Hi all,
I work with the TN School for the Blind and also routinely engage with the TVIs here in Tennessee. I would love to pick everyone’s brains on how they are using the Monarch. Is it 1-on-1 instruction with a student and you leave it with them when you leave for independent productivity, or do you take it with you to use with multiple braille readers? Do you use it in your own schools for the blind as braille instructor tools? Is it integrating well into graphic heavy courses such as social studies and math?
What is working well and what are some lessons learned?
Thanks!
-Allen
Hello,
I use the Monarch as a tool when working with braille users at the Mississippi School for the Blind. It is helpful when I have more than one student at a time in a braille class. Since I teach multiple students, I typically keep it with me; however, I will take it to other teachers’ rooms when they want to use it with certain students on particular assignments, especially the secondary math teacher and the music/band director. I have found more buy-in with students who are reluctant to read and write braille since they respond well to it. My students who have some vision particularly enjoy connecting it to a monitor as they write their braille assignments with it. I have found that students who are particularly reluctant to use a brailler for Nemeth Code respond better to writing it using the Monarch.
My biggest challenge has been with using it with our Wi-Fi network since the Monarch seems to be blocked by the firewall at times.