Electronic braille note taking devices are small and portable devices that may be used by a student to take notes in class using either a braille (featuring six large keys that correspond to the 6 dots in the braille cell), standard (QWERTY) keyboard, or both. Although each device offers different features, many can be used by braille learners to read books, write class assignments, find directions, record lectures, and listen to podcasts. Information can be readily transcribed in order to provide the student with a means to communicate with peers, teachers and others who do not read braille.
The note taking devices generally are the size of a book and are easily carried and used by the student. The Braille Note and the Pac Mate are probably the two most common portable note takers used by students. APH currently offers the Braille Plus 18 (the Refreshabraille 18 was discontinued December 2014) through quota funds. Obtaining devices through quota funds can make these an affordable option, however, quota funds may not be available due to spending freezes so these are not always options for students.
Common Features:
Notes written on the notetakers may then be transferred to a computer for storage, or printed in either braille or print formats.
Many note taking devices have word processors, appointment calendars, calculators or clocks, and can do almost everything a computer can do.
Some note taking devices have a speech program with braille input.
Many portable note taking devices feature a refreshable braille display built into them. These are small pins that raise and lower to allow the user to read in braille what is being accessed in the device.
Many newer models are Bluetooth accessible which allows them to be used with iPads, iPhones and other Bluetooth devices as well as wi-fi access.
Note Taking Instruction
There are a variety of electronic note-taking devices available to students with visual impairments. With advances in technology, there are multiple ways students can take notes. Some students may elect to use their iPhone or iPad to take notes of lessons. The notes can be placed in Dropbox for later retrieval. If using a braille note-taking device, it is important to teach parts and functions as well as how to access the options menu of an Electronic Note-Taking Device. Once the student has learned how to use the device, it is important to continue to monitor the student to note the student’s skills, and provide any troubleshooting support.
The student will need instruction in the following skills:
turn the device on/off;
locate the braille keypad;
locate the return/enter key;
locate previous key;
locate back key;
locate forward key;
locate next key;
locate backspace/space bar keys;
locate braille display;
locate cursor routing keys;
locate ports: serial, parallel, and power;
connect device to printer, embosser, and power supply using appropriate cables;
enter the options menu;
move forward and back in a menu;
check date, time, and battery status;
use escape menus;
use the exit menu;
change the speech settings.
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TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
$50.00
Written specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), this book consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level.
The core activities listed in the Activity section can be adapted to each thematic unit. These include:
Object Characteristic Activities
Quantity & Number Concepts
Time Concept Activities
Environment & Job Awareness Activities
Listening Skills Activities
Reading Foundation Activities
Reading Fluency Activities
Braille Basics Activities
Writing Activities
Tactual Efficiency Activities
Developing Skillful Hands Activities
Visual Efficiency Activities
Optical Device Instruction Activities
Recipe Activities
In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.
Unique Concepts within the Units include:
Self Advocacy Activities (e.g. advocating for safe classroom, presenting to class on visual impairment, requesting help and more)
Social Skills Activities (e.g. Being bullied or teased, giving and receiving compliments, body language, "I" messages when upset and more)
Recreation & Leisure Activities (e.g. exploring interest areas, getting involved in clubs and sports, playing games, and more)
O&M Support Activities (e.g. Suggestions for community based experiences, dog guide information, locations in the school, bioptics, ride sharing, traffic signs, and more)
Independent Living Skill Activities (e.g. chores, being responsible, using tools, recipe suggestions, hygiene, staying healthy, labeling foods and products, and more)
Sensory Efficiency Activities (e.g. unique sensory experiences related to the unit, unique optical device activities, and more)
Compensatory Activities (e.g. organizing materials, study habits, and many unique concepts related to the unit)
Career & Vocational Activities (e.g. job awareness, completing applications, job task suggestions, and more)
Although the intended audience of this resource is fellow Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, special education teachers may find these activities beneficial to the students in their classrooms as the activities are multisensory and include life skills and concepts needed by all students. This resource, however, is not intended to take the place of a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI). Readers are advised to consult their own TVI’s regarding instruction in the ECC and the unique visual needs of the student’s served in their programs.
Note: This curriculum is a digital pdf download. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number.
Each download is intended for single instructor use per copyright. Thank you for helping me preserve the content and not distributing copies to third parties.
Product details
Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
