[Pibe-division] Affordable Multi-Line Refreshable Braille Display WASRe: Educational Food for Thought: 21 Things That Will Be Obso...

Sat Dec 10 14:38:15 UTC 2011

Dear Eric and all,
Your wish is their command! At NCSU here in Raleigh, they are in the
process of creating a full-page refreshabel Braille display that uses
air pressure to create the dots. This display will cost significantly
less than the current displays out there. As of the latest update
(last weekend), they have created the first cell and are testing it.
Once they are done with the first cell, creating the whole page will
be simple. The creator, Dr. Yung, is a member of the Wake County
chapter of the NFB, here in Raleigh, NC. So, be prepared for Braille
to go digital all the way!

~Jewel

On 12/10/11, EricGuillory at aol.com <EricGuillory at aol.com> wrote:
> Thanks for this, Dr. V. My own children are ages 6 and 3, and it will be
> interesting to witness innovation going forward. Currently, at least in
> Louisiana, most things continue to be done using the paper and pencil
> approach.
> However, there are certain aspects of instruction which are hinting at the
> changes to come. Now, if an affordable multiline braille display solution
> could  be developed and cleverly marketed for blind consumers, we too could
> spearhead  the green movement. I hope and pray that humanity, students,
> teachers, and  parents, will strive harder to utilize these kinds of
> exciting and
> beneficial  future tools for the greater good of their kids and therefor
> society as a  whole.
>
> A great weekend to each of you!
>
> Eric Guillory
> PIBE President
>
>
> In a message dated 12/10/2011 1:16:42 A.M. Central Standard Time,
> pumpkinracer at gmail.com writes:
>
> A glimpse  into the future? Here is this week’s “Principal's  Message”
> from my eldest  son’s high school newsletter:
> Principal's  Message
> December 2,  2012
> My daughter  Katie will be starting her senior year in the fall of 2020.
> She is only  in the 3rd grade now, but has an email account, which she
> regularly uses to communicate with her teacher about homework.  I often
> think
> about how different her educational experience is from what mine  was.  She
> uses her iPad to go over math concepts and reads her books  through a Kindle
> app.
> I often  wonder how different her high school experience will be from what
> I experience  now.  This summer I stumbled upon this article online.  While
> not  expert in any way, it is an interesting opinion on where we are
> possibly  headed.  What a better way to end the year than looking toward the
>
> future.
> _21 Things That Will Be Obsolete By  2020_
> (http://mbusd.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b50ae2c8e9e6deded6721ac75&id=e621027afb&e=fbd6a8086f)
>
> Shelly  Blake-Plock
> 1.  DESKS
> The 21st  century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your
> students. Allow the  network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and
> dynamism
> help you rearrange  your room for authentic 21st century learning.
> 2. LANGUAGE  LABS
> Foreign  language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those
> clunky  desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.
> 3.  COMPUTERS
> Ok, so this  is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: ‘Our
> concept of what a  computer is’. Because computing is going mobile and over
> the next decade we’re  going to see the full fury of individualized
> computing
> via handhelds come to  the fore. Can’t wait.
> 4.  HOMEWORK
> The 21st  century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to
> see the  traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear.
> And despite  whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don’t need kids to ‘go
> to school’  more; we need them to ‘learn’ more. And this will be done 24/7
> and on the move  (see #3).
> 5. THE ROLE  OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
> The AP Exam  is on its last legs. The SAT isn’t far behind. Over the next
> ten years, we  will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1
> factor in college  admissions.
> 6.  DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AS A SIGN OF DISTINGUISHED TEACHER
> The 21st  century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who hasn’t yet
> figured out  how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher
> out of a job.  Differentiation won’t make you ‘distinguished’; it’ll just be
> a natural part  of your work.
> 7. FEAR OF  WIKIPEDIA
> Wikipedia is  the greatest democratizing force in the world right now. If
> you are afraid of  letting your students peruse it, it’s time you get over
> yourself.
> 8.  PAPERBACKS
> Books were  nice. In ten years’ time, all reading will be via digital
> means. And yes, I  know, you like the ‘feel’ of paper. Well, in ten years’
> time
> you’ll hardly  tell the difference as ‘paper’ itself becomes digitized.
> 9.  ATTENDANCE OFFICES
> Bio scans.  ‘Nuff said.
> 10.  LOCKERS
> A  coat-check, maybe.
> 11. I.T.  DEPARTMENTS
> Ok, so this  is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments as we
> currently know  them. Cloud computing and a decade’s worth of increased
> wifi and satellite  access will make some of the traditional roles of IT —
> software, security, and  connectivity — a thing of the past. What will IT
> professionals do with all  their free time? Innovate. Look to tech
> departments to
> instigate real change  in the function of schools over the next twenty
> years.
> 12.  CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS
> School  buildings are going to become ‘homebases’ of learning, not the
> institutions  where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller and
> greener, student  and teacher schedules will change to allow less people on
> campus
> at any one  time, and more teachers and students will be going out into
> their communities  to engage in experiential learning.
> 13.  ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES BY GRADE
> Education  over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving
> the bulk of  grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer
> groups by interest  and these interest groups will petition for specialized
> learning. The  structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.
> 14.  EDUCATION SCHOOLS THAT FAIL TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY
> This is  actually one that could occur over the next five years. Education
> Schools have  to realize that if they are to remain relevant, they are going
> to have to  demand that 21st century tech integration be modeled by the
> very professors  who are supposed to be preparing our teachers.
> 15.  PAID/OUTSOURCED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
> No one knows  your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN
> (professional learning  networks) in their back pockets, teachers will rise
> up to
> replace peripatetic  professional development gurus as the source of school
> wide professional  development programs. This is already happening.
> 16. CURRENT  CURRICULAR NORMS
> There is no  reason why every student needs to take however many credits in
> the same course  of study as every other student. The root of curricular
> change will be the  shift in middle schools to a role as foundational
> content
> providers and high  schools as places for specialized learning.
> 17.  PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE NIGHT
> Ongoing  parent-teacher relations in virtual reality will make
> parent-teacher  conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years,
> parents and
> teachers  will become closer than ever as a result of virtual communication
> opportunities. And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech
> integrated.
> 18. TYPICAL  CAFETERIA FOOD
> Nutrition  information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of $3.00
> bowls of  microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.
> 19.  OUTSOURCED GRAPHIC DESIGN AND WEB DESIGN
> You need a  website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake just let
> your kids do it.  By the end of the decade — in the best of schools — they
> will be.
> 20. HIGH  SCHOOL ALGEBRA 1
> Within the  decade, it will either become the norm to teach this course in
> middle school  or we’ll have finally woken up to the fact that there’s no
> reason to give  algebra weight over statistics and I.T. in high school for
> non-math majors  (and they will have all taken it in middle school anyway).
> 21.  PAPER
> In ten  years’ time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by no
> less than  90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry and the
> paper industry  itself will either adjust or perish.
> Go  MUSTANGS!
> Ben  Dale
> Principal
> Mira Costa  High  School
>
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