Getting Students Started with Microsoft Windows PRESENTED BY
STAFF FROM THE CA SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND ADRIAN AMANDI YURIKA VU
STEPHANIE HERLICH
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STEP 1: Too often teachers feel insecure about their ability to
teach, support, or develop a path of integrating technology into a
curriculum. GET OVER YOURSELF. The primary obstacle to your
students current and future success is often a teachers (be that
TVI, paraprofessional, parent, other) discomfort with technology
themselves.
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Keyboarding is not your crutch Too often teachers go to
keyboarding as a safety net for the first year or two of a students
technology teaching. Introducing technology should occur in
preschool. Goal: Every student will have a firm beginning in
technology prior to reaching Kindergarten. Introduce Technology as
early as you can Use games, music, and the internet as motivators
to help build your students skills.
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It can be difficult to determine the appropriate assistive
technology for a student Sometimes its hard to obtain the equipment
STEP 2: GET THE TECHNOLOGY. A Few Factors to Consider #1 The TVI is
responsible for assistive technology assessments. Did you get that?
Not the poor, understaffed, overworked, state workers at the
California School for the Blind. We can help but the TVI is
ultimately responsible.
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Money exists. Low incidence funding Special education dollars
District technology budget School budgets Lion Club and others
organizations Email Braille-n-Teach for
suggestions/referrals/guidance
http://www.dof.ca.gov/budgeting/budget_faqs/documents/CHART-E.pdf
Education Not Education #2 A Few Factors to Consider continued
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#3 A Few Factors to Consider continued Trials work. If
possible, start with a trial before ordering equipment. If the
trial version does not work for your student go back to the drawing
board and try again. Identifying failure is success. Solutions for
home. Trials are great. Free versions are often effective until
your student is more proficient. Purchasing software a certain way
can make it accessible for multiple installs. #4
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HERES YOUR CHANCE TO BE CREATIVE, HAVE FUN, AND EXPLORE
ALONGSIDE YOUR STUDENT. STEP 3: When theres a fork in the road,
take both paths SIMULTANEOUSLY Keyboarding? Games/Music? BOTH!
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Lets first talk about Keyboarding STEP 3: Continued It is
really important but it is only part of the equation
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Back in the Day STEP 3: Continued Included hard rulers and lots
of yelling but it was effective! Never mind You probably like your
job and might choose stern correction and supportive methods to
achieve a similar result right?
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Keyboarding Tips STEP 3: Continued o Work in small groups or
one-to-one with students. o Verbally correct every mistake in
fingering, posture, and hand position. o Physically demonstrate and
correct your students fingering, posture, and hand position o This
can be accomplished by anyone (even visually impaired
teachers/aids) o Anyone can teach effective typing o The TVI,
general education teachers, paraprofessionals, transcribers,
parents, volunteers, school administration and office staff o The
role of the TVI is to make sure the person doing the teaching knows
correct fingering, posture, how to make corrections etc Home Row
Focus on it and constantly reference it Keyboarding programs for
independent practice o They can give parents an avenue to monitor
typing without creatively planning content. o Lessons are good
length and manageable in a set amount of time. Be sure that your
student is monitored so they do not develop bad habits.
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Games, Music, & the Internet STEP 3: Continued TThis path
may actually begin previous to keyboarding. MMotivation is
key!
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Games STEP 3: Continued o Explore beginning elements of the
keyboard including spacebar, arrow keys, and enter. o Resources for
downloading and a few suggestions Working on placing a direct link
on our website. This game is a great game to teach Space bar Enter
Arrow keys Blind Black Jack teaches Numbers Some letters Enter
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Music STEP 3: Continued o All you need is Arrow keys menu
navigation enter, alt+f4 and/or alt+tab including potential first
letter navigation for artists/albums Keystrokes such as control+p
or space bar
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Internet o Google tips and tricks for simple navigation with
Google set as the homepage. This corresponds directly with typing
as any searches will require letter knowledge. o Some websites can
be navigated to with help from teaching staff and/or searches
conducted with help so that students can learn simple website
navigation controls using screen reader HTML navigation keystrokes.
Technology and Recreation and Leisure, are part of the Expanded
Core Curriculum Incidental Learning STEP 3: Continued
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Here are some ideas! We have created a YouTube page to get you
startedYouTube STEP 4
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Here are some things to start with STEP 4: Continued Helpful
Tips & Tricks in Windows 7 Navigating Windows 7 Make the
computer easier to see Change mouse settings Make MS Word Easier to
See Magnifier Intellipoint software & Magnifier Accessibility
in Windows 8
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If stuck, dont stop, delay, or pause. Find help! CSB AT Staff
We are only three people that provide outreach to the entire state
of California. We are not the most timely Google/YouTube Perform a
simple Google search YouTube how to User Guides and manufacturer
provided information It can be difficult to sift through but it
should be something your student learns to do independently.
Manufacturer support Phone and email support can address many
issues regarding software/hardware malfunction (this is not a
tutoring service) Other free online resources Paid resources and
lesson guides STEP 5
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Technology will continue to cater to the sighted population Our
students will be slower at navigating many arenas than their
sighted or fully sighted counterparts. Emphasize the how and the
why in addition to the how-to. Understand the hardware and how they
interact (Monitor, CPU, Mouse, Keyboard, etc) Take a computer apart
and put it back together Take it apart, no holds barred. Go as far
as your student expresses interest. Take pictures along the way if
you are unsure of how things will go back together. Remember, this
is a Junker computer, so if you do break it, so be it. Put it back
together, turn it on. Lesson on the elements of the operating
system STEP 6 Acknowledge that technology is designed for and by
people with normal vision
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Run with it Heres where you have the opportunity to test
whether you succeeded with Step #1 (Step 1 was to get over
yourself) With Google as your friend, go out and learn how to help
your student progress. Many of our students require step-by-step
and how to guides in order to independently complete tasks.
Encourage students to learn how to self-generate how tos.
Note-taking/creating your own notes Recording STEP 7