[AERNet] presenting braille materials generated from embossers tostudents

Fri Nov 9 11:14:56 EST 2007

I've used lots of different ways to bind and present braille materials, but I've never presented it to the students accordion-style. I've used a stapler, hole punch and metal rings, plastic bindings, yarn, braille binders, brads, binder clips, paper clips (for small assignments). I've exposed the kids to the accordion style, and had them help me bind the pages in the correct order according to page number, but only when they are older. It's a good spatial orientation and problem-solving activity.
  HTH,
  Melinda

Ann Edie <annedie at nycap.rr.com> wrote:
      @font-face {   font-family: Wingdings;  }  @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; }  P.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"  }  LI.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"  }  DIV.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"  }  A:link {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlink {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  A:visited {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  SPAN.EmailStyle17 {   COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-compose  }  DIV.Section1 {   page: Section1  }      Hi, Kim,

  As with most things, how I present a braille document to students depends on the age and previous learned skills and experience of the students.

  But, for elementary-school children, I always colate the pages as I would have for print users in the old days when print documents were done on fan-fold paper also.  In other words, I would separate the pages, put them in order, and then bind them in some way.

  If the paper has the 19 hole left edge, I use yarn to make a spiral binding, leaving enough slack in the yarn so that the pages can be laid flat when the "book" is opened.  (Actually, I use a blanket stitch.)

  If you have access to a business that applies the plastic spiral bindings, that is a good way to bind the pages.  Some schools have these machines also.

  If the Braille pages do not have the 19 hole binding, then I punch them with a 3-hole punch and use yarn to bind them, again leaving enough slack to allow the pages to lie flat when opened.

  If the document is only a couple of pages long, putting one staple in the upper left corner is adequate for a "throw away" worksheet--one that is not going to be saved and revisited many times, like a study sheet or math sheet.

  The spiral binding with yarn or 3-hole binding with yarn are both good fine motor exercises to do with the children if there is time and if that is an appropriate skill for their levels.  My students, even the totally blind ones, like to choose the color of yarn for their books, and threading, tying, and cutting the yarn are all good "sewing skills for them to learn.  You can get plastic "needles" (with a very blunt point) in kids' sewing basket toys and I suppose, at craft shops as well.  All my students also love using the 3-hole punch to make the holes in the pages.

  I use the same types of bindings to put together homemade braille books, either the ones I produce or ones that the kids make themselves, whether they use a braillewriter, a slate, or the computer to produce the pages.  If the book is a keeper, I add cardboard covers.  The plain cardboard can be laminated and labeling taped title and author and tactile pictures added to the cover.

  I think for elementary age children, good formatting and presentation are important for making Braille books appealing and making reading motivating.  Certainly, the producers of print books, workbooks, and even casual worksheets, go out of their way to make sure that their materials are visually attractive and easy for the kids to handle.  And I think we owe it to our young readers to make their books and worksheets so attractive that they just can't take their hands off of them.  That is why I insist on good formatting, attractive spacing, tactile illustrations, and careful, creative binding and covers for the books and handouts I use with my students.

  When students are learning to produce their own materials using the computer and embosser, then I teach them to read the fanfold documents, and to collate and bind them in whatever way works for them and is practical for the purpose and the length of the document.

  Hope that helps.

  Ann

    ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kim Morrow 
  To: aernet at lists.aerbvi.org 
  Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 10:45 AM
  Subject: [AERNet] presenting braille materials generated from embossers tostudents

                Pros:

  I’m in great need of some advice and hope that there are those with years of experience willing to give it. Here’s the scenario: I  recently taught a  lesson that involved providing Braille handouts to multiple students. Since transcribing each copy by hand was impractical, I generated the copies from the Braille embosser. When I  presented the materials to the students, as generated from the Braille embosser, students had absolutely no inkling of how to handle turning the pages of the accordion-style assembly of the document. My question: Aside from transcribing each Braille copy by hand, is there any way to present materials generated from Braille embossers in a  more effective manner? Or—(my thought): Is it better to have a short lesson with students in how to handle pages generated from Braille embossers, so they will know how to handle materials they generate from Braille embossers themselves? Every student is going to need to know how to handle this eventually.
 Thoughts? HELP!!!!!! J

  Kimberly in Kansas City

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Melinda Schink, TVI

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