[nabs-l] math technology

Fri Apr 9 23:33:19 UTC 2010

Hi Pat,
I'm sorry this is late; I hope it will be useful to you.

I am taking a math-related program in university but as of yet have not
needed the use of a graphing calculator. Unfortunately more and more
teachers are choosing to use them, but their results are more important than
the methods used to attain them. Perhaps talking (or having your daughter
talk) to her potential math teachers to see how accommodations can be made
will help. Perhaps the teacher and your daughter can meet outside of class
to discuss graphs coming up, or fabric paint versions of the graphs can be
given to your daughter so she knows what's going on. I found that anyone
around me at school didn't know enough about technology for math, and this
has proven true for my university studies as well, so anything I have
learned I have learned independently.

Math Tracks is a cool program but only provides audio output. I know there
are others but I can't think of them.

I'm sorry this is not wholly useful to you, but I hope your daughter
continues her studies in math.

Sincerely,
Sarah Jevnikar

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Pat Renfranz
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 5:18 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] math technology

I'm so grateful for all of your responses. We're going to try the free
sample download of the AGC, I hope with the school district's Tiger
embosser, to see how it works; I think she would definitely need the
tactile input especially when first exposed to a certain type of
function. If someone could run this by the science or math groups to
see if anyone there has experience with these programs, I'd appreciate
it.
Thanks again. And I'll try to get her on this list! She can tell you
about how this turns out.
Pat

On 4/7/10, Katie Wang <bunnykatie6 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, Pat,
>   I took calculus in high school and went on to pursue statistics as
> one of my majors in college, which involved a few more advanced math
> courses. Like mary I was fairly low-tech; I completed all my
> coursework using my Braille Note and A Perkins brailler (for more
> complex calculations) with the help of a talking scientific
> calculator. As I was fortunate to have all my math books in braille, I
> was able to feel the graphics and reproduce them tactilely. I did
> purchase a copy of the AGC through my state rehab agency when I
> started college, although I had to teach myself as no assistive
> technology trainer in my area was familiar with the software. It was
> relatively intuitive and I found it useful for certain things
> (locating zeros of a higher-order polynomial function, etc.), but as a
> tactile learner I did not find the audio graphing output very
> informative. A Tiger embosser would make the software a lot more
> useful, I believe, but it is very expensive and out of the price range
> of most schools and agencies.
> I have never used MathTrax, but since it is free I would suggest for
> your daughter to download and play with it to see whether it is
> helpful and whether it is worthwhile to invest in a copy of the AGC. I
> think the best solution will probably depend a lot on her personal
> learning style and preferences. Best of luck to both of you, and feel
> free to have her contact me directly if she has any questions about
> handling advanced math classes!
>    Katie
>
>
> On 4/7/10, Jewel S. <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi there,
>>
>> I don't have any answers about the graphic calculator, other than that
>> I found a graphic calculator essential in Algebra 2. I was sighted at
>> the time, so I don't know about accessible graphic calculators, but
>> it'll be very important in Algebra 2 and Calculus. The fact that she's
>> gotten along without high tech in math is great, and you should be
>> proud of her for it. I remember using a graphic calculator in Algebra
>> 1 and Geometry and wondering where I'd be without it (of course, that
>> was partly because of the Frogger and Pac-Man games that kept me busy
>> while everyone was still working without getting me in trouble for
>> taking out a book or other game...).
>>
>> Definitely look into a graphic calculator, though. The one you
>> mentioned that makes graphics with a Tiger Embosser sounds like a
>> great thing; sometimes it doesn't matter how much you hear something,
>> you really need to *see* it, whether with eyes or fingers. I know that
>> personally, because I am a very visual/tactile learner. Of course for
>> me now, visual learning means tactilely loking at things, graphics,
>> and books, but it's still "visual" to me. I see with my fingers, not
>> my eyes.
>>
>> Anyway, may I suggest asking further on the NFB Science list as well?
>> If you want, I can forward your question to them. They would likely
>> have some good idea of the use of graphic calculators, as they are
>> essential tools in advanced science.
>>
>> ~Jewel
>>
>> On 4/7/10, Mary Fernandez <trillian551 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hello Pat.
>>> In high school I got as far as calculus in my junior year. I was very
>>> low tech. I had a braille note, which does all relevant calculations,
>>> and I used wicki sticks and braille graph paper for graphing. I had my
>>> book in braille, so I knew what the graphs should look like, and so
>>> reproducing them never presented a problem. I think that it is
>>> definitely a personal choice. I would suggest downloading math tracks
>>> and having your daughter play around with it to see if it is actually
>>> helpful or not. I'm a very tactile learner, so while hearing the curve
>>> was interesting, for me, it was better to take out my little wicki
>>> sticks and feeling it on paper. So, just take the resources you have,
>>> and her learning style and see what works best. Finally, I hope that
>>> we hear from her directly next time so that we know what her personal
>>> perspectives and preferences are.
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Mary F.
>>>
>>> On 4/6/10, Pat Renfranz <prenfranz at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>> I am writing to this list as a mom. I know my kid should be doing the
>>>> writing, but it's not happening, so here goes:
>>>>
>>>> My daughter will be taking Algebra II next year in 9th grade, then
>>>> she'll move into Pre-calculus for 10th. 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?
>>>>
>>>> I'm concerned about training on the software. Did someone teach you to
>>>> use the software or did you have to teach yourself? I saw that the
>>>> Carroll Center has a tutorial on the AGC; has anyone tried it?
>>>>
>>>> Or did you do ok in advance math without all the bells and whistles?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance for any help,
>>>> Pat
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Mary Fernandez
>>> Emory University 2012
>>> P.O. Box 123056
>>> Atlanta Ga.
>>> 30322
>>> Phone: 732-857-7004
>>> In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that
>>> greatness is never a given. It must be earned.
>>> President Barack Obama
>>>
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