[nabs-l] in class writing

Sat Jan 12 02:18:14 UTC 2013

Kirt,

I have to agree with you there.  I could see it being justifyable if
there were no other alternative, but the whole point of the time limit
is to spark critical thinking and let the teacher know whether or not
you really know the material well enough that you can recite it back
or readily expound upon it with your own logic.  I would actually be
fearful of trying to do something like that out of class without the
same time limit and professor supervision as everyone else because
then the professor would have every right to consider that I checked
either my notes, textbook, or the internet before writing something
down.  That's an issue I would rather avoid completely.

What I've also found at my university, where for most of my professors
I'm the first blind student they've come into contact with, the more
you can do just like your sighted peers the better their impression is
of you.  It may sound kind of silly, but I think it's true; one of my
professors said last semester that she had no idea blind students
could be so independent in their classwork because she assumed that I
would actually need or frequently use all the accomodations I have
been approved for.  This not only makes them good allies for you tou
in cases where you need letters or recommendation or something, but it
also helps pave the way for future blind students they might teach
because they'll know to treat them like any other student and hold
them to the same standards.

Sorry for my ranting blurb at the end.

On 1/11/13, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ashley and Carly,
> I am slightly curious how you justify doing work that everyone else does
> during their class time at home, especially since you seem to have
> alternative methods available to do the work at the same time as everybody
> else? In my mind, these writing assignments are given precisely because
> class time is short, and professors want to test how well you can write
> under pressure, with a limited amount of time and a prompt you may not have
> had the chance to think about before hand. To me, doing that kind of work at
> home, well you have all ready learned what the prompt is in class, is
> definitely an unfair advantage over your classmates. If I am wrong, I
> apologize. Please enlighten me.
> Warmest regards,
> Kirt
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 11, 2013, at 6:53 PM, "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Carley,
>> I do the same as you usually.
>> I take note of the class assignment and do it at home on my trusted
>> desktop.
>> If the professor is proactive, he or she will email me the topic before
>> class so I can bring the assignment to class.
>>
>> Fortunately, all professors seem fine with me emailing them as long as I
>> email it them soon after class.
>>
>> Ashley
>>
>> -----Original Message----- From: Carly Mihalakis
>> Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 12:38 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list ; National
>> Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] in class writing
>>
>> Good morning, Aleeha, Ashley and other interesteds,
>>
>> As far as in-class writings go, what seems to work best for me is to
>> take note of what is being required the class write on at the time,
>> then going home and composing the material on my desktop before
>> emailing it to instructor. That way, the same "in-class" effect is
>> captured despite it happpening to not be composed in the physical,
>> classroom. In testing situations however, of course I bring the
>> notebook to one of those testing areas and write the test out.
>>>     If you are concerned about the possibility of your laptop getting
>>> stolen, here are a couple of things to consider.
>>> 1. Most other students carry laptops, phones, and other electronic
>>> devices with them to classes. I don't think that someone would
>>> specifically target your laptop to steal, especially with many other
>>> students and your professor also in the classroom.
>>> 2. As others have said, you can get a flash drive, usually very low
>>> cost, and put a doc or text file of your work on that drive in order
>>> to exchange it with other students and/or your professor.
>>> A good thing to keep in mind as well that some others have already
>>> hinted at is to have a very open conversation with your professor
>>> either before classes start or during the very first week of classes.
>>> Ask what is to be expected from the class, the different possibilities
>>> for in-class assignments, and the possible work-arounds for any
>>> problems that you or your professor might forsee.
>>> Aleeha
>>>
>>> On 1/10/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > Hi all,
>>> > I want to make another plug for netbooks. They aren't much bigger than
>>> > Braille Notes, so you can easily fit it in your backpack, and a
>>> > netbook can do just about anything a laptop can. Plus it only costs
>>> > about $300 and the built-in battery can last for up to six hours. I
>>> > think it really is a good idea for any blind student to carry some
>>> > kind of mainstream computing device to class, whether that is a
>>> > laptop, netbook, or even an I-device so that you can easily
>>> > communicate in writing with sighted professors and peers. Braille
>>> > Notes are great and can be a wonderful supplement to a mainstream
>>> > computing device, but the computing technology Braille Notes use is
>>> > neither mainstream nor up-to-date.
>>> > Arielle
>>> >
>>> > On 1/10/13, Deb Mendelsohn <deb.mendelsohn at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >> Don't you have a laptop that you could email in class to the
>>> >> professor?
>>> >> Maybe RSA should get you one with JAWS on it.
>>> >>
>>> >> Deb
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> On Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 5:47 PM, Ashley Bramlett
>>> >> <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>> Hi all,
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Professors ask us students to do in-class writing sometimes.
>>> >>> Typically
>>> >>> its
>>> >>> unannounced; its not like its on the syllabus but the professor knows
>>> >>> >>> it
>>> >>> usually; I mean they know when they will assign in class writing.
>>> >>> Students
>>> >>> are given a certain  amount of time to write and then hand in the
>>> >>> writing.
>>> >>> They may share the writing with each other or the class as well.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> How do you handle in class writing assignments? Do you write them on
>>> >>> a
>>> >>> notetaker or laptop you take to school? How do you hand it in since
>>> >>> we
>>> >>> are
>>> >>> not writing on paper? So far, I've usually written outside class and
>>> >>> emailed the copy to the professor.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> I have good enough braille skills to read from my braille display to
>>> >>> other
>>> >>> students, but I don't usually finish the writing.
>>> >>> I wish there was a computer lab in every building. Then I could walk
>>> >>> over
>>> >>> there, type my writing prompt and then email it to the professor.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> I look forward to ideas.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Ashley
>>> >>> _______________________________________________
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>>> >>>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> >> *Deb's Cell:  520-225-8244*
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-- 
Kaiti