[nfbcs] Math software

[Mike Jolls]

I was at our NFB chapter meeting the other night and some of the kids I was
chatting with were saying how difficult it is to do math.

I could relate since I remember sitting in class when I had zero technology
and couldn't read the board ... you sort of just zone out.

They told me that some of the schools (high school I believe) don't let you
take the book home.  And since they can't see what's going on in the class

and can't take the book home, they struggle terribly.  Also, some were
saying even if they could take the book, they couldn't read it, and some

said their parents didn't know enough math to help them.  Bottom line, math
was a huge struggle for these kids.

 

I haven't done any searching, but I was wondering if there are software
solutions out there that could allow some of the following:

 

1. The textbook is in accessible format so that a student can access it at
home or at school with Jaws/Braille.

2. Allows the teacher to compose lessons - when the student can't read the
book and doesn't have access to an electronic version of the book.

3. Allows teacher (as part of composition) to enter the problems to be
solved in a "problem set".

4. Teacher should be able to save to disk, web, etc 

4. Allows students to access the lessons from disk/web and problems composed
by the teacher.

5. If student can't solve the problem presented, have an automated "solution
solver" that will take student step by step through the solution.

Student should be able to see a line by line solution so they can see the
steps necessary to solve the problem.

6. Allow student to work the problems and have computer check the solution
and tell student when right or wrong.

7. If homework, allow student to compose solution and save to disk or upload
to web.

8. Allow teacher to access students work for grading.

 

Does anybody know if something like this is available?  Granted, this would
NOT be trivial software to write, but having something like this would allow
the students to deal with complex math such as elementary algebra,
intermediate algebra, trig, etc, and get it in a format they can deal with.
I think I would have found this useful back in the stone age when I was in
high school.

 

Anybody know of anything?  Or, would you reply.... "you're a software guy,
write it!".

 

Thanks