Getting Students Started with Microsoft Windows

1. Getting Students Started with Microsoft Windows Presented by staff FROM the Ca School for the Blind Adrian Amandi Yurika vu Stephanie herlich

2. STEP 1: GET OVER YOURSELF. • Too often teachers feel insecure about their ability to teach, support, or develop a path of integrating technology into a curriculum. • The primary obstacle to your students current and future success is often a teacher’s (be that TVI, paraprofessional, parent, other) discomfort with technology themselves.

3. Keyboarding is not your crutch • Too often teachers go to keyboarding as a safety net for the first year or two of a student’s technology teaching. • Use games, music, and the internet as motivators to help build your student’s skills. Introduce Technology as early as you can • Introducing technology should occur in preschool. • Goal: Every student will have a firm beginning in technology prior to reaching Kindergarten.

4. A Few Factors to Consider… STEP 2: GET THE TECHNOLOGY. • It can be difficult to determine the appropriate assistive technology for a student • Sometimes it’s hard to obtain the equipment The TVI is responsible for assistive technology assessments. • #1 • 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.

5. A Few Factors to Consider… continued 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 Not Education Education • #2 http://www.dof.ca.gov/budgeting/budget_faqs/documents/CHART-E.pdf

6. 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. • #3 • #4

7. STEP 3: When there’s a fork in the road, take both paths… SIMULTANEOUSLY Here’s your chance to be creative, have fun, and explore alongside your student. Keyboarding? Games/Music? BOTH!

8. STEP 3: Continued… Let’s first talk about Keyboarding It is really important but it is only part of the equation

9. STEP 3: Continued… Back in the Day… • 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?

10. STEP 3: Continued… Keyboarding Tips • Work in small groups or one-to-one with students. • Verbally correct every mistake in fingering, posture, and hand position. • Physically demonstrate and correct your students fingering, posture, and hand position • This can be accomplished by anyone (even visually impaired teachers/aids) • Anyone can teach effective typing • The TVI, general education teachers, paraprofessionals, transcribers, parents, volunteers, school administration and office staff • 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 • They can give parents an avenue to monitor typing without creatively planning content. • 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.

11. STEP 3: Continued… Games, Music, & the Internet • This path may actually begin previous to keyboarding. • Motivation is key!

12. STEP 3: Continued… Games • Explore beginning elements of the keyboard including spacebar, arrow keys, and enter. • 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

13. STEP 3: Continued… Music • 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

14. Internet STEP 3: Continued… • 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. • 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

15. STEP 4 Here are some ideas! We have created a YouTube page to get you started

16. STEP 4: Continued… Here are some things to start with… • 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

17. STEP 5 If stuck, don’t 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

18. STEP 6 Acknowledge that technology is designed for and by people with normal vision • 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

19. STEP 7 Run with it • Here’s 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 to’s. • Note-taking/creating your own notes • Recording

20. Thank you!