[Pibe-division] Notetker and Digital player questions

[DrV]

Hi Carlton,
Has Anna Catherine had a chance to have some hands on with Braille
notetakers?
The decision depends on many factors.

My first comment is the one I feel strongest about.
I hear your strong keyboard preference, but let me offer a different
perspective.
I type on my computer every day. My 12 year old has a BrailleNote with a Brl

keyboard.
His typing speed & importantly accuracy is leagues better than mine.
My sighted wife brailles a lot both on the Perkins, but also on her laptop.
When using the laptop, she prefers to use Duxbury & the braille key entry
because her speed & accuracy makes this more efficient. I am envious of the
speed & accuracy they have.
We don't have a easy printing set up at home, so I print up Vejas's English
& Lithuanian homework regularly, & quite honestly though his fingers fly,
his accuracy is nearly 100% on the Brl keyboard - almost every mistake is
not due to finger positioning, but rather him not knowing the spelling.
I on the other hand, am much much  slower using the QWERTY keyboard  & have
lots of spelling errors that I need to correct, because I don't have the
accuracy in hitting the keys - I am a frequent user of the backspace key &
am eternally thankful for spell-check  & the auto-correct feature to correct

my typing errors.
Brl entry also enforces Brl concepts & grade II Brl contraction
familiarity - its one thing to read it - the brain also imprints when one
types things out. I think grade I entry also helps improve speed &
accuracy - imagine if we had such print shortcuts.

Who will be teaching her? Is she already familiar with a device?
If the TVI will be teaching Anna Catherine how to use it, then it might be
best to go with what she is familiar with.
Our TVIs didn't know the BrailleNote & when we started there was no PacMate.
The California School for the Blind came down & did a Tech assessment. They
use BrailleNotes. They do a phenomenal job teaching the BrailleNote.
They gave Vejas & now Petras initial teaching & periodic refreshers to take
them to the next level on features they don't know.
When we have run into stumbling blocks on how to do something, I contact
them.
The learning curve would have been harder with a different device, because
the teaching would not have been anywhere near as good.
Then there is GPS. If you plan on using that, get a unit that has that
ability.

The last thing I have strong feelings about is get as many brl cells as
possible for reading. In my opinion & that of my fluent braille reading 12
year old, the more cells the better for speed & fluency.

If you have a chance go to an exhibit hall during a conference. I don't know

how feasible it is, but the best exhibit hall I have seen is the one at the
CTEVH conference in California.
For hands on & kid-focused resources, it is in my opinion the best I have
seen. There are hands on opportunities there & you can probably get some
in-servicing. On top of that, it is a great & informative conference with
lots of pertinent topics to chose from - We've only missed one year, & that
was because of a surgery. The website is www.ctevh.org/conference.htm.
Good luck,
Eric
(Now I'm going to spell check to correct all my typos before hitting the
send button...  :-)   )


On Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 5:22 AM, Carlton Anne Cook Walker <
attorneywalker at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> DH and I are going to soon approach the school regarding a notetaker
> for Anna Catherine.  I have two major questions:
>
>
>
> First, which notetaker should we request?
> We have already decided that a QWERTY keyboard would be better.  (Anna
> Catherine has some vision and uses a laptop with a QWERTY keyboard
> anyway.)
> >From what I understand from the teens to whom I've spoken, Braillenote
> is highly preferred over PacMate.  I understand that this is because
> it is easier to use and the keystrokes more directly correspond with
> computer-based commands.  Am I correct? Are there other reasons to
> choose the BrailleNote over the PacMate?
> Are there any other brands I should be looking at -- that have QWERTY
> entry?  I have not been able to find any.
> Also, can the notetaker be connected with a computer and serve as a
> refreshable braille display?  (If yes, it might make it easier to
> speed up the process of getting notetaker for Anna Catherine.  We're
> realy hoping to have one by the end of the school year -- yes, our
> District IS that slow -- so that she may explore it and become
> comfortable with its use over the summer.)
>
>
>
> Second, I am also interested in the Victor Reader Stream for Anna
> Catherine.
> Can a notetaker be used as a Digital Reader?
> Can Bookshare files be easily uploaded onto the Victor?
>
>
>
> Thank you so very much for your help on these matters.
>
>
>
>
> Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and blessed holiday season,
>
>
>
>
>
> Carlton
>
> --
> Carlton Anne Cook Walker
> Anna's Mom
> 213 North First Street
> McConnellsburg, PA    17233
> Voice: 717-485-3383
>
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