The Nemeth Code Tutorial for the Braille Lite Documentation and Manual Gaylen Kapperman and Jodi Sticken Research and Development Institute P. O. Box 351 Sycamore, IL 60178 gkapperman@niu.edu jsticken@niu.edu 815-895-3078 December 2005 The project from which this document emanated was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant no. H327A020024). Table of Contents Overview of the Tutorial 3 Characteristics of Students Who Will Benefit from the Tutorial 6 How to Fit the Tutorial Into the Instructional Schedule of a Student 6 Recommendations for the Selection of Content to be Covered 7 How to Begin 8 Opening the Program 8 Selection of Lessons 8 Reading the Explanation Section 9 Exiting the Explanation Section 9 Interactive Exercises 11 Prompt to Braille 12 Braille to Speech 14 Proofreading 14 Returning to the Explanation Section 15 Miscellaneous Commands 15 Downloading and ing the Tutorial 16 Disk Drive and Diskettes 16 WinDisk 16 Setting Up the Note-Taker Using WinDisk 16 Using the WInDisk Program 17 Compact Flash Card 18 Reference Sheet of Tutorial Commands 19 The Nemeth Code Tutorial for the Braille Lite Documentation and Manual Before beginning to use the Nemeth Code Tutorial for the Braille Lite with a student, it is suggested that the teacher review this manual. This document includes recommendations which were developed by the 14 teachers and students who participated in a field test of the product. Overview of the Tutorial The Tutorial is comprised of 18 lessons on topics ranging from the simplest mathematical symbols to the symbols required for the study of calculus. Each lesson is divided into several sections; most sections contain the following four components: 1. Explanation 2. Prompt to braille exercises 3. Braille to speech exercises 4. Proofreading exercises The student can open any lesson section and study the explanation, then complete any of the three types of exercises which are related to that particular section (a few sections do not include interactive exercises due to the nature of the material and limitations inherent in a one-line braille display). Accuracy of answers in the interactive exercises can be evaluated and revisions may be made by the student. The program will indicate errors and permit revisions. The correct answer can be revealed and compared with the student's answer. Using the appropriate commands, any task can be ended at any point in each section, to move to any other lesson or section. The student is not required to move through the lessons in sequence. Following are the lesson and section titles: Lesson 1: Braille Numbers and Basic Indicators #1.1 The numeric indicator #1.2 The mathematical comma #1.3 The comma in lists or series #1.4 Mathematical comma, dot six, used as a mark of punctuation #1.5 The punctuation indicator, dots four five six Lesson 2: Plus, Minus, and Equals Sign #2.1 Signs of operation and signs of comparison #2.2 Directed (signed) numerals #2.3 The equals sign #2.4 Punctuation used with equals sign Lesson 3: Decimal Point and Related Symbols #3.1 Decimal point, dollar sign, cent sign and related symbols #3.2 The multipurpose indicator #3.3 Monetary signs: dollar, pound sterling, cent #3.4 Percent sign #3.5 Symbols used to indicate degree #3.6 Symbols used to indicate minutes, seconds, feet, inches, prime, and double prime #3.7 Signs showing omitted symbols #3.8 Infinity and null Lesson 4: Multiplication Signs #4.1 Multiplication cross #4.2 Multiplication dot #4.3 Mathematical parentheses, signs of grouping Lesson 5: Division and Fraction Signs #5.1 Division and fraction signs #5.2 Curved and straight division signs #5.3 Fractions #5.4 Mixed number indicators #5.5 Other uses of the slash Lesson 6: Spatial Arrangements #6.1 Spatial arrangements for addition and subtraction #6.2 Addition and subtraction with fractions #6.3 Addition problems with regrouping (carrying) #6.4 Subtraction problems with regrouping (borrowing) #6.5 Multiplication #6.6 Long division #6.7 Long division with additional elements Lesson 7: Roman Numerals and Odds and Ends #7.1 Roman numerals #7.2 Roman numerals in a mathematical context #7.3 Abbreviations #7.4 Function names #7.5 Plural, possessive, and ordinal endings, and contractions adjacent to mathematical symbols #7.6 Contractions and shortform words #7.7 Special symbols Lesson 8: More Signs of Operation #8.1 Signs of operation: plus or minus, minus or plus, and horizontally joined plus and minus #8.2 Radical (also known as root) #8.3 Factorial, union, intersection, and hollow dot #8.4 Asterisk Lesson 9: Use of Letters, Symbols, and Numbers #9.1 The use of letters, symbols and numbers #9.2 Letters not used in mathematical expressions #9.3 Specialized alphabets Lesson 10: Signs of Grouping #10.1 Signs of grouping #10.2 Signs of grouping: spacing, plural endings, and parts of words #10.3 Signs of grouping: brackets #10.4 Signs of grouping: enlarged brackets #10.5 Signs of grouping: braces #10.6 Signs of grouping: vertical bars Lesson 11: More Signs of Comparison #11.1 Signs of comparison: not equal, approximately equal, identity, similar to, and congruent to #11.2 Signs of comparison: ratios, inequalities, set notation, and vertical bars Lesson 12: Level Indicators #12.1 Level indicators #12.2 Level indicators: multiple levels, fractions, grouping symbols, negative exponents, left positioned, and punctuation #12.3 Level indicators: subscripts #12.4 Level indicators: nondecimal bases and combined superscript and subscript indicators #12.5 Level indicators: Spatial arrangements #12.6 Level indicators in matrices and determinants Lesson 13: More Radicals and Groups #13.1 Indexofradical #13.2 Nested radicals #13.3 Radicals: Division, fractions, superscripts and subscripts Lesson 14: The Shape Indicator #14.1 Signs of shape: shape indicator, twocelled shape symbols, spacing and punctuation #14.2 Signs of shape: level indicators, English letter indicator, as signs of omission, and identified shape symbols #14.3 Signs of shape: shaded and filledin, positioning, star as a reference #14.4 Signs of shape: arrows #14.5 Signs of shape: structural modification, interior modification Lesson 15: Different Type Forms #15.1 Typeform indicators with numbers #15.2 Typeform indicators with letters #15.3 Typeform indicators with labeled mathematical statements, words, and phrases Lesson 16: Formats for Geometric Proofs #16.1 Formats for geometric proofs Lesson 17: Fractions: Complex and Hypercomplex #17.1 Complex fractions #17.2 Hypercomplex fractions #17.3 Spatial arrangement of fractions for cancellation Lesson 18: Integrals, Sigma Notation, and Limits #18.1 Sigma notation #18.2 Limits #18.3 Integrals and partial derivatives Characteristics of Students Who Will Benefit from the Tutorial This tutorial was designed for use with a wide range of students from the fifth grade through college level. All sections of the tutorial, however, are not suitable for all students. The students for whom this tutorial was designed are academically oriented, competent braille readers. One of the salient features of the tutorial, in addition to learning to read and write the braille code of mathematics, is to enable the learner to link the names of print mathematical symbols to their corresponding Nemeth Code symbols, and to describe the rules governing the code. Younger, less mature students will require guidance and oversight by their teachers while older, more mature students will be able to use the tutorial independently as a self-study course of instruction. Students who cannot read braille for whatever reason cannot benefit from this tutorial. Simply learning how the various symbols are spoken without the ability to read them tactually will be of absolutely no benefit to the student. In addition to being able to read and write braille, students must be reasonably conversant with the Braille ‘n Speak or Braille Lite. This tutorial has not been designed to teach a student how to use either of those two devices. If the prospective student does not have experience in using a Braille Lite, but is proficient in the use of the Braille ‘n Speak, transition to the Braille Lite is very easily accomplished. How to Fit the Tutorial Into the Instructional Schedule of a Student The tutorial was designed for use by academically oriented students who are often characterized as having extraordinarily busy schedules. Because they are usually fully included in the general education classroom with sighted peers, the time pressures are enormous. It can be a challenge for the teacher of students with visual impairments to find time for instruction on the Nemeth Code. The teachers who participated in this project used a variety of strategies to overcome this challenge. One successful strategy was to include use of the tutorial for a predetermined amount of time each week as a goal in the student’s IEP, thus ensuring that sufficient time is allotted in the student’s schedule to work through the material. One teacher scheduled this time before or after school. This required separate transportation for the student, but this was readily available in that case. Other teachers devoted a certain amount of time each week during the student’s regularly scheduled time for specialized instruction during the school day. This model was less successful, because the amount of time spent with the tutorial was not consistent. It was therefore necessary for teachers to review previously mastered content, or previously mastered commands specific to the operation of the tutorial. In the case of more independent students, teachers were able to assign work with the tutorial as homework. The students were allowed to take the Braille Lite home where they used the tutorial with minimal interruption. Any difficulties encountered would be brought to the teacher’s attention and remedied during the school day. In the cases in which this strategy was employed, teachers made it a practice to informally quiz the students on the progress that they made at home. The teachers randomly chose items from the sections which had been assigned to require that the students demonstrate that they had mastered the content. Recommendations for the Selection of Content to be Covered The content of the tutorial spans the Nemeth Code symbols and rules from the most basic mathematical tasks and concepts, such as reading and writing number facts, to higher level tasks, such as the reading and writing of calculus. The teacher must determine which lessons are appropriate for each student. Below are recommendations developed by the teachers in the field test group. Several teachers reviewed the tutorial content thoroughly and identified the lessons and sections which present the symbols needed for the student to participate and progress in the general education math curriculum. The student can appreciate the direct worth of using the tutorial because the knowledge gained will be applied immediately in the classroom. New symbols and rules should be introduced before the student encounters them in regular math instruction rather than being required to learn Nemeth Code symbols at the same time as new mathematical concepts. Using the table of contents is the most efficient method for conducting this search because the tutor program does not include a “find” or “search” function. An alternative is to use the print version of the tutor, which is in a Microsoft Word format and can be “searched” if viewed on a computer. Other teachers started at the beginning of the tutorial and progressed through each and every lesson in sequence. It required two years to complete the entire tutorial in this fashion. This approach is recommended for only the most highly motivated, intellectually gifted students. How to Begin It is assumed that the student has already mastered the operation of a Braille Lite or a Braille ‘n Speak. It is not recommended that the student learn to operate the Braille Lite at the same time that he or she learns to use the tutorial. The commands for operating the tutorial are very similar, and in many cases, the same as the regular keystroke commands which are used to operate the Braille Lite, but one must be very familiar with those commands in order to limit the “learning load” for the student. One to two years of experience in using either the Braille Lite or the Braille ‘n speak are usually sufficient given that the student has mastered the use of either of these devices. The teacher should master operation of the Braille Lite before attempting to use the Nemeth Code Tutorial. Begin with the tutorial by thoroughly reviewing the documentation and manual, then learning to operate the program. After the teacher has mastered the operation of the tutorial, he or she should begin instructing the student by describing its purpose and overall operation, then moving through the following procedures detailed below. Opening the Program Open the underlying program, nemeth.bns: 1. Press ochord ("option") 2. Go to the file menu by pressing f ("enter file command") 3. Press fchord ("enter file name") 4. Enter the filename, nemeth.bns: * braille the following letters: n e m e t h period (dots four six) b n s * press echord: the program is loaded. The Braille Lite announces, "nemeth period b n s 22 pages external program." 5. Press ochord ("Nemeth Code Program ready enter file name”) 6. Select a lesson section to open the explanation section. Selection of Lessons The name of each lesson is composed of the letter, l, followed by the number of the lesson. The lesson number is followed by the letter, s, which indicates "section", followed by the number of the section. The numbers are entered using the computer braille code: no numeric indicators are used and the ten digits are written in the lower twothirds of the cell. To open the explanation section of the first lesson, braille the following: 1. the letter, l (dots 1-2-3) (indicates "lesson") 2. the numeral, 1 (dot 2) (indicates the number of the lesson) 3. the letter, s (dots 2-3-4) (indicates "section") 4. the numeral, 1 (dot 2) (indicates the number of the section) 5. echord (Braille Lite announces, "reading Nemeth lesson l one s one e sys") Reading the Explanation Section All of the regular cursor reading commands are operational in the explanation section of any lesson. These include: read current line dots1-4chord read next line dot 4-chord read previous line dot 1-chord read current word dots 25-chord read next word dot 5-chord read previous word dot 2-chord read current character dots 36-chord read next character dot 6-chord read previous character dot 3-chord move to top of file dots 1-2-3-chord move to end of file dots 456-chord read from cursor to end dots 12456-chord advance to next line on braille display: press advance bar on right side move to previous line on braille display: press advance bar on left side Using these commands, the explanation section can be read in detail. Portions of the section can be reviewed as many times as needed. The content of the section under study is shown on the display as well as spoken by the Braille Lite. As a consequence, the student can examine the various Nemeth Code symbols tactually while listening to them spoken correctly. Editing commands are not operational in the Nemeth Code Tutorial program; all files are writeprotected. Review mode, therefore, is not necessary, and no changes can be made in any file in the program. Pressing any keys which are not chorded does not result in any action in the explanation sections of the software. Exiting the Explanation Section There are two sequences of commands for exiting any explanation section. The first enables the student to choose a different explanation section. The second enables the student to select any of the three sets of interactive exercises which support the particular explanation section under study. In order to exit any explanation section to move to a different explanation section, follow these steps: 1. Press ochord. The Braille Lite prompts: "Try another lesson, enter y, n or zchord to abort." 2. Press y to move to a different explanation section. The prompt, "enter lesson file name," is displayed and spoken. 3. Enter a different lesson name following the convention outlined above. For example, enter L1s2 followed by echord to move to the explanation portion of lesson 1, section 2. At any point, this sequence of keystrokes can be used to move to any other explanation section. The second sequence of commands to exit the explanation section enables the student to select one of the three sets of exercises: 1. Press schord. The Braille Lite prompts: "select exercise or explanation. Enter 1 for prompt to braille, 2 for braille to speech, 3 for proofreading, or 4 for explanation". 2. Enter one of the four numbers (as computer code numerals) to open a particular exercise or to go back to the current explanation. The following sequence of keystrokes will enable the student to choose to move to a different section or to shut down the entire program: 1. Press zchord. The Braille Lite prompts: "Do you want to exit the entire program, enter y or n?" 2. If n is pressed, the Braille Lite moves back to the original prompt, "Select exercise or explanation. Enter 1 for prompt to braille, 2 for braille to speech, 3 for proofreading, or 4 for explanation." 3. If y is pressed, the Braille Lite prompts: "Exiting Nemeth Code program." 4. To reverse that decision, press ochord to reenter the program; the option will be given to select a lesson and section to begin the process again. At any point in any exercise or any explanation section, there is the option of moving to a different section of the same lesson by pressing schord and making a different selection. The only way to move to a different lesson, however, is to press ochord and follow the prompt: "Try another lesson? Press y, n, or zchord to abort." Pressing y will result in the option to choose another lesson; pressing n or zchord will result in exiting the program. If the student were to enter the program and then press ochord instead of entering a file name, the Braille Lite will offer the following prompt: "No lesson file name given; exiting Nemeth Code program." At this point, enter ochord to reenter the program. Interactive Exercises A unique aspect of this software is that nearly all explanation sections have three exercise sections connected to them. The only exceptions to this are the lessons which deal with spatial arrangements. It is not possible to depict spatially arranged items on a tactile display which shows only one line at a time. Thus, lessons which focus on spatially arranged content do not contain exercise sections. The importance of providing opportunities to practice reading and writing the symbols which are discussed in the explanation sections cannot be overemphasized. The student who uses this program has the opportunity to interact with the content through the use of the practice exercises. The authors believe that much greater learning will take place if students take advantage of the opportunities presented in the practice exercise sections. There are three types of exercise sections. The first, Prompt to Braille, offers the opportunity to practice brailling items which contain the symbols under study in the explanation section. The software provides an auditory prompt and the student is to braille the item. Editing commands can be used to make changes in a response. A response can be "graded" for accuracy; if errors are detected, the response may be edited and graded again. The correct response can also be displayed, in order to compare it with the student's response. The second type of exercise, Braille to Speech, is provided for practice reading the symbols which are presented in the explanation section of a lesson. In this type of exercise, the software presents an item on the tactile display without speaking it. The student can read it tactually, respond verbally, and then cause the software to speak it correctly. In this way, the student can compare his or her response to the correct response offered by the software. The third exercise section is Proofreading. In this type of exercise, the software presents an item which contains one or more errors. The student examines the item shown on the display. He or she can cause the item to be spoken correctly and can compare the spoken prompt to the item which contains errors. The student can invoke editing commands to correct the errors, then "grade" his or her response by tapping the appropriate keystrokes. If errors remain uncorrected, the student can reenter the item to correct those errors. This procedure can be repeated as many times as are desired. The student, again, has the option of causing the software to display the correct response. Interacting with the content is more preferable than simply reading the explanation section. The combination of studying the content of each explanation section and then carrying out the practice exercises for the section will insure that the student develops a firm understanding of the content. The following paragraphs provide details regarding navigating through the practice exercises. Prompt to Braille To enter the Prompt to Braille exercise section, follow these steps: 1. Move to an explanation section following the steps listed above 2. Press schord 3. At the prompt, "Select exercise or explanation. Enter 1 for prompt to braille, 2 for braille to speech, 3 for proofreading, or 4 for explanation", enter the computer code numeral, 1 (dot 2). 4. The following prompt will be offered: "Reading Nemeth lesson (title of exercise). Braille the following exercises exactly as spoken." The exercise item is then spoken. 5. At the spoken prompt, the student should prepare to braille the exercise item. Begin by pressing rchord. The prompt, "enter braille", is spoken. 6. To repeat the exercise item to be brailled, the student should follow these steps: * Press tchord. The software announces, "prompt." * Review the spoken item in detail using cursor reading keystrokes: * entire item, dots 1-4-chord * current word, dots 25-chord * previous word, dot 2-chord * next word, dot 5-chord * current character, dots 36-chord * previous character, dot 3-chord * next character, dot 6-chord The command, tchord, is a toggle between the operations of reading and responding. While in reading mode, the reading commands are operational. While in response mode, the reading commands are not operational; the response is shown on the display as it is entered. The student should be aware that the reading cursor in the prompt state does not automatically maintain the position of the writing cursor in the response state. During the editing process, the position of the writing cursor can be moved by pressing dot 3-chord or dot 6-chord. After a response is entered, pressing gchord will trigger the program to evaluate accuracy of the response. If the response is correct, the software will announce, "correct, next line", and the next item will be spoken. Press rchord, again, and enter the next response. To repeat the prompt, press tchord as described above. If the student's response in incorrect, the software will announce that the response is "wrong", and will indicate the number of errors. The position of the first error is marked by the cursor, dots 78. The software may announce that a large number of errors has been committed. The software compares the student's entry to the correct response. If an error is made near the beginning of the item, then it is possible for all subsequent characters to be out of position. The software counts all of these as errors. This is likely to occur if a space is left out or if two many spaces are inserted. The following procedure is used to correct the response: 1. After pressing g-chord and hearing the announcement, "wrong", press the spacebar; the Braille Lite will prompt, "edit Braille" 2. Use the following editing commands to correct the response: * press ichord ("insert") * press ichord a second time ("overwrite") * press ichord the third time ("append") * press dchord to delete the current character If the student does not know the correct answer, he or she may move to the prompt state by pressing tchord, and using the reading commands, carefully examine the correct response. He or she can compare that which is spoken to his or her response. To continue to make corrections, the student then must reenter the response state by pressing tchord once again. After all of the desired changes are made, the edited response can be graded by pressing gchord. If the result is again wrong, the procedure outlined above can be repeated. It can be repeated until the correct response has been entered. The following cursor movement commands may be used to navigate through the tactile display, allowing close examination of the refreshable braille: * dot 3-chord or dot 6-chord: display will move characters, one character at a time, either forward or backward * dot 2-chord or dot 5-chord: display will move words, one word at a time, either forward or backward * dots 23-chord or dots 56-chord: display will move lines, one line of symbols at a time, either forward or backward To display the correct response, press fchord; the Braille Lite speaks the prompt, "the correct braille for (the response) is." To compare the correct response which is now shown on the display to the student's response, press the spacebar and then press kchord to view the student's response again. This combination of keystrokes, spacebar and kchord, will toggle back and forth from the student's response to the correct response. To move to different items within the exercise section, press dot 1-chord to move to the previous item and dot 4-chord to move to the next item. After reaching the desired item, press rchord to begin. The prompt, "enter braille" is spoken and the procedures outlined above can be followed. Braille to Speech Press schord and follow the prompt, entering the computer code numeral 2 to move to the Braille to Speech section. The following prompt will be spoken: "reading Nemeth lesson (name of lesson)". Read each item and compare your response to the spoken prompt. At this point, the first item appears on the display. The student should read the item tactually and record his or her response. To compare the student's response to the correct response spoken by the Braille Lite, press rchord. The Braille Lite will speak the item correctly. At this point, all of the cursor reading commands are operational. The student can reexamine the item closely using those commands. To move to the next item, press dot 4-chord; read the item; and press rchord to have the item spoken by the Braille Lite. Press dot 1-chord to move to a previous item. There is no method by which the Braille Lite can determine the accuracy of the student's response, and no editing commands are operational in this exercise section. Proofreading Press s-chord; at the prompt, press the computer code numeral 3 to move to the proofreading exercise section. The Braille Lite will prompt, "reading Nemeth lesson (the title of the lesson), proofread the following braille." The first item will be announced. Press rchord ("edit braille"), and the first item will be shown on the display. It contains one or more errors. The student is required to examine it carefully to discover the errors. To hear the correct response, press tchord (to move to the prompt state, as described in the Prompt to Braille section). The incorrect braille remains on the display and the student can use the reading commands to listen to the correct response while examining the incorrect item. To edit the incorrect item, press tchord to move to the response state. At this point, all of the editing commands (insert, overwrite, append, delete) described above are operational. To correct the response, use the appropriate edit commands. The writing cursor, position indicated by the location of dots 7-8, can be moved using dot 3-chord or dot 6-chord. Press the advance bar on the right side to advance the display one line at a time, or press the left side to reveal previous lines. After necessary corrections are made, “grade” the response by pressing gchord. The Braille Lite will announce, "correct", and will speak the next item. If errors remain, the Braille Lite will announce that the response is incorrect. Press the spacebar to continue. To view the correct response, press fchord. The correct response is then shown on the display. To continue the exercise, press spacebar. Press dot 4-chord to move to the next item or dot 1-chord to move to the previous item. Returning to the Explanation Section At any point, the student can return to the explanation section by pressing schord followed by the computer code numeral 4. To move to a different explanation section, press ochord and respond to the prompt by choosing a different explanation section. From any point in any section, the command, ochord, can be pressed. This enables the student to select any other explanation section by entering the proper filename as described above. Using the convention, l followed by the number of the lesson followed by the letter, s, followed by the number of the section within the lesson will result in calling up the desired section. Miscellaneous Commands To determine which section is currently open: dots 156-chord To repeat instructions for a section at any point within a section: dots 3-5-chord All of the speech parameters are available in this program as they are in the Braille 'n Speak or Braille Lite: * enter speech parameters menu: dots 345-chord * exit speech parameters menu: e-chord * to control speech parameters while in speech parameters menu: increase volume: dot 4 decrease volume: dot 1 increase rate: dot 5 decrease rate: dot 2 increase pitch: dot 6 decrease pitch: dot 3 speak full numbers or speak digits (toggle): dots 1-3-4-5 The help file is specific to this program, and is accessible from any section of the program: * enter the help file: dots 1456-chord * move through help file using cursor routing commands * exit the help file: zchord. The cursor can be visible or not visible in any section. To toggle “cursor visible” on or off, press vchord. The cursor is shown by the presence of dots 78 when cursor visible is turned on. Downloading and Installing the Tutorial The program and accompanying files are available at http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/noteaccess.asp. Locate the link, “Nemeth Code self-study program Download Page.” There are three methods which can be used to install the program on a Braille Lite: using a Braille Lite disk drive and 3 diskettes; using WinDisk; or using a compact flash card. The methods are described in the following paragraphs. Disk Drive and Diskettes After downloading the program files to a computer hard drive, copy them to 3 diskettes. Then follow these steps to load the software using the batch installation procedure available in the Braille Lite 18 or the Braille Lite 40: 1. Turn on folder mode if it is not already operational 2. Open the flash folder with the intention of installing the files in that folder 3. Connect the Braille Lite and the disk drive 4. Insert the first program disk in the disk drive 5. Turn on the Braille Lite and turn on the disk drive 6. Enter schord, y, r, dots 16, 46, 16 (star dot star) 7. Press echord All the files on the diskette, including the underlying program and the lessons, will be installed in the Braille Lite in the flash folder. Repeat this procedure for the second and third diskettes. The entire program along with all files is now installed in the Braille Lite. WinDisk WinDisk is a program which can be used to connect the Braille Lite to your computer simplifying the process of file transfer. WinDisk is free of charge and can be downloaded from the Freedom Scientific website. After it is installed on the computer, connect the Braille Lite to the computer using a serial cable. Setting Up the Note-Taker Using WinDisk 1. Connect the note-taker to the PC serial port using a standard Blazie Engineering serial cable. 2. Enter the status menu and set the following serial parameters: * For the Braille Lite 18, 2000, and 40: 38400 BAUD No parity Half duplex 8 data bits 1 stop bit Software handshake For best results, move to the WinDisk icon in My Computer/Windows Explorer or My Documents, press the Applications key, and select Properties. Press CTRL+TAB several times to move to the Advanced page, and be sure the timeout value is set to 3000 milliseconds. This is the default. * For the Braille Lite M20 and M40: 115,200 BAUD No parity Half duplex 8 data bits 1 stop bit Software handshake 3. Exit the status menu. 4. From any file, type o-chord, w-chord. The note-taker will speak, "WinDisk mode, press z-chord or escape to abort." The note-taker is now set up to communicate with the PC. Using the WInDisk Program After the note-taker is connected and initialized for WinDisk, start either Windows Explorer or My Computer. Note: if another program is using the same serial port, either exit that program or command the program to free up the serial port. WinDisk is integrated into Windows Explorer and My Computer. Therefore, simply starting either of these programs automatically starts WinDisk. * The view from Windows Explorer If WinDisk has been installed on the PC, a new entry, WinDisk 3.5, appears within level two of the tree view of Windows Explorer. The Freedom Scientific icon marks this text label. Opening this level of the tree causes a list of all folders in the note-taker to be displayed at level three. It may take several seconds for this level of the tree to appear. The folders will be listed alphabetically, and each folder name will be followed by either the letter R or the letter F in parentheses. This indicates whether the folder contains RAM or flash files. Note: even when the note-taker is set to all files mode, a minimum of two folders appears here, Ram Startup and Flash Startup. To view the files within a folder, simply highlight the desired folder in the tree and view the files in the list view of Windows Explorer. While exploring the folders and files of the note-taker, the title bar will read the following: Exploring - Blazie R:\ram startup. The R: denotes the folder is RAM, and Blazie in the title prevents confusion with another drive on the machine that might be labeled R:. * The view from My Computer If WinDisk has been installed on the PC, a new entry appears in the opening list of My Computer named WinDisk 3.5. The Freedom Scientific icon marks this text label. Opening this entry will produce a new list displaying all the folders in the note-taker. It may take several seconds for this new list to appear. The folders will be listed alphabetically, and each folder name will be followed by either the letter R or the letter F in parentheses. This indicates whether the folder contains RAM or flash files. Note: even when the note-taker is set to all files mode, a minimum of two folders appears here, Ram Startup and Flash Startup. To view the files within a folder, select the desired folder and open it; a new list will appear displaying the files. While navigating the folders and files of the note-taker, the title bar will read the following: Blazie R:\ram startup. The R: denotes the folder is RAM, and Blazie in the title prevents confusion with another drive on the machine that might be labeled R:. * Installing the Tutor files on the Braille Lite After opening the folder which was down loaded from the Freedom Scientific site, highlight and copy all of the Nemeth code Tutorial files and the underlying program. , use the steps outlined above to install the files on the Braille Lite. Open the flash folder on the note-taker using WinDisk. With standard Windows copy and paste commands, paste the files in the flash folder of the note-taker. Then close the WinDisk program and disconnect the note-taker from the computer. The Nemeth Code tutorial will operate as described in the previous sections of this manual. (Note: the above information pertaining to the use of WinDisk has been summarized from the WinDisk documentation found on the Freedom Scientific website.) Compact Flash Card To install the Nemeth Code tutorial program in a Braille Lite using a compact flash card: * Copy the tutorial and accompanying files from the folder down loaded from the Freedom Scientific site onto a compact flash card with a compact flash card reader. * Remove the card from the compact flash card reader and insert it into the Braille Lite. * Turn on the Braille Lite. Move to the file menu. Open the flash folder first by tapping o-chord followed by f. Press dot 2 to open the flash folder. These steps presume that you have placed the Braille Lite into folder mode. If that is not the case, consult the Braille Lite manual to determine the procedures for accomplishing this. o Next follow these steps to open the compact flash card. Press dot one to open the compact flash card. Mark all of the files on the card by pressing m-chord. That causes a prompt to be displayed which states, enter mask. At the prompt, press star dot star by tapping the following key commands, start, dots 1-6, dot, dots 4-6, star, dots 1-6. Press e-chord to begin the marking process. All of the files are now marked. o Tap c, dots 1-4, with key eight to move marked files to the flash folder. o Remove the compact flash card. The program is now ready to be used as described in previous sections of this manual. Reference Sheet of Tutorial Commands The following is a list of the commands which are used to operate the Nemeth Code tutorial: open options menu: ochord file menu: f find command: f-chord, enter name of file, e-chord name of program: nemeth.bns open nemeth.bns once it has been located: o-chord naming convention for lessons: l, number of lesson, s, number of section (enter numbers in computer braille) reading commands: read current line dots1-4chord read next line dot 4-chord read previous line dot 1-chord read current word dots 25-chord read next word dot 5-chord read previous word dot 2-chord read current character dots 36-chord read next character dot 6-chord read previous character dot 3-chord move to top of file dots 1-2-3-chord move to end of file dots 456-chord read from cursor to end dots 12456-chord chord –c read current line advance to next line on braille display: press advance bar on right side move to previous line on braille display: press advance bar on left side cursor visible on (indicated by dots 7-8): vchord cursor visible off: v-chord (toggle) exiting explanation section and moving to a different explanation section: * chord-o: (prompt to move to another section) * y for yes, n for no, or z for abort * press y: move to a different section * input the name of a different section selection of exercise sections: * schord: "Enter 1 for Prompt to Braille, 2 for Braille to Speech, 3 for Proofreading, or 4 for Explanation” * zchord: “Exit the entire program, enter y or n” exercise section commands: enables student to input answers: r-chord toggle between reading and inputting options: t-chord grade the student’s answer: g-chord ready program to accept changes in response after grading: spacebar editing: insert: i-chord overwrite: i-chord, i-chord append: i-chord, i-chord, i-chord delete current character: d-chord display correct response: f-chord display student answer: k-chord display which section is currently open: dots 156-chord repeat instructions for current section: dots 3-5-chord controlling speech: * enter speech parameters menu: dots 345-chord (This must be done before entering the program. If the program is operational, it must be exited in order to change speech parameters.) * exit speech parameters menu: e-chord * to control speech parameters while in speech parameters menu: increase volume: dot 4 decrease volume: dot 1 increase rate: dot 5 decrease rate: dot 2 increase pitch: dot 6 decrease pitch: dot 3 speak full numbers or speak digits (toggle): dots 1-3-4-5 accessing help file: * enter the help file: dots 1456-chord * (move through help file using the usual navigation commands) * exit the help file: zchord 1