Hi all,
Interesting but how much help would this be for a blind student? She wont
be able to read what is on the paper and will still have to read the
intermediate text on the computer. Or, am I misunderstanding the program?
Pranav
At 08:41 AM 5/17/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>>Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 10:42:11 -0400
>>From: joe j lazzaro <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: Announcing Virtual Pencil (fwd)
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>X-Authentication-warning: shell01.TheWorld.com: lazzaro owned process
>>doing -bs
>>Original-recipient: rfc822;[log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>
>>Joseph J. Lazzaro
>>HTTP://JoeLazzaro.Com
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 07:49:48 -0400
>>From: Ted Henter <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Announcing Virtual Pencil
>>
>> News Release
>>
>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>
>>Media Contact: Emley Henter, Sales and Marketing
>>Henter Math, LLC
>>8335 37th Ave. N.
>>St. Petersburg, FL 33710
>>[log in to unmask], or www.HenterMath.com
>>727- 347- 1313
>>
>>Henter Math is pleased to announce the release of their first product,
>>Virtual Pencil, computer software for interactive access to math. It is
>>designed for those who are pencil impaired: unable to operate
>>a pencil effectively. This might be someone that is blind, visually
>>impaired, motor impaired, or learning disabled. This is not a tutorial,
>>but a tool that can be used to interactively solve a math problem. It
>>moves to the right spot on the "paper", guided by the user, and inputs
>>the answers that the user selects. When used with a screen
>>reader the numbers and actions are read outloud, or displayed in
>>Braille.
>>
>>The traditional pencil is a problem for people that are blind, people
>>that can't grip or move it, or those that are learning disabled. A
>>pencil plays a key part in learning Math, and other equation-solving
>>disciplines. Typically a student uses a pencil to "work through" a math
>>problem, writing down the intermediate answers and using them to get the
>>final answer. But if you can't operate a pencil then you can't write
>>down the intermediate answers, which makes it more difficult to get the
>>final answer and leaves nothing on the paper to show that you actually
>>worked through the problem. If you are blind the pencil doesn't tell
>>you what numbers to add together either.
>>
>>Company founder Ted Henter says "I was helping my junior high school
>>daughter with her homework a few years ago. I could do the math in my
>>head, but I could not show her how to do it. I am blind, she is sighted.
>>It was a very frustrating experience for both of us. That is when I
>>realized that the problem lies with the pencil, or my inability to
>>operate it. I received my math education when I was sighted, and skipped
>>the frustration that must impact every blind student, their teachers,
>>and their parents."
>>
>>"Why not have a computer program that the student can control with the
>>keyboard, or voice commands, that simulates the function of a pencil?
>>Like a smart pencil that knows where to put the intermediate answers,
>>where to put the final answers, and where to get the raw numbers that
>>are used to get these answers?"
>>
>>Virtual Pencil can be used by the student in tutor mode to learn how to
>>navigate around and solve math problems, with lots of on-line help. In
>>test mode the student does not have the tutor and must know how to
>>navigate, where to read the digits in the intermediate steps, and where
>>to put the answers, just like a pencil. Teachers can use Virtual Pencil
>>to create an assignment or test, password protect it, and then send it
>>to the student via email, save it to a diskette, print it or emboss it
>>in Braille. The password prevents students switching from test mode to
>>tutor mode or otherwise changing the assignment. The same file can be
>>printed-out for the other students in the class, saving the teacher a
>>lot of time.
>>
>>The current product handles addition, subtraction, multiplication,
>>division, and decimals. Future versions will do higher levels of math,
>>like algebra, trigonometry, differential equations, and calculus. The
>>price is $99, for more information or to download a free demo go to the
>>web page at www.HenterMath.com.
>
>
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