Category: Cram Session
Hey all, I'm currently taking a basic math course in college, and wondered if anyone could help. Thing is, I'm so used to taking a braille writer to class, taking notes on there, and being able to see the examples in front of me. So during high school, when the teacher would give us problems to do on the board, I was able to look at the examples, and see how it was done. Taking notes on a laptop is sort of difficult, because I'm the sort of person who isn't the greatest in math, and who also learns by seeing the problem done in front of me, not just by hearing it. I am so far able to follow along because it's only basic stuff, but I'm worried once it becomes more intense. How do you all take notes in class? How do you do problems that are put up on the board? Do you just take notes on the laptop or something?
do you have a notetake with a braille disply?
do you have braille display you could hook to your laptop?
you could take a slate and stylus. that'd give you instant hard copy braille.
in fact, I'd take 2 of them, one to write down the steps of the problem and a second to write down the answer.
Kia, if your fastest with braille, I'd get a note taker with a braille display, if your fastest on the computer, go with the USB braille display. With the speed at which most college professors teach, a slate and stylus, unless your speedy on it, would only get you behind. What I did was, whenever we started a new section, I'd go to my professors office and ask him to go over it with me one on one. That way if I didn't understand something, I could have him go over it, and we could work out the way that was best for me.
Try talking to your professor, they will usually be able to help in some way.
Great topic! Math is one of the reasons why I got scared of og oing to college. The problem I see with the braille display is that it cant show you multiple lines at the same time. How do you get around that issue?
Hi. I just saw this topic and thought I'd share what i did. I'm not sure if you have or will have access to a person who could take notes for you from your DSS office, or a volunteer notetaker. But I learn the same, I have to see a math problem to get it and usually don't get it just by listening or talking thru it. Anyway, I had a sighted person take notes as well as me recording the lecture during class. That way, I could have someone explain the written notes to me outside of class and I could Braille everything down or work the problems out using Math Window during that time. Luckily, my sister is good with math, so she was actually the one who helped me with that class. So, if you do that, it would be best to go to/find math tutoring or work with someone who is good with math and with explaining it. As for taking notes yourself in math, all I can think is to record and/or do what the above posts suggested.
I agree with the above post. If at all possible, and your Student Disability department should offer this as an option, ask someone in that class to maybe take carbon copy notes for you, and then meet with a tutor to go over the notes so you can braille them out for yourself.
Or maybe, if you have good enough chemistry with your math professor, he/she will be kind enough to meet with you after class, so you can go over together the concepts covered in class, and if need be adapt concepts so that you are better able to understand them. I was lucky enough to have such a professor, he spent as much time with me as I needed, until I got a concept down. When geometry came, he was creative and applied rubber bands, tacks, and a cork board and would show me the shapes of graphs, and parabolas that way. Most importantly, don't, don't let yourself get behind, stay on top of your homework, do the practice tests if at all possible. College math is a challenge, but not one that can't be conquered.
I use the BN to do things. I type it in a .KWB file because I can't deal with .doc or .txt very well. I thumb up to compare the equation I just modified to the last one if I need to. I copy the problem above then paste it below, figure the process then repeat until an answer is reached so my work would look like
(3, 5)
(7,2
5-2
3-7
3
-4
-3/4
y- = -3/4(x-
y-2 = -3/4(x-5)
I think you get it, right?