[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

[Mike Freeman]

Nope! An L backward would be dots 6, 5, 4. The cell is rotated 180 degrees about the vertical axis.

Fred Schroeder solves this problem by using "first side" and "second side" where these are defined appropriately to produce the correct result on a Perkins keyboard or slate.

Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, \(for parents of blind chn\(was <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Friday, Feb 19, 2010 5:38:13
Subject: Re: [blkid] Technology and Little Kid

>
>
> The. Cells. Are backwards.  No, they are not backwards in the context of the 
> sentence, because the writing is also reversed, but when making the cells on 
> the slate, they are backwards.  An L is dots 1,2,3 and if you are to think 
> of the dots on the slate as being the ordinary way, and I am not saying that 
> is the correct way to go about it, but if you did, for the sake of 
> arguement, then L would be dots 4,5,6, which is backwards.  So, the cells 
> are forwards in the context of the sentence, but the sentence is backwards, 
> and so the cells are backwards in the context of the child's prior 
> experience and personal context.  If we look at Lev Vidgotski's zone of 
> proximal development, what the child has from early exposure in braille 
> books is contrary to the experience of how to braille on a slate.  Does that 
> mean it should never be taught?  That it can never be mastered or 
> understood?  Of course not, but saying that it is not backwards is a bit 
> confusing and convoluted to a small child.  What I think, from an early 
> childhood educator's perspective, might be helpful is to show the child who 
> understands basic words of at least three letters how writing the braille 
> writer way, left to right and forwards on a slate yields backwards writing, 
> then help them problem solve to find out how to make it look right on the 
> back of the paper.  Let them experement with writing backwards letters left 
> to right, forwards letters right to left, backwards letters right to left, 
> and keep having them compare and contrast until they get the orientation of 
> the paper and the letters.  If you just say "Just do it this way because I 
> say so" they are likely to get angry and frustrated at the difficulty, but 
> if you help them be a part of the proccess and the solution, they are more 
> likely to embrace the new activity.  Imagine if you at four or five were 
> suddenly told "Ok, you are just beginning to master which way letters go and 
> how they look and now I want you to write them one way on this machine and 
> the completely reversed way on this machine."  "Why?"  "Because that makes 
> it look right and I said so, end of story."  I remember in first grade being 
> so frustrated.  I would make a few letters then open the slate, take out the 
> paper and investigate it.  I wanted to try doing it the "right" way to see 
> why that didn't work.  I wanted to have explanations and to play a bit, but 
> I was told to "Put the paper back in and do your work."  For very young 
> children, having to keep their place, with out being able to see the letters 
> being created is also a difficult skill to master when it is first 
> introduced.  Perhaps place holding activities in lines of letters and 
> numbers would be helpful, or practicing writing on a brailler or reading a 
> book and being mindful of their position in a word without having to look 
> back.  Think how upsetting it would be to learn that those cute things that 
> meow are "cats" and you are so proud that you can write cats, but being only 
> four or five, while you are trying to remember how the c and the a sound and 
> look, and how they sound and look together, then add a t into the mix, and 
> while you are trying to think about how the letters look, you are also 
> remembering to write right to left, make sure the letters are correctly 
> oriented for that dirrection, while trying to sound out the word to make 
> sure you don't miss any letters, and then you add in the math of trying to 
> remember which cell you are in because you can't feel what is coming out on 
> the paper?  God, if I were four I would burst into tears over all of that., 
> Let them master phonix first, or basic math first, or just recognizing and 
> producing left to right, forward facing letters first.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing Listeaggfor parents of blind children)" 
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 11:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [blkid] Technology and Little Kid
> 
> 
> >ar This confusion or lack of specificity in precisely stating what the 
> >ar difference between making cells on a braillewriter versus making  them on 
> >ar a slate is, I submit, a great part of the problem. Lack of  precision in 
> >ar thinking leads to lack of precision in results!
> >
> > I  cannot speak for the others in this discussion, but I am not  entirely 
> > convinced that either my or my seven-year-old's "lack of  precision in 
> > thinking" has a great deal to do with her potential to  master the use of 
> > a slate and stylus.
> >
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> 
> 
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