NERCVE Drill and Practice Brailler

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NERCVE Drill and Practice Brailler Sustaining
Braille Proficiency Self-study Curriculum

• CTEVH 2009
• Sandy Smith
• Northeast Regional Center for Vision Education
• University of Massachusetts Boston

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The need for a review curriculum of the Literary
Braille Code

• Literary Braille is a sophisticated code governed
  by extensive rules. Each rule builds on the
  previous and a sequence is used when learning it.
• TVIs learn the code but if it is not maintained,
  braille skills may be lost.

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Why Braille Skills Are Forgotten

• They do not have students learning braille, so
  they are not working with the code. Even when
  they have a student, it may only cover part of
  the code.
• The student(s) already knows braille so the TVI
  only needs to produce braille through the use of
  computer translation software.

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Review Courses

• Obsticles for TVIs needing a review course
• Availability
• Convenient locations
• Dedicated time
• Busy schedules
• Cost of a university course
• Materials (brailler, paper, and up-to-date manual)

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Review Courses

• TVIs do not need to relearn other content in a
  pre-service braille course, such as learning to
  operate a brailler, formatting text, finding and
  adapting teaching material.
• And for Instructors
• Grading homework for a braille course is "labor
  intensive" for a qualified instructor /
  proofreader
• Subject to human error

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Solutions

• How can technology help?

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NERCVE Online Brailler
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Purpose is for Drill and Practice

• Gives immediate feedback.
• Gives accurate feedback.
• Practice drills to perfection.
• Available 24 / 7
• Offers students ability to go at their own pace .

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Works with Windows, Macs, and Linux

• Uses LAMP technology, which means it
  interoperable with many systems.
• Uses unobtrusive JavaScript to interpret user
  input into Braille symbols.
• Technically accessible with JAWS, but very
  awkward for use.

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Six-key Entry

• Uses the s d f and j k l keys on the computer's
  keyboard to emulate a braille keyboard for print
  to braille drills.
• Not all keyboards allow this 6 key entry, so an
  alternate or secondary keyboard may need to be
  used.

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Drills

• Drills are stored in a database stores
• Braille is stored as ASCII braille code
• Completed drills/lesson are marked as correct/
  completed so student may track their progress

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Brailler Options

• Availability of content on demand or fixed date
• Practice print to braille / braille to print
• Email may be sent to an instructor upon
  completion of a lesson (optional)
• Brailler supports print characters and style
  beyond alphanumeric (i.e. math symbols,
  underlining, foreign language).

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Sustaining Braille ProficiencySelf-study
Curriculum
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Self-Study Curriculum

• Available for certified Teachers of the Visually
  Impaired who are already trained in foundations
  and techniques of braille.
• 30 multimedia lessons with .PDF versions of the
  Literary Braille Code lessons.
• January 2008 Literary Code updates used.
• Curriculum made available on demand.
• Not a beginning braille course.

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NERCVE Brailler

• http//www.nercve.org/

Multimedia overview http//media.umb.edu/sbp/
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Curriculum Availability

• Available for 3 months
• Awards 20 PDP's or 2 CEU's upon completion
• Suggest review of curriculum biannually to
  maintain skills
• Cost 195 per person (Group rate through agencies
  and schools)

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Group Results

• Rhode Island and New Hampshire TVI participated
  in the testing phase.
• Massachusetts Summer Institute

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Feedback Quotes

• I think the program is great, and the video
  tutorials are simple and easy to follow.  I
  especially like the incorporation of new rules.
• I was glad to be challenged with that kind of
  material.
• I have to make sure that I get other things done
  because it is addictive!

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