[Pibe-division] Notetker and Digital player questions

Sun Dec 21 17:43:34 UTC 2008

Carlton,

Here is what I have found:

All my students, without exception and I have used PacMate and Brl Note with them, have choosen the Braille Note because of its ease of use. Yes, you can use the Brl Note as a Braille display and that is perfect for connecting to a computer to get that extra feedback that JAWS doesn't always give so clearly. 

Something to think about when deciding for either a QWERTY or 6-key. If she needs to be using this ASAP and really move and she has already been using a QWERTY and has good speed, older students prefer their Brl Note with a QWERTY because they want to get their work done. But their are ramifications of this choice.
If their braille skills are not that good and they really need to be learning the braille, though 6-key is slower at first within 3-6 months (depends on child) can get the speed they need AND really get their braille down. If she got it at the end of the year and practiced over the summer she would be adept at using it by fall.

Something else to think about. If she is low vision and has been resisting the braille or just hasn't had the instruction in it and you give her a QWERTY brl note, the braille process still stays slow because she will not have the impetus to learn it when she is already proficient with the QWERTY brl note.

With the braille note you can easily download books from bookshare (or any site that has .brf files) and store on your brl note, can easily mark where you left off reading and can easily find any page as quick as a find command. You can put all your academic books on it (always use a thumb drive for all this material) and she can find her spot in a book faster than her sighted peers. When the teacher says open to page 364 in your history book, she will be their in a flash. But she will need to turn off that volume and read with her fingers so she can listen to the teacher. Hence the reason to increase her braille knowledge. Students who know QWERTY really well and resist using the brl display have a tougher time listening to the brl note AND the teacher and get behind because they miss information either from the teacher or the brl note.

So the question you want answered is? How well does she read braille and does she  need to improve? If so then leaning toward the 6-key will get her there and the QWERTY will keep her from it and for longer if she eventually wants to learn it better.

Things to think about

       Denise 

Denise M. Robinson, Ph.D. 
Coordinator for Blind/VI students at ESD105
Teacher of the Blind & Visually Impaired
509-969-3622

--- On Sun, 12/21/08, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com> wrote:

From: Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] Notetker and Digital player questions
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>, "Professionals in Blindness Education Division List" <pibe-division at nfbnet.org>
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 4:54 PM

Could you comment some about why you are thinking a QWERTY keyboard is a better
choice?  It may be, I just see 
less of an advantage if she is also using a laptop and so much of braille is
easiest with six keys.  Thanks for humoring 
me.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:22:08 -0500, Carlton Anne Cook Walker 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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