The concern that technology is replacing Braille is unwarranted. Rather, technology supports and elevates literacy including braille literacy, as long as it is integrated with purpose and function in the classroom. Braille remains the primary means to literacy for non-visual learners.
HMCS Max Bernays Pre-Deployment Brief (May 2024).pptx
In Defense of Braille in the Digital Age
1. IN DEFENSE OF
BRAILLE IN THE
DIGITAL AGE
GETTING IN TOUCH WITH LITERACY
PROVIDENCE, RI
DECEMBER 5, 2013
Yue-Ting Siu, TVI
UC Berkeley & San Francisco State University
5. Braille + tech = ?
Literacy
Proofreading
Nuances of language
Membership to a community
Equal aptitude and respect in the
workplace
Functional Literacy
9. Technology by Design
(Mishra & Koehler, 2005)
Context-specific = Case study
approach
Rationale development
Understanding of dynamic between
technology, pedagogy, content, and
learners
Technology Embedded in Instruction
10. Technology goals in the IEP
1. Setting in which technology will be used.
2. Purpose for which technology will be
used.
3. Level of dependence/independence,
including the types and number of
prompts.
4. Identify tech by the functions that are
necessary for use.
5. How use of technology to complete
instructional activities will be measured
11. http://bit.ly/brldigitalage
Resource for linking iPad to
refreshable braille display
How to use Dropbox to provide work
electronically and immediately to
students
How to write AT goals
Digital texts from Bookshare: DAISY,
NIMAC
www.facebook.com/yuetingsiu
twitter @TVI_ting
12. Louis Braille
“Access to communication in the widest sense is
access to knowledge, and that is vitally
important for us if we [the blind] are not to go on
being despised or patronized by condescending
sighted people. We do not need pity, nor do we
need to be reminded we are vulnerable. We
must be treated as equals – and communication
is the way this can be brought about.”
Notas do Editor
Tell about my background, and why I care about this topic.
Poll audience: how many doing direct service, teacher prep, braille instruction
Roadmap for talk:
lesson planning to support literacy with technology
improving how we prepare teachers to support literacy with technology
how to write goals that support literacy with technology – tech implementation
Ask for audience participation and response with each statement.
Encourage yays, nays, boos, and hissing!
Often in conversations, Braille and technology exist apart from the other.
(click)
Taken together, the results are more powerful than any component by itself.
EXAMPLES: always pairing audio with visual so that one mode of access can supplement, not replace, the other.
DAISY book format, or digital texts
iPad paired with Braille+ refreshable braille display
Braille notetaker
Extends beyond just the classroom.
Our students need to be sufficiently, and proficiently, prepared for the digital future.
Understanding that technology can bring out the best outcomes, how can we ensure the two are taught together?
How are teachers using technology right now?
Technology is everywhere. It is no longer an excuse that it is not available. Many initiatives ensure that is is there, now it’s about how to leverage what is already there.
This is a different kind of digital divide.
So how can instruction change to better integrate technology?
Rather than availability of tools, it’s about the proficiency of teachers to integrate technology into teaching
3 factors we usually have to consider when lesson planning.
Let’s talk about how we can change how we focus these lessons.
Many things need to be in place to change the emphasis from device mastery to using technology to master content:
How many people feel like it’s impossible to keep up with new technology?
How many feel nervous about keeping your skills up to date and knowing how to use all the tech out there?
It’s ok, because we have mostly graduated with technology training focused on device mastery. TVIs are not prepared to fully incorporate all the elements of technology, instruction, and constraints that are specific to classrooms and students. How can we better prepare teachers?
The standards and competencies exist. How do we master them for implementation after training?
Focus on mastering content: Align with CCSS.
Use objectives to target device mastery.
During powerpoint lectures, during silent sustained reading, during centers
To complete written work, to view lecture notes, to read a digital talking book
Focus on working towards independence
Laptop with screen magnification software, touch screen tablet with text to speech paired with a refreshable braille display
2 out of 3 worksheets, 4 out of 5 lectures a week