Optical Device Use - Instruction in the Use of Optical Devices This video is posted online with the following chapter markers: Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Terminology & Rationale Chapter 3. Concepts for Effective Training Chapter 4. Training with Magnifiers Chapter 5. Training with Telescopes Description of graphical content is included between Description Start and Description End. Transcript Start Chapter 1. Introduction Cynthia Bachofer: Welcome to the first of three videos in a web-based training series on optical device use. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Instruction in the Use of Optical Devices Content: Presented by Chrissy Cowan, TVI, Cynthia Bachofer, TVI, CLVT Of the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Thanks to the Kansas Lions MD-17 and to Lions Clubs International Foundation for their financial support for this project. left-side graphic: logo, Kansas Lions Statewide Low Vision Program left-center graphic: logo, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired right-center graphic: logo, Lions Clubs International Foundation right-side graphic: logo, Kansas State School for the Blind Ref: Program Anchor Organization -- Kansas State School for the Blind Description End Today's presentation is 'Instruction in the Use of Optical Devices.' This series is presented in collaboration with: Lions Clubs International Foundation, Kansas Lions, Kansas School for the Blind, and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. [ Slide end: ] My name is Cindy Bachofer, and I am a teacher in Short Term Programs at TSBVI. I was born with ROP, and so have grown up with low vision. Previously I was a teacher with Project Providing Access to the Visual Environment, Project PAVE, in Tennessee. That's a low vision services program that emphasizes use of prescribed optical devices. Chrissy Cowan: And I'm Chrissy Cowan, mentor coordinator with the TSBVI Outreach Program. Previously I was an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments, providing direct instruction to students in the Austin area. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: This presentation will cover: Content: • The range of optical devices typically prescribed in clinical settings • Specific skills needed to complete visual access to near and distance targets • Motivating strategies for teaching students, ages 3 through 21, skills to use magnifiers and monocular telescopes. Note: Optical device training is always preceded by a clinical low vision evaluation. Description End This presentation will cover the range of optical devices typically prescribed in clinical settings. Specific skills needed to complete visual access to near and distance targets, and motivating strategies for teaching students, ages 3 through 21, skills to use magnifiers and monocular telescopes. [ Slide end: ] Please be sure your student has been evaluated by a clinical low vision specialist before you begin optical device training. Chapter 2. Terminology & Rationale Bachofer: We will be using terminology specific to skills training with optical devices. This helps students to recognize they're developing their own expertise as training goes on and having specific vocabulary to refer to, let's, makes sure, that the teacher and the student are both clearly understanding each other. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Terminology Used in this Presentation Content: • Localizing: Visually selecting an object from objects around it such as seeing the street sign against the row of trees. • Focusing: Bringing an image into clearest view by adjusting the distance of the lens on your device to your target information. • Spotting: Visually targeting an item to see through your device, then lining up the device lens with your eye to see detail.  • Scanning: Repeated fixations with your eye that let you see one item after another such as following words across a line of print.  • Tracing: Visually following a line in space to locate an object such as the edge of a sign to find the letters at the top. • Tracking: Visually following a moving object such as a rolling ball. Description End This next slide presents the six terms that will be discussing through this presentation. They are localizing, focusing, spotting, scanning, tracing, and tracking. They're listed here for you to refer to as needed. [ Slide end: ] We'll talk about them as a progression but, in reality, students are experimenting with these along the way. Simultaneously they may be moving from one and then trying a more advanced skill. But we will talk about them discretely. There are specific skills and each of these is important for our goal of helping students achieve proficiency with devices. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Training Resources Content: • Corn, A. & Erin, J. (2010). Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical and functional perspectives. 2nd edition. New York, NY. AFB Press.  • D”Andrea, F.M. & Farrenkopf, C. (2000). Looking to Learn: Promoting literacy for students with low vision. New York: AFB Press.  • Region 4 Education Service Center. (2004). Program in Low Vision Therapy. Houston, TX: Region 4 Education Solutions.  • Smith, A. (1992). Beyond Arm’s Reach: Enhancing Distance Vision. Pennsylvania College of Optometry Press. • Weiner, W. & Vopata, A. (1980). Suggested Curriculum for Distance Vision Training with Optical Aids. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, February, 49-56. Description End The next slide presents a list of training resources that Chrissy and I have found helpful. These are all very teacher-friendly publications and please consider having these available in your own office library. [ Slide end: ] Explaining the rationale and benefits of optical devices can be especially important during meetings or conversations when you're talking with either a regular classroom teachers or parents or administrators so that they're understanding the purpose of these lessons. And there are several points that we want to cover that also add to that rationale. The student has immediacy of information, meaning that the student does not have to wait for somebody to explain what's on the page or to have it produced in large print. They, the student is able to see it in real time. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Rationale of Device Use for Increasing Independence & Literacy Content: left-side text: • Immediacy of information • Control over the visual environment • Access to standard print & nonprint • Increased literacy skills • Convenience right-side photo: Male elementary student stands on a playscape platform and is using a monocular. Description End The student also has locus of control, where she is deciding 'I want to pay more attention to this', 'I want to see the details on this'. It can be a very empowering feeling when the student recognizes 'I can see the things I want to see' in both school and beyond school. The student has access to regular print and to non-print items such as logos, diagrams, visual art. All of those things that the students in their classrooms are talking about. Students, also through use of optical devices, this can lead to improved reading performance. [ Slide end: ] Students with low vision typically have far fewer instances of exposure to print than their peers and this leads to lowered performance in reading. But by using optical devices they are able to increase that access to print. Optical devices are also convenient. They are a grab-it-and-go device, very portable. Can be carried in a pocket or backpack. Are affordable and commercially available. So all of these items of rationale can help support that point with parents and administrators. It's important to have that conversation with your student, what do they see is the primary rationale for using optical devices. Hearing their goal is a great beginning to instruction. Just like learning to read Braille, use of optical devices requires routine instruction for the student to gain efficiency. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Teaching Use of Optical Devices: Type and Amount of Service Content: • 1- 3 times a week • 30 minutes –1 hour of direct instruction • Preschool through high school Reference: (Corn & Koenig Delphi Study, JVIB May 02) Description End We also want to talk about the type and amount of service. This comes from a Delphi Study, where the recommendations are that device training takes place 1 to 3 times per week in 30 minute to 1 hour sessions and that's direct instruction in structured settings. And this takes place starting in preschool through high school. [ Slide end: ] So as the academic demands change for the student, we are monitoring. How are they handling the optical devices in that new situation. Cowans: Optical device training can be done with any age level but you will need to adjust your techniques and materials and settings to your student's age and educational level. Starting with young students is recommended to capitalize on the abundant curiosity and to lay down the foundation for learning concepts. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Preschool: optical devices for fun Content: left-side text: • Kaleidoscope-curiosity, positioning, holding, describing • Paper roll tube-locating, spotting, scanning • Pre-focused telescope- choosing target • naming magnified image • Stand magnifier to see picture/object details right-side photo: preschool student sitting on a bench and looking through a telescope. Description End For the preschooler, optical devices can be presented in a way that makes them fun. Before you even hand them a device, you can use a kaleidoscope to teach positioning, or holding something up to the eye, proper grasp, and to encourage verbal description of what the student sees inside the kaleidoscope. [ Slide end: ] You would next use a paper roll tube to teach skills such as locating, spotting, and scanning. For one of my very first telescope lessons, I like to sit my young student on a front porch step and place a ball on the ground about 5 to 10 feet in front of her, showing her where I placed the ball. Then I hand her a paper roll tube and show her how to hold it up to her eye. Students will typically select their better eye for this. Next I ask her to find, or 'spot' the ball again, but this time looking through the tube. As she turns her head to scan, I label this action by saying something like, 'You've turned your head to find the ball through the tube. That's called scanning.' The same activity is repeated, but this time I introduce a pre-focused telescope. We talk about the concepts of 'clear' and 'fuzzy', and I ask her to 'spot' and name the other toys I have scattered in a line on the same plane as the ball. My visits to preschoolers also include a stand magnifier. I primarily introduce this tool within the context of looking at pictures in books as I read a story, or looking closely at flowers, leaves, shells, and other naturally occurring objects in their home and yard environments. We might put together an experience story book with these objects viewed through a magnifier. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Elementary: optical devices for inclusion Content: left-side text: • Maintaining correct work distance • Accessing a variety of texts (maps, charts, equations, etc.) • Increasing literacy skills (e.g. reading speeds) • Participation in the social environment right-side photo: female elementary student uses a lighted magnifier to read a worksheet. Description End The focus for optical device training changes somewhat for the elementary-aged students because now we're adding academic settings and materials to our training. Optical devices will contribute significantly to inclusion for a student with low vision. [ Slide end: ] Starting as early as kindergarten, and certainly in first grade, skills become more sophisticated due to the academic demands on even young students. We will be working on maintaining correct working distance, or the distance between the device user and the objective, accessing a variety of print texts, such as maps and charts, numerical equations, increasing literacy skills, such as reading speed and fluency, and helping the student find ways to participate more fully in social activities. Then, by high school, optical devices will contribute to further independence for the student. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: High School: optical devices for independence Content: left-side text: • Anticipating the need for optical devices • Building speed & efficiency • Generalizing skill use to the community environment right-side photo: female high school student uses a pocket magnifier to read a flyer on a telephone pole. Description End We want the high school student to begin to anticipate when and where they will need devices, and be prepared to use them within many contexts. As the reading material becomes more complex and copious, educators will need to continue to monitor and build speed and efficiency with the devices. Also, students should start generalizing skills learned into the community environment. [ Slide end: ] Chapter 3. Concepts for Effective Training Bachofer: A few guidelines of good teaching also apply to good training with optical devices. Want to cover several of these. There are concepts for effective training with optical devices. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Concepts for Effective Training for Device Use Content: • Familiar to unfamiliar • Stationary objects to moving objects • Large to small • One plane to several (distance device) • Private practice to public use Description End Starting with familiar objects and moving to unfamiliar. Say for a small children, Sesame Street characters typically are very familiar and spotting, finding those on a page, whether at near or at distance and then bringing in less familiar targets or faces that the student can describe. Stationary objects are easier to find than moving objects. [ Slide end: ] So starting with items that have been placed around the room and then moving in to a setting where you can use rolling balls or rolling trucks and cars. Large and then moving to small. Large items give that immediate, easy success. That very positive feeling with starting out training. And then by making the target smaller, you're helping the student understand, 'I am getting better at this.' [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Concepts for Effective Training for Device Use Content: • Familiar to unfamiliar • Stationary objects to moving objects • Large to small • One plane to several (distance device) • Private practice to public use Description End The fourth point is moving from objects that are on one plane and advancing to multiple planes. So items on a flat wall are easier to find and then using a wider, vast space for finding targets. And then starting in private, helping the student to build their skill to become more comfortable and then gradually finding the setting and letting the student be able to identify the setting where they can be using the device in front of people. [ Slide end: ] So they're getting familiar with that power of the telescope. And it is only through stretching that power and testing how far away can an item be. How small can it become before the power of my telescope doesn't work. So that's what these lessons are bringing in so that students have more experience with that. These guidelines are very important for that sense of building success and enthusiasm during the lessons, and this is important for both the student and the teacher. We've presented some foundational knowledge for beginning device instruction. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Skills for Efficient Use of Magnifiers and Telescopes Description End And now we want to move specifically into the skills for efficient use of magnifiers and telescopes. [ Slide end: ] At the beginning of the presentation we referred to those six skills that we will be covering. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Overview of Sequence of Skills for Device Use (Region IV ESC, 2004) Content: table with two columns left-side column Near Devices • Fixation • Localization • Focal distance • Scanning • Tracking right-side column Distance Devices • Localization • Fixation/Focusing • Spotting • Scanning • Tracing • Tracking Description End In the chart shown here on the left side of the chart there are five skills that are specific to working with near devices or magnifiers, and the six skills for working with telescopes. [ Slide end: ] Chapter 4. Training with Magnifiers Cowan: Now we'd like to separate optical device training into 2 distinct components; training with magnifiers and training with telescopes. However, you will most likely be providing optical device training with the two different types of devices simultaneously with your student, depending on devices prescribed by the low vision specialist. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Training with Magnifiers Content: right-side photo: close-up, teacher holds dome magnifier over flower, student looks up at camera Description End We'll start with training with magnifiers. [ Slide end: ] Your low vision specialist may recommend a power, style, or type of device to start with, but you might want to explore other styles of similar powers and or qualities with your students to include them in the decision-making process. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Examples of Devices Content: six photos of different magnification devices to be described by speaker. Description End Pictured here are examples of near magnification devices typically prescribed for students. The device on the upper left is a hand-held, illuminated magnifier with a rectangular lens. This design is ideal for reading continuous text. Next to it is a pocket or folding magnifier, which slips into a pocket or purse handily. The third one on the top row is an iPad, which is gaining much popularity because of its capacity to easily enlarge print and pictures. On the bottom row, the first photo on the left is a stand magnifier called that because it literally rests on a flat surface. Next to this an illuminated pocket magnifier that is very popular due to its discreet qualities, and then a pair of glasses with built-in magnification. These glasses are called 'microscopes', and require a little different training. [ Slide end: ] Magnifiers all have their pros and cons. It's a good idea to experiment with devices you have on hand before the visit with the low vision specialist, so that the student can begin to express a preference. Consider purchasing an array of devices for experimentation purposes. The Envision Kit from the American Printing House for the Blind includes sample devices, and is a good starting point for showing a range of tools. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Selecting the Right Magnifier for Different Tasks Content: • Stand: inexpensive, variety of designs, portable, fixed focal distance, bulkier, user can write under some models • Handheld: portable, inexpensive, cosmetically acceptable, focal distance must be held constant, one or both hands must be used to hold a focus • Microscopes: hands free, fuller field of view, variety of designs, more power=less distance, head and arm movements necessary for scanning, more expensive • Electronic: very expensive, decreased perceptual span which slows down reading; more appropriate for spot viewing Description End Stand devices are inexpensive, portable though a little bulky, and have a fixed focal distance. [ Slide end: ] Stand magnifiers tend to be easy to use, and are routinely prescribed by low vision specialists, but they are limited to reading on a flat surface. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Selecting the Right Magnifier for Different Tasks Content: • Stand: inexpensive, variety of designs, portable, fixed focal distance, bulkier, user can write under some models • Handheld: portable, inexpensive, cosmetically acceptable, focal distance must be held constant, one or both hands must be used to hold a focus • Microscopes: hands free, fuller field of view, variety of designs, more power=less distance, head and arm movements necessary for scanning, more expensive • Electronic: very expensive, decreased perceptual span which slows down reading; more appropriate for spot viewing Description End Handheld devices have many things going for them. They're portable, inexpensive, and cosmetically acceptable. These require a little more training on holding a steady focal distance. Microscopes look like glasses with a special lens in one or both frames. The user's hands are free to hold material close, and head and arm movements are engaged when scanning. The more powerful the lens, the closer the material must be to the lens. These tend to be a little more expensive than the other designs. Electronic devices are pretty trendy now, even though they are expensive and problematic. Current examples are the Ruby and Quiklook. They are good for spot viewing, like reading a receipt, but very poor for building reading speed due to the device's larger font sizes. [ Slide end: ] Needless to say, the typical child forgets to charge this device and therefore has the perfect excuse for not doing their work! The iPad and e-readers, such as the Kindle, would be the exception for electronic magnification. Sometimes a student will use one type of device for certain types of tasks, and yet another for different tasks. For example, they might be using a stand magnifier for reading flat materials, but use a hand held magnifier during science, where they are looking at 3 dimensional objects. As you explore properties of different devices, the student could keep a journal of when and how they use a particular device. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Consider tasks that use mid-range viewing Content: center photo: male high school student at the computer using magnifiers attached to the front of this glasses. Description End In this photo a student is using mid-range viewing lenses to read the computer screen. Considering how many hours students spend on this computer daily, being aware of this skill in coordination with the correct device is mandatory. [ Slide end: ] When you just think about all the visual tasks and opportunities that zoom past us every day, access becomes huge! Consider A Day in the Life: [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: A Day in the Life. . . Content: • Info in books, magazines, mail, official forms, business cards, phone books • Cooking directions on food packages; recipes • Detail tasks: repairing a necklace, gluing something, painting fingernails, craft projects • Buttons on remote control or new equipment • Bus schedules, route map • Menus, store brochures, advertisements, receipts/bills Description End There's info in books, magazines, mail, cooking directions, bus schedules, buttons on remote controls, text messages, maps, menus, store advertisements, receipts, and bills. Then there's detailed visual tasks like painting fingernails, repairing a necklace, gluing a craft project. [ Slide end: ] You get the idea! So let's get started with teaching magnifier skills. Fixation, localization, focal distance, scanning, and tracking. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Fixation: Looking at an object through a lens Content: left-side photo: male elementary student uses a hand magnifier above a jar to view a scorpion. Description End Fixation is simply looking at an object through a lens. Here a boy is looking at a scorpion. Looking at bugs is always fun, I think! [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Localization: finding something amidst clutter Content: left-side photo: female teacher instructs a student on how to locate something on the page of a textbook. Description End Localization is finding something amidst clutter, like a particular word on a page or the graphic that goes with text in a book. Cindy is teaching this student how to locate something on a page in a textbook. [ Slide end: ] Bachofer: Distance is the critical factor for maximizing the power of the magnifier. For years, students have perfected that habit of zooming in to a page or moving up very close to an object. They've figured out that getting closer to it, it makes it easy to see. Now, we bring in a magnifier that changes that. That says we want you to stretch your distance. So this requires training and helping the student to understand that the work distance with the magnifier is critical. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Focal Distance: Adjusting Magnifier Position Content: left-side photo: female high school student holds a lighted hand magnifier in her right hand and a lighted magnifier in her left hand. right-side text: • Finding the right spot (ELLM) – Adjust eye to lens (focal distance) – Adjust lens to material • Keeping a stable position – Identify options for balancing hand – Be aware of tension in neck, shoulders, and arm Description End So focal distance is adjusting the position of the magnifier. I think of it as finding the sweet spot. When you're holding the magnifier there should be space between the eye and the magnifier lens and the magnifier lens and the material. [ Slide end: ] So it's holding that in where the magnifier is doing the work, some of the work, for you. Also having that focal distance can help with easing muscles in the neck, the arms, the shoulders. And using slanted material, either a slant board or a 3-ring binder so that the material is raised up and you can relax the muscles a little. All of that is working with focal distance. So I am going to demonstrate a couple of different options on hand position. When you think about maintaining that focal distance. Again it's moving smoothly across the line of print and using the base of a finger or edge of a hand. And then when my hand gets tired in one position, I'll just switch to balancing on my thumb and moving smoothly across the line. Again, hand position, just as in Braille instruction, working with a student on developing that fluid movement is as important when training with optical devices. Paying attention to these habits is essential. It helps for students to be able to understand some of that science of optics as they're working with a magnifier. And again, they're gaining that expertise of developing that skill of working with a tool. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Scanning: repetitive fixations that are required to look from one target to another Content: • Maintain steady fixation • Reduce clutter. Start with double spaced materials. • Use a consistent pattern • Student must use reliable method for stabilizing material • Start with stand magnifier and move to hand-held • Keep it fun with games c…a……n…….y….o…u…r….e….a…d…my.…..note? Description End Now we want to look at scanning, which is repetitive fixations that are required to move from one target to another. For some students, scanning, they pick it up very easily. [ Slide end: ] They figure it out and little training is needed. But with other students, several lessons kind of breaking the skill down and building it to more advanced scanning is needed. So making sure that the student can maintain steady fixation. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Scanning: repetitive fixations that are required to look from one target to another Content: • Maintain steady fixation • Reduce clutter. Start with double spaced materials. • Use a consistent pattern • Student must use reliable method for stabilizing material • Start with stand magnifier and move to hand-held • Keep it fun with games c…a……n…….y….o…u…r….e….a…d…my.…..note? Description End It helps at the beginning to reduce the clutter on a page and work with double spaced material. Each of those factors bring in easier success for the student. Then be consistent with methods for stabilizing your hand, holding the magnifier against the material. Sometimes that can be the base of the, where the hand meets the wrist or the base of the thumb. So being able to have a couple of positions. And start with a stand magnifier that does sit flat on the page so there's less work for the student to do there and then introducing and moving to the hand held magnifier. [ Slide end: ] A stand magnifier such as a dome is a very good introductory tool, but as the student's reading speed increases and they become more comfortable, it's important to move to a hand held magnifier. A dome will always have friction as you move it across the line of print and this is going to slow down reading speed. You can start with short reading samples such as, jokes can be quick and easy to read. Moving to words that are familiar to the student or silly words and then bringing in those longer, multi syllabic words that are specialized within subject areas such as music or math some of those that the student might be having in class. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Young student completing a scanning activity Content: left-side photo: young female student looks through a dome magnifier at scanning worksheet. Description End In this photo a student is completing a early scanning activity. Identifying the stickers across the line and then moving back to the left side of the page is that essential fluid movement that is necessary in scanning. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Scanning as a Literacy Goal Content: three photos of students with magnifiers, titled Emergent literacy, Fluid scanning for continuous text reading, Conducting an informal reading assessment. Photos described by the speaker. Description End In the next set of photos, on the top left a student, a preschooler, working with emergent literacy is using the dome on a slanted page and showing good positioning. On the bottom left, a student is completing an informal reading assessment. These should be done regularly, each semester and the students can become very invested in tracking their own progress, making a chart of that activity so that they are aware of how they're doing in comparison to peers with regular text. On the top right, a student has a number of devices in front of her and is conducting her own trial and error session on 'what is the magnifier that is comfortable for me' with this kind of material. [ Slide end: ] There are a number of factors that she has to consider here such as the size of the lens. Some of them are rectangular and you can fit more words in that lens which is very important. The weight of the magnifier can be important. For some students who don't need the illumination then the smaller, lighter weight magnifiers that don't have batteries can be easier for them to use. Cowan: When you're working on scanning with a student, your materials are going to get progressively a little more difficult, but the goal here is to maintain a steady fixation -- you could do this with a stand magnifier -- and to learn that left-to-right, up-to-down progression that's smooth. On this little worksheet, I have lines that are different colors, and in the middle I have a letter of the alphabet printed very small, because I want them to be able to see it through magnification. So, I may ask the student to follow the purple line, and tell me what letter you see in the middle. And then go back to the left and follow the red line, etceteras. So, we'll go all the way through this kind of little worksheet. Then, progressively getting a little more difficult, here's a similar worksheet. I have 3 blue lines, 3 orange, 3 green and 3 yellow; and somewhere on these lines a little bitty picture that -- at the time I pulled from children's magazines, but you can use any little picture or sticker. And you're going to want them to scan from left-to-right, tell you what the picture is -- so this is also picture identification -- keep going until the end of the line, return back to the left and keep scanning. You do want them to build speed as they do this, and so just encourage them to move as quickly as they can, staying on the line. From those big bold line, we're going to progress to smaller lines. And this -- these lines are narrow, and there's little bitty colored dots here. And I may say, "Scan from left-to-right and tell me what colored dots you see as you keep going?" This is a little bit easier, because the lines are spaced pretty far. And then what you see happening here are dashed lines. So, they have to maintain that left-to-right, even scanning. Then, I'm going to go from lines to actual words, because that is the whole point of this, is getting to words. These are riddles, which work with second graders, typically -- the end of first grade. Some early learners don't understand riddles and don't see the humor in that, but I ask them to scan. And of course this is at a reading level that the student is able to do. What kind of bean will not grow in a garden; and then there's a little-bitty picture there of jelly beans, but the answer is way over here. So they have to continue -- stay on a line that's actually invisible and get to that word. And then you just complete this work sheet all the way down. You're going to go through scanning activities like this, really very quickly. Maybe in one session or two. Once your student is scanning lines of print, you begin to fine tune by providing more opportunities to explore the use and properties of the device. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Spot reading with a magnifier Content: left-side photo: male high school student uses a pocket magnifier described by speaker. right-side text: • Use search pattern to select target area • Note bold headings, sidebars • Select spotting tasks with increased challenges (printed movie times, dates on food packaging) Description End For example, this student is using a potato chip bag to practice using a search pattern to select a target area. In this case, he's looking at the salt content in a bag of chips, something we really would rather not know, but might be important for health reasons. He's finding out that bold headings mean something as well as sidebars. [ Slide end: ] You'll want to collect a bag full of flattened cereal boxes, canned food labels, restaurant receipts, vitamin bottles, game instructions, etceteras in order to spend a lesson on spot reading. Using a magnifier proficiently when reading is not an automatic task. Often individuals who begin using devices for near point material will have an initial drop in their reading speed. However, as with any new skill, practice often goes a long way in improving performance. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Developing Stamina Content: • Practice makes better • Student should have the opportunity to use the device with short, daily reading assignments which are monitored in some way (keep a chart of timed readings across grade levels) • Continue to record progress • Direct instruction in reading fluency Description End To develop stamina the student should do the following: Practice, practice, practice! Use the magnifier with short, daily reading assignments that are monitored by someone. Record progress, such as keeping a record of their reading speed and comprehension. [ Slide end: ] It's quite heartbreaking to see low vision students in middle and high school who have had no reading intervention and are reading 2 to 3 times slower than their peers. Building stamina and fluency with a device will require practice using repeated reading strategy for at least three 20 minute sessions weekly, monitoring progress as you teach. Research suggests that the best fluency building techniques for students with low vision are paired reading and listening while reading. The TVI should be contributing member to the student's literacy team. Bachofer: Another tool that works well for some students are microscope glasses or sometimes these are called high 'add' lenses. These can be especially helpful for students with extended reading. These require a close work distance so the adjustment time in using these can take a little longer. It is important that there are training sessions be set up at least two to three times a week 20 minute sessions where the student is practicing using these materials, using these glasses, and learning to adjust to them. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Microscopes: Extended Reading Content: • Reinforce correct work distance • Experiment with best reading method • Allow time to adjust to new system • Check lighting and body position • Involve student in keeping a record of progress Description End Experiment with reading method as well. The student can move just their eyes across the page or use head movements. They can move the material itself or it can be a combination of these. Finding that preference, the student having their own preference for which system works best for them, is very important. Lighting and body position with microscopes, again, these are important. Because the material is so close to the face it's important to find that angle of where the light works best and having a body position that's comfortable. [ Slide end: ] Some students will rest the material, prop up their knees, and rest the book there so that they can bring it closer to their face or use a cushion and hold, rest their arm on the cushion, and hold the material up. So encouraging the student to develop their own system on this is very important. Again, keeping a record of progress is helpful for the student to get a sense of how am I doing with this different type of magnifier. When these are prescribed in a low vision exam, please make sure that the doctor covers with the student how these are, the microscopes, are different than a magnifier. It's a magnifier within a frame but again the optics require that that work distance is close. So I want to demonstrate use of the microscope lenses. And as I find the focal distance, I make sure by moving it in and out a little bit. Moving across the line of print coming back to the left, staying on the line. And the different factors here that are in play are my elbows are rested on the table, and I have the material lifted up so that there's no stress in my arms or shoulders with having to balance the material. It's just muscles are comfortable. And being able to maintain this over a extended amount time for reading a continuous text. We next move to the final skill with near devices is tracking, and that's following a moving target so you can tell why that is one of those more advanced skills. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Tracking: following a moving target Content: three photos titled, fingernail painting, nature observations, handwriting. Photos described by speaker. Description End In these next photos we demonstrate, show, a couple of tracking activities. Learning to paint your fingernails under a magnifier because you're having to follow that moving brush is very interesting for some female students. In the bottom left practicing hand writing under a magnifier especially when all the variety of forms that are out there. It's important that students develop the skill. Not everything is able to be completed on the computer, and when students are out there in public you want them to be able to have this skill down and be able to do it smoothly. In the photo on the right, a student is tracking a bug that's moving. And again, for some students this is just a very appealing activity. [ Slide end: ] This concludes the first section of the instruction in the use of optical devices on magnifiers. In part two, we will cover training with telescopes. Chapter 5. Training with Telescopes [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Instruction in the Use of Optical Devices Content: Presented by Chrissy Cowan, TVI, Cynthia Bachofer, TVI, CLVT Of the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Thanks to the Kansas Lions MD-17 and to Lions Clubs International Foundation for their financial support for this project. left-side graphic: logo, Kansas Lions Statewide Low Vision Program left-center graphic: logo, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired right-center graphic: logo, Lions Clubs International Foundation right-side graphic: logo, Kansas State School for the Blind Ref: Program Anchor Organization -- Kansas State School for the Blind Description End [ Slide end: ] Chrissy Cowan: Let's shift now to teaching the skills needed for efficient telescope use. [ Slide start: ] Description Start Title: Overview of Sequence of Skills for Device Use (Region IV ESC, 2004) Content: table with two columns left-side column Near Devices • Fixation • Localization • Focal distance • Scanning • Tracking right-side column Distance Devices • Localization • Fixation/Focusing • Spotting • Scanning • Tracing • Tracking Description End As a refresher, those telescope skills are localization, fixation and focusing, spotting, scanning, tracing, and tracking. [ Slide end: ] As with magnifiers, telescopes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and powers. The stronger powered devices will have a much narrower field of view and require a more sophisticated user. This does not mean the older student gets the higher powered device, as I've had many first graders using the 8x telescope efficiently. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Example of Devices Content: • Distance Magnification images: five different devices to be described by the speaker below. Description End: Let's look at some of these devices. The telescope on the top left is the typical barrel-type telescope that comes in many sizes and powers. Next to it are two examples of one-handed focusing devices. On the bottom left are adjustable distance glasses, marketed for watching TV. And the last one pictured here is a tablet. Tablets have a camera feature that allows the user to take a photo and enlarge whatever might be in the distance. Writing on the board, for example, or watching and enlarging action across the room in real time. [ Slide end: ] Again, experiment in advance with your students and encourage them to express their needs and preferences in the clinical low vision setting. Bachofer: A bioptic telescope is another type of distance device. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Bioptic Telescope Content: Preparation for driving Preferred by some for hand-free classroom use Description End: In this photo a student has put on a bioptic. And very often this is thought of just it's that tool for driving, but for some students it works very well in the classroom when they're looking at material on the white board for hands-free viewing. So that can be one of those more sophisticated tools to use. [ Slide end: ] We also want to think about that range of tasks that occur throughout the day. What are the many, many distance activities that we are doing. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: A Day in the Life... Content: • Identification of bus number, route • Overhead menus; game score board • Advertisement on building from bus window or sidewalk • Location of friend or vehicle in parking lot or open public area • Television viewing for details • Spectator activity-theater or sports arena • Smartboard and presenters in classes Description End: Some of these include -- a lot of with travel -- is identifying that bus number 'is that the one you're needing?' Being able to look at road signs or identifying landmarks. So helping students to understand what are those skills for them to gain that independent travel. Items such as looking at overhead menus. This is again part of that self-determination with, 'I can see what I want to see when I want to see it'. Advertisements on buildings is another thing and I do this frequently whether from the bus window or walking; always looking for the discount or the sale the new product that's out there, so I have better information by using my telescope. [ Slide end: ] In a wide open space if I'm looking for someone's car or locating a friend, I have a responsibility to use my telescope as well to be part of that locating process. In the standard living room, seeing the television screen is one way the telescope can be helpful. Typically a living room is set up for 10 to 15 feet away with the couch to the TV screen and whether I'm watching in my living room or a friend's, I want that to be a space that's comfortable and being able to use my telescope there. Spectator activities such as whether it's a sports field or a theater being able to look at the detail there. Seeing the exertion on the face of the athlete or looking at the costumes of the actors on stage. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: A Day in the Life... Content: • Identification of bus number, route • Overhead menus; game score board • Advertisement on building from bus window or sidewalk • Location of friend or vehicle in parking lot or open public area • Television viewing for details • Spectator activity-theater or sports arena • Smartboard and presenters in classes Description End: It's picking up on those details and then again we frequently refer to students with using the telescope to see information on the white board in a classroom. So that's one of the more familiar tasks. [ Slide end: ] Think of the many, many things you look at through the day. Is your student doing this? Cowan: Whereas there are many styles of distance devices, for the most part they can be divided into two categories of devices most prescribed by low vision specialists. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Selecting the Right Telescope for Different Tasks Content: • Handheld: small, lightweight, less expensive, focus from 10” to infinity, reduces transmission of light, higher power=smaller field, motion exaggerated, require specialized instruction • Clip-on: inexpensive, beneficial for prolonged viewing, hands free, powers of 3x or lower, loss of field, extra weight to eyeglasses (typically not tolerated by school-aged students) Description End: Handheld devices are small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive. Some have short focus capability which comes in handy for looking through a glass display case. We typically see devices ranging in power from 2 point 5 x to 8x with children. However, the higher the power, the less light is coming into that barrel, making it difficult for students with etiologies, such as retinopathy of prematurity and optic nerve hypoplasia, that make lighting a crucial factor in clarity. Handheld devices will require specialized instruction. Clip-on telescopes are marketed as beneficial for prolonged viewing, and tend to work better if the individual is not able to hold the hand steady, such as those students with cerebral palsy. [ Slide end: ] They are low powered and literally clip onto a pair of glasses. However, these add extra weight to the glasses, and are typically not tolerated by school-aged students as well. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: So higher power is better, right? Content: Not necessarily! As power increases, field decreases. left-side photo: mid-size bookshelf with 3 shelves full of colorful books, titles not discernible center photo: close-up view of middle shelf with titles from 4 of 7 books are discernible. right-side text: As the print on the books gets bigger, you have fewer and fewer books in the frame. Description End: As mentioned earlier, the higher power of the telescope, the narrower the field is going to be. The photo on the left is a lower powered telescope, like a 2 point 5 or 4x, and the photo on the right demonstrates what happens when you have a higher power. [ Slide end: ] You may need more detail, though, depending on your acuity and the task. O and M specialists tend to prefer the high powered devices because the distances they can access are far greater. As with the magnifier, you want to match the tool to the task and setting. If your student needs more than one power, be sure you inform the low vision specialists of this need. Bachofer: The telescope tends to be a less user friendly tool. With magnifiers some students adjust to that very quickly and pick it up and training time is minimal. But telescopes can be a more challenging tool and I want to point out a couple of these. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Telescope: Challenges for the User Content: • Magnification of motion – Any shaking is amplified, image is blurred – Speed of moving object exaggerated • Distortion of distance – Objects appear nearer and closer together than actual – Disorientation of spatial perception • Field of view restricted – Tunnel effect, loss of peripheral information – Control of target fixation easily lost from view Description End: The first challenge I want to talk about is magnification of motion. Any shaking is amplified and the image is blurred. That speed of a moving object is exaggerated. The second challenge, distortion of distance. Objects appear closer together and closer to the viewer than they actual are. So there's that disorientation of spatial perception that needs time for the student to have practice and recognize how these objects actually appear in reality. Third, the field of view is restricted. [ Slide end: ] It's that tunnel effect when you're putting that telescope up to your eye and it's counterintuitive. 'I'm blocking out peripheral information.' Controlling targets in the distance is much harder so they easily come out of view. The student has to practice at I have moved off the target and now I need to be able to come back to it. So all of that takes time to adjust. There are also factors that it's helpful to discuss with the student. Contribute to their proficiency. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Factors Contributing to Proficiency Content: • Tolerance of telescope restrictions – Getting beyond a negative first response – Practice builds comfort – Option not to use • Perceptual skills of recognizing part to whole – Familiarity with magnified telescopic image – Build awareness with near activity practice • Loss of control of distance environment – Confusion of background effect – Lighting issues • Eye hand coordination Description End: It's tolerance of these telescope restrictions. Getting beyond that first response of 'Oh, I don't like having this thing in front of me and my eye'. But with practice, it gets better. The fifth practice session is better than the first practice session. [ Slide end: ] Students also have the option to chose to not use the device and talking with students about those instances can be helpful for them to anticipate when it's not helpful to bring out the tool. The perceptual skills of recognizing part to whole. So when looking through the telescope, I'm just getting a piece of an image out there and being able to put that together. So looking at words across a board they need time to develop that skill. It's familiarity with the magnified object and this can be activities at near- practicing reading a joke and then doing it in the distance so that they have that high success. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Factors Contributing to Proficiency Content: • Tolerance of telescope restrictions – Getting beyond a negative first response – Practice builds comfort – Option not to use • Perceptual skills of recognizing part to whole – Familiarity with magnified telescopic image – Build awareness with near activity practice • Loss of control of distance environment – Confusion of background effect – Lighting issues • Eye hand coordination Description End: Loss of control due to the distance environment can also be a frustrating factor for students. There's clutter, there's movement in the background and it takes practice to stay on the target and be able to identify the information that they need. [ Slide end: ] Also, lighting issues. Dim lighting or very bright lighting, or separating what's in a shadow. All of these take, it's practice, practice, practice. Eye-hand coordination is the last factor that's helpful to review with the student that this takes time to be able to build this skill. So being able to pick up that telescope and quickly get it in place is one of those last skills to talk about with the student. Cowan: So your student has their telescope and maybe 2 different powers of telescopes. Let's talk about the skills they will need to learn to be proficient. The skills we will cover are awareness of the dominant eye, localization, fixation, focusing, spotting, scanning, tracing, and tracking. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Awareness of Dominant Eye Content: left-side photo: male child looking through a kaleidoscope with his right eye. right-side photo: same child with a patch on his left eye, looking through a telescope with his right eye. Description End: Teaching awareness of the dominant eye involves helping the student determine the best eye for the most efficient use of his vision with a telescope. This is not necessarily the eye in which the vision is clearer, but rather the eye the child prefers to use when looking through a monocular telescope. The left picture shows the child looking through a kaleidoscope first. Allow the child to experiment with each eye, then reinforce consistent use. If the child has difficulty suppressing the un-aided eye, you might try a patch temporarily. [ Slide end: ] Most people automatically hold the telescope up to their dominant eye. The next skill, localization, is visually selecting an object in the distance from objects around it. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Localizing: finding something amidst clutter Content: center photo: small sign showing a person holding a coffee cup is dwarfed by store fronts, cars and other, larger signs. Description End: Finding one sign among others is a localization task. In this instance, students were asked to find the sign for the coffee shop first without a device, then verifying with the benefit of more magnification. [ Slide end: ] Following localizing, we work with the student on proper positioning and stabilizing the telescope. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Positioning & Stabilizing Telescope Content: left-side photo: teacher sits in front of a young student . The student holds paper tube up to her eye. left-side text: • Placement on face • Finger grasp • Eye alignment right-side photo: teacher stands next to a elementary student using a telescope in the classroom. right-side text: • Viewing through objective lens • Body stabilization (sitting & standing) Description End: The young student on the left is taught positioning first with a paper roll tube, then her teacher will quickly move to a telescope. She learns how to rest the tube or device against her face, aligning it with her eye. She also learns proper grasp. The student on the right is supporting her elbow as she views through the lens. [ Slide end: ] You will want to start with the student seated for these lessons, elbow resting on a desk or table. When there is no table, you will see students rest their elbow on their knee while sitting. When I'm introducing a telescope to young elementary aged students, I ask their teacher to position the student's desk so that the arm using the telescope is resting on a surface. I never, however, isolate the student from his peers in regards to seating. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Localizing, then Spotting Content: left-side text: Locate object first without the telescope, then spot through telescope to verify detail right-side photo: teacher stands behind a high school student pointing to a clock on the classroom wall. Description End: Once you localize an object with the un-aided eye, you spot it through a telescope to verify detail. This student first localized the clock on the wall, then lifted the telescope to her eye to spot it and verify the time. [ Slide end: ] Bachofer: We now want to move to the skill of focusing, that's bringing an image into clearest view. You can start these lessons without a telescope using a LCD projector or a camera. With each of those items the student and you can identify what's clear and what's blurry. For students who have a high refractive error, you're distinction of clear may be slightly different from the student's, but you'll get close. And the students can have fun taking things into extreme blur and then bringing it back. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Focusing: bringing an image into clearest view Content: • Demonstrate turning controls on projector, video magnifier or camera to change clarity – Set best focus and ask student to look (without telescope) – Turning controls, blur the image – Return to clear image by turning controls • Transfer previous procedures to the telescope • Ask student to move barrel of scope to make image blurry and clear Description End: So you'll then want to start with a pre-focused telescope so you're making sure the student has that immediate success. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Focusing the Telescope Content: left-side photo: Male high school student standng in a classroom and using a telescope; teacher stands next to him and points to an object in the distance. right-side text: • Consider starting with a pre-focused device • Orient student to mechanics of the device • Practice “closing” and “opening” telescope • Slowly turn past clear point to blur, then return Description End: And then on the next slide the, we use the terms open and closed on the telescope when with the barrel type telescopes when it is closed it's all the way short and typically that's for seeing things that's farther away. When the student opens the telescope, makes it long, they're pulling in that mid-range task and so being able to get that hand movement down quickly helps the student to feel more comfortable as they're using the tool. [ Slide end: ] So we want the student to get to the clearest image and I always practice with my students by letting them know, 'Okay I'm going to mess it up and now you put it back to the right spot'. So again, it's only when the student goes past clear into blurry are they figuring out I found the clearest spot so we do a lot of that back and forth with 'Okay you reset it'. And I use the line with the students. We don't want just 'good enough' focus we want the best focus and helping students to hold that high standard of seeing sharp edges. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Adjusting Focus to Allow for a Variety of Planes Content: left-side photo: male student looks at school building, bus and flagpole in the distance. left-side text: The boy is focusing on one target--the building right-side photo: male student standing closer to school and bus using a telescope right-side text: The boy changes focus depending on which bus he wants to see Description End: In these photos, a student is adjusting focus to allow for a variety of planes. So in the first picture he's just looking at the building. But in the second picture he's looking at the front bus and then further down the sidewalk behind that bus watching the door to see if his friend comes out. [ Slide end: ] And when I work with students I want to be sure that when they are taking on that more challenging task or are in an unfamiliar environment, that they've developed the skill and so that they can devote the energy to the challenge of the harder task that they've picked up. Cowan: Some young students have difficulty focusing the telescope so what I might do is go into their classroom first and see where these barrels are aligned for the chalkboard and where they might be aligned for something a little closer and then I am going to mark the barrels of the telescope themselves. I typically use fingernail polish. So I might put one color on this part and then two different colors on the bottom part. And then I might say, 'Put it right here when you want to see the board but then move it here when you want to watch somebody talking in the middle of the classroom. Bachofer: Okay we're making progress. The next skill that we're going to talk about is tracing, and that's visually following stationary lines. Position the student when you start these lessons typically start off with a horizontal line those are pretty easy to find in a school setting. The edge along a board, the edge along a door frame, placing letter, numbers, shapes where the student is following the targets and then naming them to you in order. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracing: visually follow stationary lines Content: • Position student facing horizontal or vertical line • Locate line without device • Raise device so it is placed between eye and the line • Move head, not eye, with a slow smooth movement while following the line • After proficiency is obtained with perpendicular lines, move to lines that project away from student (requires changing focus while tracing) Description End: Locate lines, start without the telescope so the student can identify for you what they see and then bring the telescope up so that you are adding the tool into the lesson. Move the head not the eyes so that they're developing that smooth, fluid movement while following a line and once the student has gained proficiency with these horizontal and vertical lines you can start with the more advanced skill of lines that move away from the student like down a school hallway, posters along the wall, [ Slide end: ] or in a gymnasium objects along a line that projects out into the distance balls or different kind of targets they can identify. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracing Content: center photo: view from a sidewalk looking down a street; school area speed limit sign on the right and parked car in the distance. center text: Trace (visually follow) the sidewalk to the intersection Description End: In this picture we have a couple of opportunities for tracing. The traffic sign if the student traces up the silver pole they find the big 15 speed limit and so that's a flat, vertical plane. But if the student then does the skill of tracing down the sidewalk, there's a car at the end of the sidewalk and the student can identify when the car is moving and what direction it's turning. So both within the school setting and outdoors there are opportunities for tracing. [ Slide end: ] Cowan: Our next skill is scanning. Scanning involves making repetitive fixations that are required to look from one target to another. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Scanning: repetitive fixations that are required to look from one target to another Content: center photo: elementary student sits at a table using a telescope to look at a chart held by a teacher. The chart has letters on each side with a continuous line drawn from left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Description End: Here we see a boy on a beginner's scanning lesson. He's moving his head as he looks through the telescope to follow a pattern moving from left to right, and top to bottom. [ Slide end: ] You can teach scanning by placing stickers on mortar between bricks, asking the student to scan in this same pattern as he names the pictures on the stickers. There are several fun games noted in the Looking to Learn book in the chapter on telescope training. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Scanning to copy symbols, words, and sentences written on a board Content: center photo: portable chalkboard with multiple sizes of handwritten notes, arrows connecting blocks of text and a post-it note. Reference: Photo by Peter Kaminski Description End: Scanning is a crucial skill for reading the infamous chalkboard, whiteboard, or whatever is used in the student's classroom. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Scanning in Real Life: Find the cottage cheese Content: left-side photo: three grocery shelves of stacked dairy products right-side graphic: three rows of arrows pointing left-to-right and two arrows pointing down diagonally from right-to-left. Reference: Photo by rynosoft Description End: In the community, we might scan to find a product on the grocery store shelf. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Scanning in Real Life: Locate targets using scanning patterns and focusing skills Content: center photo: young child uses a telescope and points to a swing set and slide in the distance. center text: Student uses landmarks to describe location of object Description End: Or scan to find the slide or a friend on the playground. [ Slide end: ] I cover scanning thoroughly as early as kindergarten and beginning first graders. I can't express strongly enough the necessity for direct or explicit 1 to 1 training sessions for this skill. I start with scanning to find and copy symbols, words, sentences, and finally paragraphs of up to 15 words. Materials have got to be fun. I use funny poems, children's magazines, and other high interest materials as I teach this skill. The following two slides are examples of teacher made materials I have used to teach scanning in conjunction with copying. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Sample of 2 scanning activities Content: center photo: hand printed page titled "What is it?" with large-print numbers 1-15 and a sticker next to each number. Another page titled, "How Many?" with large-print numbers 1-5 and Xs, circles, triangles, squares next to each number. Description End: [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Sample chart for scanning and copying Content: • Tie the wire around the top of the pine cone. • Spread the peanut butter on the pine cone. • Put the cone in the baggie and shake. • Hang the cone in a tree. right-side photo: small image of a pine cone covered in peanut butter and bird seed. Reference: Photo by tofutti break Description End: [ Slide end: ] For the bird feeder instructions, I asked my student to copy the instructions, the red lines indicating chunks that I want the student to view, put down the telescope, and write. As scanning skill improves, the lines or chunks will get longer. Once the student is copying up to 15 words with one glance, my lessons on scanning are over. First graders who are proceeding on grade level in reading can complete this goal with 60 minutes a week direct instruction. Since I do carry my materials in my car, my copying activities are prepared on spiral charts, using bright markers. I might also carry a roll-up, laminated white board to write on in any setting. Whenever I do telescope training with a young student, particularly third grade or younger, I like to prepare a little booklet that I take in when I'm teaching the specific skill of copying from the board. And so this is an example of a little book that I made for one student, Billy, and we'll look inside and you can see what kinds of things I have in here that I used with Billy every time I went to the school. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: center graphic: page from booklet titled, "Record of Things I Can See at a Distance" and two columns titled, "Without a Monocular" and "With a Moncular." Page is decorated with drangonfly, mosquito, ants and a caterpillar. Description End: So for example the first sheet in here is the beginning conversation we might have about what you can see with or without a monocular telescope. So he has written or I wrote for him actually because he was young what he saw without a monocular which was kids on a playground, trees, and food in the lunch line. And then what he could see with a monocular. So, writing on the board and birds et cetera. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: center graphic: page from booklet titled "About Points" center text: You can earn points while working with Ms. Cowan. The way to earn points is by: 1. Any time Ms. Cowan walks into your classroom and see you using your monocular to follow along when someone is writing on the board, you get 10 points. 2. For every time your teacher tells Ms. Cowan that you used the monocular during the week, you get 5 points for each time. 3. For finishing a homework assignment that was given to you by Ms. Cowan, you get 5 points. 4. Every time you finish a copying assignment that was done with Ms. Cowan, you get 3 points. 5. Whenever your desk is neat and paper are in their right place when Ms. Cowan comes, you will earn 2 points. Description End: The next page says about points. And this is the behavior system that I use with kids where I'm reinforcing them for using their telescope, but I have a conversation with the kids in advance on what would you like to exchange points for? And points are little chips. Like a blue chip means 1 point and a white might mean 5 points et cetera. So these are the kinds of things that this student would be rewarded with. So, when I walk into the room and I see you using the telescope that's your highest point value. [ Slide end: ] For every time your teacher tells me you are using- you have used the telescope in the past week, you get points. If you finish your homework on telescope that I gave you that has a point value et cetera. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: page from the booklet titled "What Happens to the Points?" center text: Points can be exchanged for all kinds of things. You get to decide what happens with the points. Some ideas might be: 1. Pokemon cards 2. play a game with Ms. Cowan during our "work time" 3. have a special breakfast or lunch with Ms. Cowan 4. go on a scavenger hunt 5. read parts of a Nintendo 64 magazine together 6. get your own books to take home 7. 8. Description End: The third page has what happens to the points. So, for him, his most valued thing and this is going to date me but his most valued thing were Pokemon cards. He would do anything for a Pokemon card. So his top choice would be Pokemon cards that he could exchange those points for. Another one might be for him to play a game with me during our work time, have a special breakfast or lunch with me, et cetera. [ Slide end: ] He never got past the Pokemon cards though, he always wanted those. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: page from booklet titled, "Record of the Points Earned and Exchanged" center text: Four columns titled, "Date," "Points Earned," "Points Spent," "Spent on (Item)" Description End: The next page I have is a record of the points he earned and exchanged. So this was always consulted sitting open during our lesson and you will see we started telescope training in January and it has the column- one column has the date, one has the points earned, one has the points spent, and then what he spent those points on. So this is just all the points he earned between January and on this sheet February but it kept going. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: handwritten page with dates and points earned and spent next to each task Description End: Then on the inside, on the next page I hadn't created a page for this but I saw that I needed one. I was keeping track of the different kinds of things he was doing to earn points. So I was- in addition to the telescope training I was working on organization. So you'll see the word 'desk' and that means that his desk was neat when I came, copying his homework, and 'riddles' would be something he did with me in class so it's all added up there. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: page from booklet titled, "Record of Monocular Speed and Accuracy center text: five columns title, "Date," "# of Words in the Sample," "Time," "Did you check your work?," "# of Correct Words on Final Draft." Description End: Then the next page is the record of monocular speed and accuracy. This was always open as we worked and you'll see in the columns date, number of words in the sample. There's a column for time; I didn't keep track of the time, in other words how long it took him to copy something because for this particular child that was a little stressful so I just didn't do it. Then there's a column that says 'Did you check your work? Yes or No' and the number of correct words on the final draft. So in other words, I would put something up, they would read it, they would copy it, and then I would ask 'Do you think you made any mistakes?' [ Slide end: ] And I wanted them to check those words they thought they hadn't gotten right and then correct them. Then I took a grade. So you had the opportunity to correct your work. So on this you see in February there were four words in the sample. In parenthesis I put eight peeks. So that means it took him eight different peeks with the telescope before he could copy those four words. He corrected himself and then he got four words correct. So that's a 100 percent. I'm going to go on down to the bottom of this. In May, he had 22 words in that copying sample. He did that in one peek. He checked his work and he missed nothing. So as far as I'm concerned, he was finished with the goal of copying words from the board. In this case, he could copy up to 22 words in one peek with 100 percent accuracy. So this was very motivating to this child to see his progress; it was very motivating to me as well. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: partial image of a worksheet with ruled lines and printing by student. Paper has a bright star sticker. Description End: I have his actual work here. This paper that's dated in January has one sentence on it. We were making that bird feeder that was referred to previously. He has one sentence here; it was very difficult for him to do. He was copying letters at a time not words at a time. So that's at the beginning of the semester. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: image of a worksheet with ruled lines and printing by student. Description End: Then this next page that has 'A's across the top is the next month. And you'll see I was working on a column format and he was copying words and then he copied a sentence, 'The ant is little.' and he did that in one peek. So now we've gone from copying one letter at a time or one word at a time to in February already four words at a time. And he drew a picture of an ant. [ Slide end: ] [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Content: image of a worksheet with ruled lines and printing by student. Green star sticker in top right corner. Description End: So now I'm going to zoom you ahead to May which was the end of this goal. He has his name at the top nicely. He did this entire copying activity was the one that's 22 words with one peek, self corrected. And you see not only how clean it is and nicely it's done. He did that all with one peek of the telescope and then writing everything down on his paper from memory going back and correcting himself. [ Slide end: ] Bachofer: At last we come to tracking, the final and most sophisticated skill on our list. Lessons that include working with tracking can be so interesting for students. Examples like watching a pep rally in a school setting or having that field trip of going to the zoo and being able to follow the animals with the telescope. This is just a couple examples for tracking. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracking: visually following a moving target Content: • Start with targets that are stationary, but require moving the head/telescope to follow the target (e.g., print/pictures on a board) • Next use targets that move slowly from left to right (someone walking across front of room or writing on white board) • Instruct student to support the arm holding the telescope • Take student into different environments to expand skill Reference: Description End: Start with an object that is stationary and then require that the student places the telescope against their eye and move the head smoothly to follow the target so reading print on the board or watching someone walk across the front of a room can be examples. [ Slide end: ] Items that start at the left and move to the right is the direction that we're most familiar with. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracking: visually following a moving target Content: • Start with targets that are stationary, but require moving the head/telescope to follow the target (e.g., print/pictures on a board) • Next use targets that move slowly from left to right (someone walking across front of room or writing on white board) • Instruct student to support the arm holding the telescope • Take student into different environments to expand skill Reference: Description End: Instruct the student to support the arm holding the telescope. So always checking that positioning and stabilizing to make sure that that habit is in place. Taking the student into different environments to expand their skill. [ Slide end: ] So this is in the different school settings such as the concourse, the gymnasium, the athletic field all of these have movement in them so you can find activities that the student can follow with the telescope. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracking-continued Content: • Continue with targets that move left to right (car on road; person walking; teacher writing) • Slowly decrease target size; increase distance from target • Have student follow the target using head movements only; keep telescope stable against eye • Add targets that move in variable patterns (birds, animals, kids on playground) Description End: Slowly decrease the target size and increase the distance. Again, we've mentioned that before but this is that awareness of the student recognizing 'I'm getting better; my expertise is building'. Have the student follow the targets again with a smooth movement. [ Slide end: ] And then finding those things that move in variable patterns more unpredictable, like birds outside the school or children on a playground or even athletes on a soccer field because they're moving backwards and in those more unpredictable movements so that builds skill for the student. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Tracking in Real Life Content: left-side photo: elementary girls playing soccer (Photo by Lorenkerns) left-side text: Following the action in a soccer game right-side photo: three bearded young men in period costume in a theater act from the play Hamlet right-side text: Following the action in a play Description End: In these photos we have some instances of tracking in real life that's on the soccer field and then actors on a stage. [ Slide end: ] Now that we've covered the six skills listed on the chart, we want to mention some fine tuning. Some of that getting to the highest level of skill with telescope work, kind of a Telescope Olympics. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Telescope Olympics Go for the Gold! Content: • Practice one-hand focusing • Check speed and accuracy – Copying from the white board – Reading complex signs outdoors • Look for mid-range tasks – Labels inside the prepared food case – Mall or office building directory center graphic: multi-colored Olympic rings Description End: Think of one handed focusing for students if they are wanting to keep a hold of the pen and just be able to adjust the focus. In high school, classrooms that can help build their speed. Checking their speed and accuracy with copying information from the board or reading more complex signs or information that's out there so that they know they're getting faster and faster. Look for those mid range tasks. These can be a little more difficult to find but are important for the student to have practice with building that skill. [ Slide end: ] So, for example, items in a prepared food case these can take place during O and M lessons where they're in a grocery store and looking at that. Or in a mall or office that has that directory and even better if there's glass in front of that so you're having to deal with glare. All of these are part of that getting that most developed skill in place. Cowan: Development of optical device skill leads to visual independence for so many students. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Development of Optical Device Skill Leads to Visual Independence for All Content: center photo: profile picture of a high school girl using a monocular mounted to the headrest of her electric wheelchair. center text: This student uses a mounted telescope to watch a baseball game Description End: Pictured here is a student who cannot hold a telescope steady, but with a mounted telescope she's able to watch the basketball game. Just think of the social implications this has for her! [ Slide end: ] So let's pull it all together now. The efficient optical device user is ready to incorporate all the skills together for some sophisticated tasks. But now you will apply these skills in increasingly complex or visually busy environments, where objects appear and move rapidly through one- more than one focal plane, and the visual demands are high. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Pulling it All Together: Locating, focusing and tracking targets that move through more than one focal plane Content: • Examples include: paying attention to traffic, attending sports events, people watching in a crowd • Combine all skills learned to move beyond school environments: field trips, stores, travel in new area • Encourage student to keep a list or journal of places and events viewed with devices Description End: Examples of the more complex settings include traffic, sports events, and crowded spaces such as the mall, school hall, and airports. You will need to go beyond the school building. Teach optical device efficiency on field trips, in stores, and in new areas. [ Slide end: ] Help your student create a PowerPoint or a journal of places and events they're seeing with devices, and share these with teachers, parents, and friends. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: From Training to Integrated Use Content: center photo: high school girl uses a monocular and looks out the window of a metro transit bus center text: Eyes on the World Description End: This student, a 9th grader, is the ideal. She has moved from training to integrated use, and truly has her eyes on the world, moving toward competitive employment. Isn't that our goal for all of our students? [ Slide end: ] Bachofer: We've spent a great amount of time in this presentation, concentrating on skills for using both near and distance devices and that skill development is very, very important. [ Slide start: ] Description Start: Title: Final Thoughts Content: left-side text: • Awareness of optical device skills • Anticipation of benefits from device use • Acceptance of limitations, difference of speed in access to information right-side photo: boy uses a magnifying glass to examine the details on a bronze sculpture of a knight in armor. center text: Skills + Benefits + Limitations = Device Use Description End: So then as final thoughts I want to mention it's also an awareness of the benefits that the student can anticipate 'how is this tool going to help me' and recognizing the limitations. It's not a perfect tool but it can work well to get information that I want in some settings. So bringing that all together. Developing the skills, anticipating the benefits, and having awareness of the limitations. All of this leads to that successful device use. [ Slide end: ] Cowans: Thank you for joining us for this first of three web-based instruction modules on teaching students to use optical devices. Remember, a number of good resources are available to help you develop your skills as you teach your students to use devices. Keep it fun, keep it interesting, and keep the goal in mind. Presentation 2 will cover device use in a range of environments, and presentation 3 will focus on the psycho-social issues related to using optical devices.