[BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?

Sat Feb 2 08:07:59 UTC 2019

Hi all! 
 Concidering that I’m going to advance up to Trig and Calculus once I’m done with algebra, the need to get the minamum and maximum with better efficency is also over the long term, at least, as long as I’m taking math classes. I didn’t say that that particular feature needed a totally drastic change because I want the things that everyone is stuck with across the board left alone. If I changed the way that the screen is set, then it would drastically change the calculator and turn it even more of a piece of specialty technology and the last time I checked, the TI84 doesn’t need help in its specialty quaility. It’s the part where the blind user has to hunt the slow route to find the spasific points in question that needs to be sped up a bit. Even if the change was minor enough to keep the calculator test acceptable. Just something that allows the blind user to compete a bit closer to their sited fellows. In other words, level the playing field enough to be reletively comprable to what’s expected of us to meet, even with our already longer than “normal” time requirements. We are already slowed down enough with just looking at braille graphs and there is always the possability for unexpected hooror situations that pop up, particularly with the braille matereal itself without any extra help. Besides, we can’t always ask a tutor to find the maximum and minamum points during a test. We have to find that information ourselves in the first place. In my book, that prosess needs to fall into the range of aloted time that is accepted to our expectations, not outside them. Like I said, the change doesn’t have to be drastic; just enough to keep it test worthy while allowing enough efficency to allow us to keep our appropiate window of time that’s within workable range for us to help us level the playing field that we have aimed at leveling for almost a centry. I’m wondering, if the calculator could include a sound like a pop to indicate the graph crossing an access and announcing it’s coordinents or even for that matter, making a pop whenever the graph crosses an access and then the user makes the choice to switch modes to check their coordinents to see if it’s a minamun or a maximum? Or even if the calculator could make a sound when the graph turned and caused the user to switch modes to check their coordinent. On top of that, have a clear curser marker that tells them their location and one that lines up with the calculator’s screen. Once that’s been established, then the user could play the whole graph, change the curser to the point where the user heard the pop for example and then, check their coordinents. I don’t know if these ideas would render it untestable in schools but I hope the ideas are minor enough to make a difference to us middle ground folk. As for the tutorial itself, I did look at the APH tutorial on the day that I started to play with the calculator. Since I’m in the 30 and older croud, I need something that gives clear, dirrect, persise dirrections that are both spoken and written in plain English. Yes, much like the game Simon Says in both forms in order to learn this equipment. Most things that try to teach the technology, particularly the specialized technology is written in overly technical language that none of us who have never programed a computer one day in our life such as myself can understand. True, I like the longm book that tells the reader all of the features of this calculator. But the language is not simple enough for us middle ground techies who are techie enough to remember how to run a computer after the skill has been mastered but also not techie enough to pick up a brand new piece of equipment that apears like it belongs at NASA and figure out how to use that piece of equipment. Honestly, I had to have someone hold my habnd for a few months before I mastered the iPhone. Now, I can teach others how to use one because I have owned iPhones since 2012. I’m still in that “I need someone to hold my hand” learning stage with my TI84. There is not enough good matereal for the population who I fall under which is the average every day joe who can run a computer but has to be physically taught how to run the computer in the first place before that skill is mastered. The tech industry is leaving my crowd in the dust. I want something more along the lines of what Apple Vis does. They do a podcast where they teach anyone how to work an Apple product or a product that can connect up to Apple’s products, teach it in plain English and, they also speak their dirrections clear enough that most people understand the dirrections. If you ask me, that style needs to be widespread for those of us who are not the age of my oldest niece or younger who grew up in a techy world. There is still the place to teach the less technically inclined the more complicated technology in a very clear, simple plain English, very much like the English that is always used to discribe how to plug the device into the wall for example. Of all things, how to plug the device in to the wall and turn it on is the most usefulness that I have ever gotten from a manual of any form. Why not have that kind of language all the way through the mannuals, vidios and tutorials? I’m not seeing enough of that and in my book, it needs to continue. I know that I’m not the only one who needs their hand held when they first get a new piece of complicated technology. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail! 
Blessed be!!! 
Kendra Schaber, 
 Chemeketa Community College, 
 350 Org, 
Citizen’s Climate Lobby,    
National Federation of the Blind of Oregon,  
Capitol Chapter, 
Salem, Oregon. 
 Home email: 
Redwing731 at gmail.com 
 Chemeketa Community College Email: 
 Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu  
Phone: 
971-599-9991 
"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown. 
 Sent From My iPhone SE. 
 Sent from My Gmail Email. 
 Get Outlook Express for IOS.    

> On Feb 1, 2019, at 18:35, Steve Jacobson via BlindMath <blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> As the moderator, I want to thank Ken for his patience in helping to work
> through this issue.  Please let me add my voice to his and others that
> trying the tutorials that APH offers first makes sense.  Also, and I assumed
> this has not changed completely, there will be other methods taught to
> mathematically find the minimum and maximum points of a graph.  I am
> guessing that the current need for this is a short one.  Also, Ken's point
> that including certain features might invalidate the use of the calculator
> in a test situation.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Steve Jacobson
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Ken Perry via
> BlindMath
> Sent: Friday, February 1, 2019 12:15 PM
> To: 'Kendra Schaber' <redwing731 at gmail.com>; 'Blind Math list for those
> interested in mathematics' <blindmath at nfbnet.org>; 'Blind Math list for
> those interested in mathematics' <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: kperry at blinksoft.com
> Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?
> 
> I think something you don't understand is the TI-84 method of finding
> minimum and maximum is the exact same way a sighted person has to do it.
> The calculator will not give you the answer with out picking two guesses one
> on each side.  If it just gave you the max and min the calculator would not
> be allowed on some of the tests it is now.  The NSpire will do it and that
> is why it is not allowed on some of the tests the 84 is.   Again I will ask
> have you used the tutorials from Susan on doing Min and max?  It shows
> exactly how to do it with keys and an example.    
> 
> 
> 
> Ken
> 
> 
> 
> From: Kendra Schaber <redwing731 at gmail.com> 
> Sent: Friday, February 1, 2019 10:32 AM
> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>; Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: kperry at blinksoft.com
> Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?
> 
> 
> 
> Hi all! 
> 
> I wouldn't want to use dictation for every single math problem out there,
> partly because I know what the battle is like, particularly when dictating
> something like a text message or am Email. I can't count how many times when
> I would watch a friend try to dictate an Email or a text only for them to
> take five or ten tries before the software would get their message right. I
> have had more luck with typing in my commands to SIRI instead of dictating
> them. The only time I dictate with SIRI is when I have her make a phone call
> or get a word spelled. I would mainly use dictation when I needed to speed
> up a homework problem like finding the minamum or maximum on a graph for
> example because I have not found a very efficent way to find that
> information on the TI84 graphing calculator. Speaking of the TI84, my
> apponyon on them so far is that they are good but a bit too complicated for
> my innitial enjoyment. But they are not as simular to the normal ones as
> everyone wants you to believe. For example, every time I have gone and
> worked with a sited person to work my own TI84, yes, they've been able to
> work my TI84 just fine but almost every single time, accessability has come
> up and none of them have been able to figure that part out. Even my math
> teacher and I agreed that the way the TI84 allows you to find the minamum
> and maximum on a graph for example is very inefficient. I'm looking for
> tools out there that would or could work along side the calculator to cover
> the slow gaps. I have heard of those calculator software programs out there.
> Does anyone know if any of them, particularly the free ones can do things
> like finding maximum and minamum better than the TI84 can? The only one I
> know of that can is the one that View Plus offers. Is that the only one or
> are there others that are just as good? I usually take my laptop computer to
> school because I use it for my writing class anyway. I don't mind giving it
> another excuse to help me in my school work. I have Windows ten, NVDA, and
> JAWS 2018 installed on it. I don't currently have Math Tipe on it. Does that
> limit me with these accesible graphing calculator software? 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this Email! 
> 
> Blessed be!!! 
> 
> Kendra Schaber 
> 
> Chemeketa Community College, 
> 
> 350 Org, 
> 
> Citizen's Climate Lobby, 
> 
> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, 
> 
> Capitol Chapter, 
> 
> Salem, Oregon. 
> 
> Home Email: 
> 
> Redwing731 at gmail.com <mailto:Redwing731 at gmail.com>  
> 
> Chemeketa Community College Email: 
> 
> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu <mailto:Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu>  
> 
> Phone: 
> 
> 971-599-9991 
> 
> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear", Author unknown. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone SE. 
> 
> Sent from my Gmail Email 
> 
> Get Outlook
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> 
> 
> 
>  _____  
> 
> From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org
> <mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> > on behalf of Ken Perry via BlindMath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org <mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org> >
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2019 19:29
> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
> Cc: kperry at blinksoft.com <mailto:kperry at blinksoft.com> 
> Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators? 
> 
> 
> 
> This will make doing work in a group very difficult. People always think
> voice is the future for blind people till they sit down and try to use it.
> Just think of how fun it is to fight with the best voice activated devices,
> Alexa, Siri, and Google. Now add the problem of math. I say good luck but I
> wouldn't do it. At least not with the current power of voice activation.
> 
> Ken
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org
> <mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Kendra Schaber via
> BlindMath
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2019 10:20 PM
> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org <mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org> >
> Cc: Kendra Schaber <redwing731 at gmail.com <mailto:redwing731 at gmail.com> >
> Subject: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?
> 
> Hi all! 
> Today, at the end of math class, my math teacher came up with a good idea.
> He recamended that I should hunt for a nice graphic calculator that can be
> activated by voice commands, much like SIRI is opperated. He suggested that
> I get my hands on one called I think it's called Pentel or something like
> it. I have not used this calculator for an iphone. I don't know if it's
> screen reader accessible. Does anyone know of a graphic calculator that can
> be opperated by voice, that's software on a computer or smart phone and is
> screen reader accessible? I think that it might help me out in addition to
> the TI84 graphic calculator. 
> 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail! 
> Blessed be!!! 
> Kendra Schaber,
> Chemeketa Community College,
> 350 Org, 
> Citizen's Climate Lobby, 
> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, Capitol Chapter, Salem, Oregon. 
> Home email: 
> Redwing731 at gmail.com <mailto:Redwing731 at gmail.com> 
> Chemeketa Community College Email: 
> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu <mailto:Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu> 
> Phone: 
> 971-599-9991
> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown. 
> Sent From My iPhone SE. 
> Sent from My Gmail Email. 
> Get Outlook Express for IOS. 
> 
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