[BlindMath] Fwd: [Tech-VI] Cultivating Math Skills on the Monarch with KeyMath

[David Andrews]

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>American Printing House - Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 11:00 AM
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>Cultivating Math Skills on the Monarch with KeyMath
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>Adapting math lessons for students who are blind 
>or have low vision takes patience and 
>creativity. Teachers of the Visually Impaired 
>(TVIs) construct graphs out of braille graph 
>paper and Wikki Stix to represent the X and Y 
>axis or help students make graphs digitally on a 
>calculator. They use the device’s audio tones 
>to listen to the shape of a graph. Today, for 
>the first time ever, students can access a 
>tactile graphing calculator on the 
><https://www.aph.org/meet-monarch/>Monarch, 
>APH’s new 10-line by 32-cell refreshable 
>braille display that renders braille and tactile graphics on the same surface.
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>Created through a partnership with 
><https://www.desmos.com/>Desmos, the KeyMath 
>application has similar functions to a graphing 
>calculator for sighted users. Students who are 
>blind and low vision can use the app to perform 
>basic scientific calculations and graph 
>problems, such as finding the slope of a line 
>and solving exponential equations. In an 
>instant, the same graphs that teachers and 
>students spent minutes making by hand appear, 
>putting the student on an even playing field 
>with their peers. A push of a few buttons can 
>change the original equation, and students can 
>view an entirely new graph and compare it to the previous one.
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>To open KeyMath, power on the Monarch and select 
>the application from the main menu. The Monarch 
>will say, “Expressions list. Press Space with 
>N to enter a new expression.” After following 
>this direction, the display will read, 
>“KeyMath expression, Nemeth.” Below that is 
>a text box where students can type in their 
>equation using Nemeth numbers and symbols. To 
>graph the slope of a line, for example, write, 
>“y = -2x+5” and press Enter. If the equation 
>can be graphed, the display will say, “ge” 
>for “graphed equation” followed by the 
>equation. If it cannot be graphed, the letters 
>“er” for “error” will appear. When this 
>happens, press Enter to go back to the text box 
>and edit the equation so it can be graphed. In 
>this example, the equation is graphable.
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>Students may press enter with G to make the 
>graph, which is shown on the next screen. The 
>line for this equation appears in the upper and 
>lower right quadrants of the graph. To hear the 
>points on the line, make sure speech is turned 
>on by pressing Backspace and Enter with S. Place 
>a finger on any part of the line and double tap 
>the action button located above the space bar. 
>The Monarch will announce the coordinates. To 
>maneuver through the rest of the graph, use the 
>zoom in and out buttons or the cross-shaped 
>directional pad, or d-pads. When done, press the 
>triangle button on the front-facing edge of the 
>Monarch to go back to the expression list.
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>Another helpful feature of the KeyMath app is 
>the symbol selector. This tool allows students 
>to scroll through a list of numbers and symbols, 
>press enter on one, and add it to the current 
>problem. While in the text box for typing an 
>expression, press Backspace with dots 3 and 5 to 
>access the symbol selector. Different categories 
>include numbers, comparison symbols, Greek 
>symbols, punctuation, fractions, operations, 
>measurement symbols, limit symbols, integrals 
>symbols, sets symbols, shapes symbols, roots, 
>superscripts, subscripts, formatting symbols, and misc (miscellaneous) signs.
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>Whether a student is just learning to graph in 
>algebra class or taking more advanced math, 
>KeyMath is an invaluable supplement to any 
>classroom. “The Monarch works marvelously with 
>calculus and presents limits, derivatives, and 
>integrals in real-time with the graphing 
>feature,” said Matthew Brown, a TVI at Armwood 
>High School in Tampa, Florida. “We use it in 
>tandem with a DESMOS on the iPad, for test 
>security, so that the student may learn how to 
>navigate the software for testing (as Monarch is 
>not currently approved for testing), but also 
>have the graphs displayed in real-time. The 
>student states that it is helpful to understand 
>the graphs as they are displayed and is hopeful 
>that the development team for Monarch will 
>possibly integrate the use of numbers on the graph itself.”
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>The Monarch will be publicly available in 
>September and eligible for purchase with Federal 
>Quota funds. Stay tuned to the website, APH 
>News, and your email inbox for more information on this upcoming device.
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><https://www.aph.org/cultivating-math-skills-on-the-monarch-with-keymath/>https://www.aph.org/cultivating-math-skills-on-the-monarch-with-keymath/
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