[Blindmath] Summer University workshop in Vienna

Tue Dec 22 13:36:44 UTC 2009

Hi,

As Michael has already explained, the plotting utilities use command line arguments to build figures.
The PSTricks package is for drawing and inserting PostScript images within LaTeX.
Ideally any figure can be drawn using PSTricks commands combined with a number of extensions. I personally know only about drawing basic figures like lines, triangles, and such.
There is also another package for LaTeX called TikZ. 
The idea behind using LaTeX packages is that a student can produce assignments with both Mathematical and graphical output.

Knowing PSTricks code also helps the student understand images if she is given the LaTeX source that also includes the underlying image code.
I had a subject called Game Theory where I understood the game trees and decision trees because of the PSTricks code available with the text.

Your SVG viewer picks up this same underlying code to provide information to the user.

Another tutorial could perhaps be on obtaining accessible Mathematical material. This could include freely available books and research articles on the web as well as contacting the permissions department of different publishers.

Finally, I would repeat my point on inviting someone on explaining speech recognition tools. Typing TeX commands becomes tedious. Besides, many blind students may have additional disability that may prevent them from typing.

Regards

"Hard work will get you a professorship or a BMW. You need both work and luck for a Booker, a Nobel or a private jet."
~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb

--- On Mon, 12/21/09, John Gardner <john.gardner at orst.edu> wrote:

> From: John Gardner <john.gardner at orst.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Summer University workshop in Vienna
> To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics" <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Monday, December 21, 2009, 11:03 PM
> Thanks for the good ideas
> Roopakshi.  Can you give some more details 
> about the plotting routines you mention.  I don't know
> these.  I presume 
> they are accessible.  What kinds of output can they
> make?
> 
> Several of your suggestions are incorporated into tutorials
> that are 
> already planned.  Data sonification, spreadsheet use,
> charting from 
> Excel for example.     Maple has been
> suggested as a topic for a tutorial, 
> but MatLab hasn't previously been suggested.
> 
> I would be delighted if you could come and present a
> tutorial on stat 
> packages.  And plotting routines too!
> 
> John
> 
> 
> On 12/20/2009 5:35 AM, Roopakshi Pathania wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > OK, here I go, but remember you did ask for advice.
> >
> > I’m dividing the topics that I consider to be
> necessary into 2 categories, simply because the second
> category is of personal interest.
> >
> > -    Working with MATLAB
> >
> > -    Creating content in DAISY with
> MathML (to be possibly covered by Design Science?)
> >
> > -    Producing Mathematical content
> using speech recognition tools (TalkMaths possibly?)
> >
> > I’m willing to volunteer for the R session, but my
> skill level is nowhere near to that of Professor
> Godfree’s. This brings me to my second category where I
> have some basic experience, but anyone else with better
> knowledge is welcome to do the job
> >
> > -    Use of other statistical packages
> like Stata
> >
> > -    Creating basic diagrams using
> Gnuplot, the PSTrix package, etc.
> >
> > -    Data sonification (basic graphs)
> >
> > -    Working with Spreadsheet functions
> and formulas (this caters more to the real world
> applications)
> >
> >
> > Bert, a member of this list, and currently pursuing a
> doctoral thesis in Development Economics is also good with
> Statistical packages.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > "Hard work will get you a professorship or a BMW. You
> need both work and luck for a Booker, a Nobel or a private
> jet."
> > ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb
> >
> >
> > --- On Fri, 12/18/09, John Gardner<john.gardner at orst.edu> 
> wrote:
> >
> >> From: John Gardner<john.gardner at orst.edu>
> >> Subject: [Blindmath] Summer University workshop in
> Vienna
> >> To: "Blind Math list for those interested in
> mathematics"<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> >> Date: Friday, December 18, 2009, 3:50 AM
> >> Hello listers, I need some advice
> >> from all you good people and would also like to
> invite you
> >> to participate in this workshop.  It will be
> held on
> >> Monday-Tuesday, July 12-13 in Vienna,
> Austria.  The
> >> workshop is free, and all participants will be
> given free
> >> registration for the main ICCHP conference
> (International
> >> Conference on Computers Helping People with
> Special Needs),
> >> held on July 14-16 at the same venue.
> Unfortunately there is
> >> presently no major sponsor, so both participants
> and
> >> presenters must find their own funding for travel
> and living
> >> costs during the workshop and conference.  We
> expect
> >> between twenty and forty student participants but
> thus far
> >> we have not set a maximum.
> >>
> >> The workshop is aimed at students in high school
> or
> >> university who are blind and need to learn how
> best to
> >> access math and science.  There are still a
> couple of
> >> teaching positions that are open too - including a
> tutorial
> >> presenter on access to Statistics software. 
> Jonathan
> >> Godfrey, our own expert on that topic, will
> probably not be
> >> able to find funding for him to come from New
> Zealand, so I
> >> am hoping there may be another volunteer who can
> find
> >> funding??
> >>
> >> The advice I am seeking is your feedback on what
> needs to
> >> be covered. The format will be tutorials in two
> hour
> >> sessions.  A particularly hearty student
> could take as
> >> many as eight in two days.  The more popular
> ones will
> >> be given multiple times.  Topics presently on
> the
> >> agenda include the following:
> >>  From ViewPlus, tutorials on Accessible
> Graphics, Audio
> >> Graphing Calculator, and Embossing Math/Science
> >> Documents.  From Infty, tutorials on the
> Infty Reader
> >> math OCR software and ChattyInfty, the accessible
> math
> >> reader/edditor application.  The Lambda group
> will
> >> present on the Lambda code for math.  Several
> other
> >> topics are under discussion including one on
> latex, but they
> >> are not yet confirmed.
> >>
> >> I would be very grateful for your advice on what
> needs to
> >> be presented in this workshop.
> >>
> >> John Gardner
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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