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American Printing House - Thursday, August 29, 2024 at
11:00 AM<br><br>
<h1><b>Cultivating Math Skills on the Monarch with
KeyMath</b></h1><br><br>
<img src="https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Monarch-Graphic-Calculator-at-KSB-P1111327-RI-small-scaled.jpeg" width=1620 height=1080 alt="[]">
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Adapting math lessons for students who are blind or have low vision takes
patience and creativity. Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs)
construct graphs out of braille graph paper and Wikki Stix to represent
the X and Y axis or help students make graphs digitally on a calculator.
They use the device’s audio tones to listen to the shape of a graph.
Today, for the first time ever, students can access a tactile graphing
calculator on the
<a href="https://www.aph.org/meet-monarch/">Monarch</a>, APH’s new
10-line by 32-cell refreshable braille display that renders braille and
tactile graphics on the same surface. <br><br>
Created through a partnership with
<a href="https://www.desmos.com/">Desmos</a>, the KeyMath application has
similar functions to a graphing calculator for sighted users. Students
who are blind and low vision can use the app to perform basic scientific
calculations and graph problems, such as finding the slope of a line and
solving exponential equations. In an instant, the same graphs that
teachers and students spent minutes making by hand appear, putting the
student on an even playing field with their peers. A push of a few
buttons can change the original equation, and students can view an
entirely new graph and compare it to the previous one. <br><br>
To open KeyMath, power on the Monarch and select the application from the
main menu. The Monarch will say, “Expressions list. Press Space with N
to enter a new expression.” After following this direction, the display
will read, “KeyMath expression, Nemeth.” Below that is a text box
where students can type in their equation using Nemeth numbers and
symbols. To graph the slope of a line, for example, write, “y =
-2x+5” and press Enter. If the equation can be graphed, the display
will say, “ge” for “graphed equation” followed by the equation.
If it cannot be graphed, the letters “er” for “error” will
appear. When this happens, press Enter to go back to the text box and
edit the equation so it can be graphed. In this example, the equation is
graphable. <br><br>
Students may press enter with G to make the graph, which is shown on the
next screen. The line for this equation appears in the upper and lower
right quadrants of the graph. To hear the points on the line, make sure
speech is turned on by pressing Backspace and Enter with S. Place a
finger on any part of the line and double tap the action button located
above the space bar. The Monarch will announce the coordinates. To
maneuver through the rest of the graph, use the zoom in and out buttons
or the cross-shaped directional pad, or d-pads. When done, press the
triangle button on the front-facing edge of the Monarch to go back to the
expression list. <br><br>
Another helpful feature of the KeyMath app is the symbol selector. This
tool allows students to scroll through a list of numbers and symbols,
press enter on one, and add it to the current problem. While in the text
box for typing an expression, press Backspace with dots 3 and 5 to access
the symbol selector. Different categories include numbers, comparison
symbols, Greek symbols, punctuation, fractions, operations, measurement
symbols, limit symbols, integrals symbols, sets symbols, shapes symbols,
roots, superscripts, subscripts, formatting symbols, and misc
(miscellaneous) signs. <br><br>
Whether a student is just learning to graph in algebra class or taking
more advanced math, KeyMath is an invaluable supplement to any classroom.
“The Monarch works marvelously with calculus and presents limits,
derivatives, and integrals in real-time with the graphing feature,”
said Matthew Brown, a TVI at Armwood High School in Tampa, Florida. “We
use it in tandem with a DESMOS on the iPad, for test security, so that
the student may learn how to navigate the software for testing (as
Monarch is not currently approved for testing), but also have the graphs
displayed in real-time. The student states that it is helpful to
understand the graphs as they are displayed and is hopeful that the
development team for Monarch will possibly integrate the use of numbers
on the graph itself.” <br><br>
The Monarch will be publicly available in September and eligible for
purchase with Federal Quota funds. Stay tuned to the website, APH News,
and your email inbox for more information on this upcoming
device. <br><br>
<a href="https://www.aph.org/cultivating-math-skills-on-the-monarch-with-keymath/">
https://www.aph.org/cultivating-math-skills-on-the-monarch-with-keymath/</a>
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