Aligning Braille Literacy and Assistive Technology Skills With ISTE Educational Technology Standards
By McNear, Donna; Closing the Gap, Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 1, 9Publication Date: December 2004/January 2005
Article presents an outline of a process that teachers can use to scrutinize educational practices in the use of Braille tools in educational settings, and to form improved practices for assistive technology (AT) services for students who read and write Braille. The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students is presented as a resource to guide educational practices in Braille literacy. The initiative is made up of six Technology Foundation Standards for students: (1) basic operations and concepts, (2) social, ethical, and human issues, (3) technology productivity tools, (4) technology communication tools, (5) technology research tools, and (6) technology problem-solving and decision-making tools. The Technology Foundation Standards for students emphasize the role of AT in education, including both Braille and QWERTY keyboards, refreshable Braille displays, electronic Braille writers, Braille notetakers, tactile graphics makers, and accessible scanning tools. According to the author, school districts throughout the United States are utilizing NETS in order to change educational practices, which often suffer from a lack of an empirical base.
Published by: Closing the Gap, Inc. (Website:http://www.closingthegap.com)
