[nabs-l] skimming

[Antonio Guimaraes]

Hello all,

I have read most of the messages in this topic, and thank all for the input 
and suggestions for skimming.

Let me say to the skimming skeptics among us that reading certainly takes 
the front seat in studying, but sellective reading is a must especially 
where research is concerned. I've realized that I can't possibly read every 
word on every chapter of my texts, and be expected to retain all of the 
material, even if I am to be responsible for knowing all the content from 
200 pages for a 50 question exam.

I don't want to go too much into reading techniques, but I read, and 
certainly still remember a study acronym from my intro to psychology some 
years ago:

S, Q, 3r.

Skim
Question
read
recite
review.

Skimming gives you an overview of the material. A panoramic insite into what 
is to come. It also enables one to ask questions:

Who did what and when?

What is this or that consept, and how does it apply to the topic at hand?

What are the inportant definitions, people, places, processes, techniques, 
ets.
.

Reading follows, and is more likely to stick since you have a focused set of 
learning objectives.

Reciting can take the form of teaching someone, a study partner, what you're 
learning about.

Reviewing, going over notes, ad key points helps you own the material.

I stand by these principles as the technique most likely to produce results, 
at least for me.

Now to skimming:

Joe Orozco, you mentioned hih speed scaners, and I have a dream of owning or 
gaining access to these some day. They are the faster scans one can get. 
Only downside is that they reuire books to be destroyed, cut apart, and I've 
yet to find a library that will let this practice fly with their books.

I don't mind so much to do this with my own books, but buying all the books 
I can scan will also break the bank, even if they serve an educational 
purpose.

I have heard reports of the iPal working well for fast scans. I would be 
curious to know how often one finds a book larger than 8 and a half by 11.

The iPal, or whatever the latest produc from their manufacturer only scans 
pages up to this size, and I wonder if this is such a great shortcoming.

If I had personal acnedotal information regarding book size, I would have a 
better handle on whether this is a good fit.

I would think seriously about buying one if I heard that users rarely 
encountered a book that won't fit the scanning area.

And the advantage would be the preservation of books, not to mention the 
portability. These fit in a bak pack.

Now to focus my attention on a paper that won't write itself,

Antonio Guimaraes




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 7:36 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] skimming


> Antonio,
>
> Yeah, I don't know how many people actually read the whole text in their
> studies.  I'm sure Hermione would approve, but in my reality, this was 
> never
> accomplished.  I don't know if it's possible, but could you get a copy of
> Dragon Dictation, set it to record the RFB audio, and convert to text that
> way?  I mean, you'd think it would be doable.  I have no idea how much the
> Dragon software costs, so this may be of no use to you this time around. 
> If
> I were in your position, I would probably speed up the audio to something
> quick but legible.  Also, doesn't RFB mark their audio?  I don't think 
> it's
> one continuous recording, so I would probably listen to the first few
> minutes of each section and then move on.  I assume you already have class
> notes, which you can then turn into an outline, and you figure out how 
> much
> to listen to based on the structure of your outline.  Yes, there are
> professors who will test you on things not covered in lecture, but the 
> main
> points will have been covered in class.  If you fill in the outline 
> through
> this suggested method of audio skimming, you can later go back and listen 
> to
> the most relevant sections more thoroughly, but perhaps the most important
> advice is not to postpone your reading until the last minute!  Well, the
> second best advice is to buy the hard copy books and do your own scanning.
>
> Best,
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>
>
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