Braille Sense Plus
Lesson Plans
By Rosa Mauer
The Braille Sense is a Braille note taker that individuals who are blind and visually impaired can use as they would a laptop computer. The Braille Sense even has an LCD screen so those with sight can view what’s happening on the Braille Sense. E-mail, word processing, Internet, a media player, and much more are available on this handy device. Visit for more information.
Lesson 1: Introduction
Lesson 2: Hardware
Lesson 3: Getting Started
Lesson 4: Moving On
Lesson 5: Word Processing
Lesson 6: Utilities Menu
Lesson 7: Option Settings
Lesson 8: Address Book
Lesson 9: Schedule Manager
Lesson 10: Pronunciation Dictionary
Lesson 11: Internet Part 1
Lesson 12: Internet Part 2
Lesson 13: Find and Replace Text
Lesson 14: Spelling Checker
Lesson 15: Switching Between Programs and Documents
Lesson 16: Printing
The Braille Sense Plus
Lesson 1: Introduction
General Goal: To become familiar with basic tasks that the Braille Sense can be used for.
Specific Objectives:
a. Describe the manner in which a user can write using the Braille Sense Plus.
b. Explain the computer-related tasks that can be performed using the Braille Sense Plus.
c. Explain how a sighted person can view what a student is doing on the Braille Sense Plus.
d. Discuss the adjustment that can be made with the Braille Sense Plus speech.
Required Materials: none
You may want to emboss parts of this lesson or the quiz.
Procedures:
a. Emboss the sentences that are listed below.
b. Assist your student in reading the sentences orally. For some students, you may just want to read the sentences orally. Keep the needs and abilities of your student in mind. Adjust the lesson as necessary.
1. The Braille Sense Plus is a Braille Note Taker.
2. The Braille Sense Plus has keys that are like the keys on the Perkins Braille Writer.
3. The Braille Sense Plus can be used to print documents in print or to emboss documents in Braille.
4. You can use the Braille Sense Plus to write and read documents.
5. The Braille Sense Plus can be used to read e-mail.
6. The Braille Sense Plus can be used to surf the Internet.
7. An address book is on the Braille Sense Plus.
8. The Braille Sense Plus can be used to listen to music or books.
9. There is a calculator on the Braille Sense Plus.
10. You can adjust the voice rate, volume, and speed on the Braille Sense Plus.
11. The Braille Sense Plus can be used to listen to the radio.
c. Ask the student if he or she thinks that a sighted person could see what is being written on the Braille Sense Plus. The answer is yes! The Braille Sense Plus has an LCD screen. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. What you are writing or reading on the Braille Sense can be viewed by a sighted person with the LCD screen. The LCD screen can be flipped so that a teacher sitting across from the Braille Sense user can read what is happening on the Braille Sense.
d. Can you or your student name 3 types of sound files? WMA, MP3, and WAV files are examples of sound files. These types of files can be listened to on the Braille Sense Plus.
e. The Braille Sense can do many things. With it, you can tell the time, the date, and read books.
Independent Practice:
Emboss the list of statements below. Students may circle the statements that tell about what the Braille Sense can do. Give help as necessary. For some students, you may want to read the items in the list.
1. Write a story.
2. Read an e-mail.
3. Add numbers
4. Draw a picture
5. Listen to a song
6. Give the temperature
7. Read a Harry Potter book
8. Tell the date
9. Wash the dishes
10. Look up an address
11. Listen to the news on the radio.
Closure:
The student should orally summarize what was learned in this lesson. What can the Braille Sense do? What can it be used for? These are questions that you and your student will need to answer over and over again.
Assessment:
Read the following quiz to your student or take the quiz yourself. Feel free to emboss the quiz if you prefer this method for you or your student. Remember, the more Braille your student reads, the more he or she will improve those reading skills. Use these materials to fit the individual needs of you and your students. The quiz could be a take-home quiz or it could be completed during class time.
Lesson 1 Quiz: Introduction
If the statement is true, write the word true on your paper. If the statement is false, write false after the given number on your paper.
1. The Braille Sense is not useful.
2. You can do what you want on the Braille Sense because no one else can see what you write.
3. The Braille Sense would not be a good tool to use in math class because there is no calculator.
4. With the Braille Sense, homework can be printed.
5. Books cannot be read from the Braille Sense.
6. The Braille Sense will not play MP3 files.
7. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display.
8. The Braille Sense is similar to a computer.
9 The Braille Sense has keys kind of like the Braille writer.
10. The Braille Sense speech cannot be adjusted.
Answers
1.false 2. false 3. false 4. true 5. false 6. false 7.true 8. true 9. true 10. false
Rosa Mauer 2008
Reviewed 7/11/09
The Braille Sense Plus
Lesson 2: Hardware
General Goal: To become familiar with the hardware components of the Braille Sense and identify panels, areas, and keys of the Braille Sense Plus.
Specific Objectives:
a. Display an understanding of the names and locations of the rear, front, left, right, and top panels of the Braille Sense Plus.
b. Locate the six Braille Writer keys, the backspace and enter keys, and the spacebar.
c. Explain and identify the Braille display and the cursor keys.
d. Demonstrate the ability to locate and name the 4 function keys.
e. Locate some important areas on the Braille Sense panels.
Required Materials:
Braille Sense Plus
Emboss materials from this lesson if desired
Procedures:
a. You or your student can open the cover of the Braille Sense Plus. You and your student will recognize the six keys and spacebar that are similar to those on a Perkins Braille writer. Position the Braille Sense so that these keys are correct according to how a Braille writer would need to be positioned.
b. The on/off switch is on the front panel of the Braille Sense Plus. The switch can be slid to the left or to the right. It will always go back to the middle position to rest. When the switch is pushed to the left, the unit is off. To turn the Braille Sense Plus on, push the switch to the right and then let it go back to it’s middle position. Try this now, but turn the Braille Sense Plus off when you finish.
c. Help your student position his or her hands on the Braille Sense as if using the Perkins Braille writer. This panel (facing up to the ceiling) is called the top panel. Point to or touch the dot 3 key. The key to the left and slightly down from the dot 3 key is the backspace or the escape key, depending on what task you are completing..
d. Touch or point to the dot 6 on the Braille keys. The key to the right and slightly down from the dot 6 is the enter (new line) key.
e. There are 2 keys to the left of the spacebar and 2 keys to the right of the spacebar. Explore these if you would like. These are the four function keys. They are numbered one through four. The very left function key is F1. Moving right from F1 are F2, F3, and F4. We will learn about these keys later.
f. Remain on the top panel. On the edge toward the front is the 32 cell Braille display. The cursor keys are above this.
g. On each side of the cursor keys and Braille keys are two scroll keys. The top key on each side is the up scroll and the bottom key on each side is the down scroll.
h. On the back edge of the top panel you will find the LCD screen and speakers. What is the LCD screen for? It is so that a sighted person can view what is happening on the Braille Sense.
i. Continuing on with the top panel, move your hands toward the front. Below the function keys you will find the cursor keys and the Braille display. There are 32 cursor keys to correspond with the 32 cells of the Braille display.
j. To charge the Braille Sense, you will plug the adapter into the Braille Sense Plus. This adapter can be plugged into the hole on the right panel of the Braille Sense Plus. There is also a USB port on the right side panel.
k. On the left panel is a slot for a compact flash card. Toward the front of the left side panel is an SD card slot.
k. The front panel contains the control buttons for the media player on the Braille Sense. You will learn more about these later.
m. On the back of the unit is a reset button and a LAN port. There is also a serial port on the back panel. The video output port is on the right of the back panel.
This is a basic introduction to the parts of the Braille Sense. We will learn more details during later lessons.
Independent Practice:
After each item, write the panel where it is located on the Braille Sense. Your choices are top, rear, front, right, or left.
1. network card slot
2. LCD screen
3. Six Braille writer keys
4. on/off switch
5. Media player controls
6. Function keys
7. USB port
8. Compact card slot
9. Braille display
10. Speakers
Answers:
1. left 2. top 3. top 4. front 5. front 6. top 7. right 8. left 9. top 10. top
Closure:
Go over the above activity and answers with your student. Provide reviews as necessary.
Assessment:
Lesson 2 Quiz: Hardware
Observe while your student points to or touches each of the following.
1. Spacebar
2. USB slot
3. Cursor keys
4. Media player controls
5. on-off switch
6. Enter key
7. F3
8. Backspace key
9. Braille display
10. Compact flash card slot
Rosa Mauer 2008
Reviewed 7/11/09
The Braille Sense Plus
Lesson 3: Getting Started
General Goal: To begin learning basic methods of navigating through the Braille Sense and to use space with h to get help when necessary.
Specific Objectives:
a. Use at least two methods to move up and down the list of menu applications.
b. Get help when necessary.
c. Adjust the Braille Sense speech settings.
Required Materials: Braille Sense Plus
Procedures:
a. Help your student turn the Braille Sense on.
b. Locate the up scroll buttons. The up scroll keys can be used to move back through menu items.
c. Now locate the down scroll keys with your student. These keys are the bottom two scroll keys on each side of the Braille display.
d. As you may have already discovered, these keys can be used to scroll up and down the menu applications. The Braille Sense should be at the File Manager when it is turned on. If it is not, F1 will return to the File Manager.
e. At the File Manager, your student may use the down scroll to move down the file list. You should hear the following menu items:
File Manager
Word Processor
GW Sense Navigation
Address Manager
Schedule Manager
Media Player
Radio
Web Browser
Daisy Player
Bluetooth Manager
MSN Messenger
Database Manager
Utility
Option Settings
Help
f. Your student may then move back through the list by using the up scroll. In this manner, go back to File Manager.
g. Another way to move up and down the file list is to use space
with dot 4 to move down the list and space with dot 1 to move back up the list. You and your student may practice this now.
h. If possible, look on the Braille display as you are moving up and down the list. There is a single letter after each menu item. For example, there is a D after the Daisy Player option. Your option settings may not be set to give you this information. You may usually use an item's initial letter, such as a D, to move to that menu item. Try this with various items now.
i. Help your student practice moving to the top and bottom of the
file list. Space with dots 1 2 3 will move to the top of the list. Space with dots 4 5 6 will move to the end (bottom) of the file list.
Return to the File Manager. Use F1.
j. To get help from anywhere, press space with h. When in help,
use the up and down scroll keys to hear or read the help items. You may have your Braille Sense user try this now. Help will close when you have read everything there is to read. You may always press F1 to return to File Manager.
k. It might be necessary to change the rate or volume of the
Braille Sense speech. Space with F4 can be used to increase the rate
of the speech. Decrease the voice rate with space and F1 together.
l. The voice volume can be made louder with backspace and F4. A
softer volume can be obtained with backspace and F1.
m. Use F1 to return to the file manager and turn the Braille Sense Plus off.
Independent Practice:
Help your student to have hands-on time to practice the above skills. The amount of time spent on this task will vary depending upon the level of understanding by your student. Also, show your student how to lock the Braille Sense using the rocker switch on the front panel of the unit.
Assessment:
Lesson 3 Quiz: Getting Started
Put the following quiz in a format that is best for your student. You
may want to orally give this quiz. Answers can be given in the format that you think is best.
Write the letter of the best answer choice on your paper. Items may be taken from lessons 1 through 3.
1. What does F1 do on the Braille Sense?
a. makes the speech rate faster
b. gets help from anywhere
c. resets the Braille Sense
d. increases the pitch of the speech
2. The four Braille Sense keys that to the right and left of the cursor keys and Braille display are:
a. function keys
b. thumb keys
c. scroll keys
d. Braille writer keys
3. What does space with F1 do?
a. causes the voice volume to go softer
b. causes the volume to go louder
c. makes the voice rate faster
d. makes the voice rate slower
4. How can you increase the voice volume?
a. backspace with F4
b. backspace with space
c. left and right scroll together
d. backspace with F1
5. How can you move to the end of the file list?
a. space with dots 1 2 3
b. space with F4
c. space with dots 4 5 6
d. use the F1 key
6. On which panel is the on-off switch located?
a. top
b. left
c. right
d. front
7. How many Braille cells are there on the display?
a. 31
b. 32
c. 33
d. 18
8. What can people who are sighted use to see what is happening on the Braille Sense?
a. the media player
b. the Braille Sense monitor
c. This cannot be done.
d. the LCD screen
9. Which of the following tasks cannot be completed on the Braille Sense?
a. e-mail
b. word processing
c. managing a schedule
d. drawing a picture
10. What is on the front panel of the Braille Sense?
a. the USB port
b. the media player controls
c. the on-off rocker switch
d. the printer port
Answers:
1. b 2. c . 3. d 4. a 5. c 6. d 7. b 8. d 9. d 10. b
Answers may vary if you have a newer Braille Sense.
Rosa Mauer 2008
Reviewed 7/11/09
The Braille Sense Plus
Lesson 4: Moving On
General Goal: To write in a word processing document and save the document.
Specific Objectives:
a. Change the voice pitch.
b. Speak the time.
c. Obtain the Braille Sense Plus power status.
d. Open a menu item.
e. Save a word processing document.
f. Exit a word processing document and return to the File Manager.
g. Use the backspace to delete the previous character when necessary.
Required Materials: Braille Sense Plus
Procedures:
a. Instruct your student to turn the Braille Sense on. Your student may manipulate the voice by changing the pitch with enter and F4.This will make the pitch higher. Enter with F1 will make the pitch lower. Your student may try this now.