[Nfbc-info] Note-Taking Devices

Fri Sep 13 04:16:03 UTC 2013

What about the Brailliant braille displays or the Apex?

--
Teachers have a sacred task:
It is to give children the skills to understand the world and an expectation that the world is a trustworthy place; that it is full of light, and love, and music and that each student deserves--and will have--their own place in it and the chance to play their own song.
And, as much of these expectations are transmitted non-verbally—and in Chela’s case--out of sight…it is the voice and touch of a Teacher that sheds light on what the world can be.
Academics—and no one will ever change my mind on this—take a distant second place. —Dr. Bil Hawkins
--
Chela Robles a Nationally Certified person in Customer Service, certified by the National Retail Federation Foundation (NRF): http://www.nrffoundation.com/
E-mail: cdrobles693 at gmail.com
Windows Live Messenger: cdrobles693 at hotmail.com
Skype: jazzytrumpet
I volunteer for Bookshare, to find out more and to volunteer with us,visit: http://www.bookshare.org/
Need more space, come join dropbox and start with two gigs of free space and 500 Megabytes as is this is my referral link to you: http://db.tt/XpUTe0E
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On 9/12/2013 8:56 PM, Brandon Keith Biggs wrote:
> Hello,
> I use a
> Braille Plus 18 
> <http://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_Braille%20Plus%2018_1-07466-00P_10001_11051>
> for reading books, taking quick notes, recording my voice lessons, 
> searching the web really quick in the hall, and listening to music. I 
> use an IPhone for testing and calling people and doing things that the 
> Braille Plus 18 can't do.
> But I always use my computer to take notes in class and that way I can 
> search the internet, do tests, email and do what ever else while I'm 
> taking notes. Switching apps is really fast on the BP18, but not quite 
> as fast as it is on the computer.
> Thanks,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
>
> On 9/12/2013 8:47 PM, Shannon L. Dillon wrote:
>> Hi Chela,
>> First, the Focus 14 is too small to be really useful with a laptop. 
>> It works
>> fine for an iPhone, but it's no good for reading and getting an idea of
>> formatting on the laptop screen. Don't leet your counselor BS you into a
>> Focus 14.
>>
>> As for notetakers, I have had many people tell me their iPhone is 
>> sufficient
>> to take notes with. I have tried a couple of Bluetooth keyboards, and 
>> the
>> Focus 14, and my experience has not been that great. The iPhone 
>> simply can't
>> keep up with my Brailling. So I don't know what your Braille typing 
>> speed
>> is, but I would really put an iPhone and Braille display or Bluetooth
>> keyboard to the test before using it as your notetaker. And trying using
>> them quickly like you're taking notes in a fast paced class. Don't 
>> just try
>> writing a letter or something you can do without concern for time.
>>
>> Plus, a notetaker you can always connect to a flash drive or memory 
>> stick
>> and get files from other people. You would have to use Dropbox or 
>> email to
>> get files from other people with your iPhone. So it limits your 
>> options for
>> sharing information with other people.
>>
>> My notetaker has been sick this last few months, and I've been trying my
>> iPhone and my laptop and in my experience, they don't replace the 
>> notetaker.
>> You can't just pop open your laptop and reboot it in the middle of 
>> the hall
>> while talking to someone if they come up with something you want to 
>> write
>> down. You can't type while standing at someone's desk. You have to find
>> somewhere to sit down, lay down the laptop and turn it on. I find the
>> notetaker to be a lot more portable and flexible. And as I said 
>> before, the
>> iPhone doesn't cut it because I type too fast and the words run 
>> together and
>> it starts to drop characters. I never had that with a notetaker, not 
>> even
>> back in the days of the Braille 'n Speak.
>>
>> Saying that, the laptop is great obviously for writing papers and 
>> reading
>> books that are electronic. I wouldn't want to only have a notetaker. I
>> would still want a laptop, too.
>>
>> Hope it helps. Feel free to contact me ifyou want.
>>
>> -Shannon
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nfbc-info [mailto:nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chela
>> Robles
>> Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 7:30 PM
>> To: undisclosed-recipients:
>> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Note-Taking Devices
>>
>> Hello all,
>> I have told you while back that I'm going to take the Administrative
>> Assistant Program starting October 21st and through the summer of 
>> 2014 at
>> Mt. Diablo Adult Education School in my hometown, Concord, California 
>> and I
>> have made a list in conjunction with the financial aid adviser who 
>> will be
>> working with my counselor and I to make sure I succeed. A couple of the
>> items I listed I think are note-taking possibilities a windows 
>> professional
>> 7 equipped laptop and the Braille Focus 14 display.
>> My question to all of you since I'm not going to divulge my whole 
>> list which
>> is only ten items, which I'm sure you guys don't wish to read unless I'm
>> wrong about that then let me know.
>> Anyway my question is what do you guys use for taking notes in school?
>> Several people from the IOs listserv I'm on say they use their IPads,
>> IPhones, IPod Touches, MacBookPro's, while others use PC Laptops in
>> conjunction with braille displays that have the braille keyboard 
>> integrated
>> with the laptop while still others use just the braille display 
>> because it
>> has note-taking functionality itself, yet others still stick to the 
>> classic
>> note-takers such as from Humanware or the pac mate from Freedom 
>> Scientific
>> which mine didn't last. I just really think personally it would be 
>> easier to
>> take the laptop and the braille display along with the digital 
>> recorder I
>> have from Olympus to record lectures, but I want to make sure I know 
>> what
>> others are using but to me it sounds like a lot of people are using 
>> their
>> IDevices or Braille displays in conjunction with the IDevices or as a
>> stand-alone note-taker, or in conjunction or without laptops whether 
>> from
>> Apple or PC-based, now, but correct me if I'm wrong, but there are still
>> those who use the older technology such as what I mentioned before from
>> Freedom Scientific which again my Pac Mate did retire and I'd not get 
>> one
>> again.
>> I'd like to know before 8AM PST. Tomorrow.
>> I don't want to limit myself yet I want to make sure I don't break 
>> Rehab's
>> budget smiles.
>> I have a meeting tomorrow with a tech evaluator name Steven Clark from
>> Adaptive Technology Services, even though I already gave him the 
>> list, I'd
>> still like to know what others are using to take notes in classes 
>> nowadays.
>> Thanks for your kind responses.
>> Chela Robles
>>
>> -- 
>> -- 
>> Teachers have a sacred task:
>> It is to give children the skills to understand the world and an 
>> expectation
>> that the world is a trustworthy place; that it is full of light, and 
>> love,
>> and music and that each student deserves--and will have--their own 
>> place in
>> it and the chance to play their own song.
>> And, as much of these expectations are transmitted non-verbally-and in
>> Chela's case--out of sight.it is the voice and touch of a Teacher 
>> that sheds
>> light on what the world can be.
>> Academics-and no one will ever change my mind on this-take a distant 
>> second
>> place. -Dr. Bil Hawkins
>> -- 
>> Chela Robles a Nationally Certified person in Customer Service, 
>> certified by
>> the National Retail Federation Foundation (NRF):
>> http://www.nrffoundation.com/
>> E-mail: cdrobles693 at gmail.com
>> Windows Live Messenger: cdrobles693 at hotmail.com
>> Skype: jazzytrumpet
>> I volunteer for Bookshare, to find out more and to volunteer with 
>> us,visit:
>> http://www.bookshare.org/ Need more space, come join dropbox and 
>> start with
>> two gigs of free space and 500 Megabytes as is this is my referral 
>> link to
>> you: http://db.tt/XpUTe0E
>> -- 
>>
>>
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>>
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