation, and mneumonic pairing, along
> >with early use of a controlled vocabulary and lots of actual reading,
> >guarantees the most rapid acquisition of independent reading. I've
> >been teaching long enough to see fads come and go, but as long as
> >children have certain basic things in place, they learn to read on
> >whatever method is used, in about the same amount of time. The reasons
> >for the wide variation in public schools is the lack of some of the
> >basic requirements for reading to be acquired, and is a symptom of the
> >public school teaching situation.
> >
> >Emotional intelligences is different from learning styles and is more
> >about one's overall life interaction and personal preferences and is
> >most useful in assisting educators with managing student behaviour and
> >student motivation.
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Heather Field
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
> >To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> ><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 8:44 PM
> >Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> >
> >
> >That is the most depressing thing that I have ever read.  Every time I
> >see
> >something like this I feel more and more compelled to become a TVI and
> >not
> >simply an early childhood or elementary teacher with special education
> >cirtification.  I just can't fathem it.  I never had graphing
> >software, but
> >I never pushed for it, because I was more of a music, art, theatre,
> >English
> >and psychology minded student.  I had a scientific calculator, a lap
> >top, a
> >braille blazer embosser, a printer, JFW, Duxbery, a plethera of raised
> >line
> >graph paper, wicky sticks, cork board and tracing wheels, a cane and
> >time
> >each week in elementary school and upon request in high school with an
> >adaptive tech instructor, an O and M instructor and a TVI who were
> >sometimes
> >one individual qualified for all three and sometimes three different
> >people.
> >This is really frightening.  I am not just jumping on a band wagon
> >here.
> >This honestly scares me.  What drives me crazy is that the blind
> >people
> >around here are very old people who used to be active in NFB or ACB,
> >or
> >both, and now just sit around and talk about the good old days and
> >drink
> >coffee, the younger ones are too busy workking their tails off to
> >start a
> >chapter of either organization from scratch and restructure it to be
> >useful,
> >our only local chapter is ACB with the afore mentioned old people more
> >interested in talking than acting.  I am thanking the powers that be
> >one
> >more time right now for giving me a kick ass totally blind mom who
> >fought
> >for me every step of the way so that I can do that for my son.  This
> >is
> >really upsetting, because our district would buy me things I didn't
> >need
> >then just toss them in storage, such as accidentally buying me braille
> >books
> >I had already gotten on tape and read, low vision adaptive tech that I
> >couldn't see and the wrong calculator or the large print text book
> >instead
> >of the electronic or braille one, because of an error by the company
> >that
> >made the product, that were never returned and exchanged or sold or
> >donated
> >to other districts.  I knew not every state had a comission, but I
> >didn't
> >realize that that meant that other states might not have a similar
> >organization that was just called something else.  I thank you for
> >some
> >pperspective.
> >
> >The only thing that I wanted to take slight issue with is the
> >assertion that
> >different learning styles don't exist or are not influential.  If they
> >were
> >not, then practices such as see it, say it, write it, would not be so
> >effective.  Also, multiple intelligences and their different
> >combinations
> >are what cause the different learning styles to exist, so saying that
> >Gardiner's multiple intelligences are real but different learning
> >styles are
> >not is sort of contradictory.
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "H. Field" <missheather at comcast.net>
> >To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> ><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 7:19 PM
> >Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> >
> >
> > > Hello everyone,
> > > It is a tragic truth that people who have the requisite knowledge
> > > and
> > > training to produce braille of any kind, let alone graphics using a
> > > Tiger embosser, are incredibly rare in most parts of this country.
> > > If
> > > we place this debate in the context of the acute shortage of trained
> > > teachers of the blind, and school districts floundering beneath the
> > > weight of budgeting problems, then it is not difficult to understand
> > > why there is a lack of qualified paraprofessionals/transcribers and
> > > expensive, adaptive equipment.
> > >
> > > People who have grown up in large cities with big school districts
> > > which serve a number of blind children may not have experienced this
> > > shortage reality. and, the magic words, Commission for the blind,
> > > roll
> > > easily off the tongue of those who live in states that have them.
> > > However, the harsh reality is that many states do not have a
> > > commission for the blind and the section of the human services
> > > department that oversees blind services in these states has little
> > > or
> > > no involvement in providing early intervention or student services.
> > > So, no money, equipment or people to set it up or run it will come
> > > to
> > > school districts from blind services in many states.
> > >
> > > Furthermore, blindness is a low incidence disability and in many
> > > parts
> > > of the United States, there may only be one or two blind children
> > > receiving services in any given county. With the neighbourhood
> > > school
> > > policy these students Often attend schools at the opposite ends of
> > > the
> > > county. Many of these students don't have a teacher of the blind
> > > because the schools can't find one to hire. They also usually don't
> > > have a braille transcriptionist. These students are usually served
> > > through the resource centres at their state school for the blind.
> > > The
> > > general special education teacher at the school orders books,
> > > braille
> > > writers and other such equipment, using Quota funds, and the
> > > resource
> > > centers send the school the materials and equipment.  The idea of a
> > > school district buying an embosser that produces graphs and then
> > > finding someone willing and able to run it is simply a pipe dream
> > > for
> > > most blind students right now. This lack of qualified teachers and
> > > the
> > > high cost of adaptive equipment for blind children is a large factor
> > > in the tragic trend to "unblind", many children. Much easier to call
> > > them "low vision" get them a cctv and a parttime aide and call it
> > > service than to try to solve such a complex and difficult problem.
> > >
> > > The question then, becomes one of practicality. What will work to
> > > get
> > > the mathematical concepts across and the lessons learned for blind
> > > children. Low tech, inexpensive solutions like the Sewell Raised
> > > Line
> > > Drawing kit and the Draftsman from APH, wikki sticks, string and
> > > raised line graph paper, all used by the qualified sighted math
> > > teacher, an aide and/or parents will be the answer. A few, very
> > > bright
> > > and accomplished, science and math students may have the opportunity
> > > to learn all the skills, using various high tech, adaptive
> > > equipment.
> > > But, for most students, the low tech solutions remain the only,
> > > realistic means by which they can be taught complex mathematical
> > > concepts.  We can wish it were otherwise and proclaim that, to be
> > > fair
> > > and just it should be different, but that won't change things. There
> > > are many practicalities working against high tech equipment
> > > opportunities for most blind students, attending local schools. The
> > > NFB has an outstanding record in working to give blind students
> > > opportunities to excel in the fields of mathematics and science, but
> > > this education question is a very complex, many factored issue and
> > > the
> > > answers aren't simple.
> > >
> > > Incidentally, in case any parents are worried about their child not
> > > getting taught in their preferred learning style, I submit the
> > > following for consideration. This is an unpopular truth, while the
> > > concept of, learning styles, is very dear to the hearts of pop
> > > science, and dear to the bank accounts of those who produce and
> > > market
> > > educational materials, and people use personal, anecdotal
> > > experiences
> > > to prove their existence to themselves, no real aptitude treatment
> > > interaction has been proven to exist. Thus, when students are taught
> > > in their preferred style by a teacher who teaches in that preferred
> > > teaching style, and other classes containing students with all the
> > > learning styles are taught with no special attention to learning
> > > styles, when their school year learning outcomes are compared, the
> > > difference in achievement is not significant. Note. I am not
> > > referring
> > > to the theory of multiple intelligences.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Heather Field
> > >
> > > Original Message -----
> > > From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
> > > To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> > > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 11:01 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > I am sure that there is variation, but my experience in upstate New
> > > York is
> > > that Boces the agency that provides special education services also
> > > has
> > > adaptive technology instructors that work with the schools, and if
> > > they do
> > > not have someone who has the expertese, then the Comission for the
> > > Blind
> > > will provide the service or track down someone who does provide the
> > > service.
> > > To the origonal woman who asked for the advice, what state are you
> > > in?
> > > Is
> > > there something like Boces or Vesid or CBVH or a local blindness
> > > organization?
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> > > To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> > > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 11:35 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > You forget the raised-line drawing kit. And school districts in my
> > > experience don't often have the real geeks of which you speak below.
> > > It's
> > > plug-and-play all the way!
> > >
> > > Mike
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
> > > To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> > > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 7:55 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > The key is to get the adaptive person who probably knows the
> > > computer
> > > technology of the embosser and the calculator, together with the
> > > math
> > > teacher who knows how graphs and the mathematical component works,
> > > as
> > > neither will be able to help your child on their own.  But geekese
> > > is
> > > pretty
> > > similar in dialect between math geeks and computer geeks, so they
> > > should be
> > > able to figure it out.  And, yes, graphs and some type of graphing
> > > calculator will be extremely neccessary, not "if it is absolutely
> > > neccessary".  Tracing tools are alright, but there must be graph
> > > paper
> > > behind the tracing, as a general shape of the graph will not be
> > > helpful, if
> > > the child needs to assertain which exact point the vertix of the
> > > perabola
> > > passes through, or whether or not the sine curve is passing through
> > > the
> > > origin or not.  I hope this helps.  Oh, and as to affording it.  If
> > > the
> > > school fights it, remind them that A. she needs it, really and truly
> > > needs
> > > it, B. they can store it carefully and use it for other blind and VI
> > > kids
> > > coming up in the grades below her and in other schools in the
> > > district
> > > and
> > > C. they are by law required to provide her equal opertunities in
> > > education
> > > in the least restrictive environment, which includes adapting the
> > > graphs and
> > > graphing technology for any level of math course that she is
> > > cognatively and
> > > accademically ready for and that is offered by the school.
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> > > To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> > > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 9:35 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > I'd try to ascertain (a) who her algebra teacher will be next year
> > > and
> > > then
> > > talk to him/her about the problem, emphasizing that you will assist
> > > with
> > > drawing of raised-line graphs and perhaps showing him a Sewell
> > > raised-line
> > > drawing kit to show how impromptu graphs can be made and (b) get a
> > > copy of
> > > the book to see how much it relies on whizbang technology as opposed
> > > to
> > > good, old-fashioned reasoning skills. Bear in mind that I am a
> > > strong
> > > advocate of writing out math problems on a brailewriter.
> > >
> > > If a graphing calculator proves absolutely necessary, I'd go with
> > > one
> > > that
> > > can produce graphs on a Tiger embosser although for the life of me,
> > > how any
> > > parent can afford one or, for that matter, how a school district can
> > > successfully use one when it probably hasn't got anyone with the
> > > requisite
> > > skills is beyond me.
> > >
> > > But one should always approach the problem from the standpoint that
> > > it's
> > > solvable, because it is. I hope that Steve Jacobson chimes in on
> > > this
> > > one
> > > also.
> > >
> > > Mike
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> > > To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind
> > > children)'"
> > > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 5:32 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > so, Michael what suggestions do you have for her daughter as she
> > > works
> > > to
> > > maintain her grade average and commitment to academic enrichment?
> > >
> > > Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> > > CEO/Founder
> > > My Blind Spot, Inc.
> > > 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> > > New York, New York  10004
> > > www.myblindspot.org
> > > PH: 917-553-0347
> > > Fax: 212-858-5759
> > > "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one
> > > who is
> > > doing it."
> > >
> > >
> > > Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org
> > > [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> > > On
> > > Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> > > Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 11:07 PM
> > > To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> > > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > > Pat:
> > >
> > > I'm sure many will disagree with me here but I could never fathom
> > > how
> > > audio
> > > could accurately convey graphics to the blind. In my book, graphs
> > > are
> > > only
> > > crutches to illustrate abstract concepts and math teachers are only
> > > as
> > > good
> > > as they can deal with the abstractions without needing to "picture"
> > > everything.
> > >
> > > Mike Freman, B.A. and M.S. in physics
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Pat Renfranz" <dblair2525 at msn.com>
> > > To: "blindkid" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 2:36 PM
> > > Subject: [blindkid] Math technology
> > >
> > >
> > > My daughter will be taking Algebra II next year in 9th grade. She
> > > uses
> > > Braille/Nemeth texts with tactile graphics. She's gotten by just
> > > fine
> > > with
> > > relatively low-tech math tools.
> > >
> > > We are wondering if it would be useful for her to start using an
> > > accessible
> > > graphing calculator. Does anyone have any practical advice on using
> > > one of
> > > these programs? I am looking into the Audio Graphing Calculator from
> > > ViewPlus and Math Trax from NASA. They both produce an audio signal
> > > representing the shape of the function, while the AGC has the
> > > advantage of
> > > being able to produce tactile graphs on a Tiger embosser. Maybe
> > > there
> > > are
> > > other products available? Our school district has no experience with
> > > any of
> > > them. Does anyone¹s teenager think this software is worth learning?
> > >
> > > We are a little nervous about this, because our experience has been
> > > that,
> > > math is great because you can pretty much always count on a
> > > Brailler,
> > > paper,
> > > and sticky dots from the hardware store to NOT fail and to NOT
> > > require
> > > specialized training that gets in the way of actually learning the
> > > material...
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance for any help.
> > > Pat
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
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> >----------------------------------------------- 
> ---------------------------------
> >
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>
>Carol Castellano, President
>National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
>973-377-0976
>carol_castellano at verizon.net
>www.nopbc.org
>
>
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Carol Castellano, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nopbc.org  


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