New posts are added as they become available.
One thing that has been obvious during the pandemic is that even young students need to be up and running on technology – in order to access materials! TVIs are embracing the need to teach technology skills early, so that BLV students are entering kindergarten with tech skills equivalent to their peers. (See Tech Standards: Why Teach Digital Concepts Early?). The next step is to incorporate technology into daily classroom activities. We have learned so much during the 2020-2021 school year about basic spatial math-related concepts and tactile/digital activities to support these concepts. Numerous new posts geared for preschool and early elementary have been added below; Summary Posts are updated every time a related post is published.
Original Post was published in April 2021.
In the last several weeks, I have received numerous questions about accessible digital math options for K-3rd grade students who rely on a screen reader. With COVID-19 school closures, general education teachers are using fun math apps to teach or reinforce math concepts and skills. Unfortunately, these math apps are visual in nature and are not accessible with a screen reader. Braille math packets and manipulatives are often being used with students – and continue to be a great option! However, it is challenging for some TVIs to share the braille materials in a timely manner; and, students are highly motivated when they have an option of playing a math app! For many students, these math apps can be taught in 1:1 virtual sessions, especially if there is initial support from home.
Note: The apps listed below are also beneficial for students with vision (peers) or with low vision. Currently, there are more accessible iOS apps for early learners who rely on a screen reader, so this Math Summary Page focuses on iOS skills with VoiceOver. However, these same concepts apply to other tablets and some app developers are now developing apps that will work on any device!
First, let’s take a look at the tech skills necessary for accessing iOS math apps for grades K-3rd. Included are resources for family members (and/or educators!) who may not be familiar with VoiceOver gestures. The second part of this post lists the Paths to Technology math-related app reviews and posts.
In July 2024, the national Digital Math Team published digital math best practices, skills checklists (by device and grade level) and digital math workflows. The checklists and workflows contain numerous free resources. The documents in these two posts are fluid, meaning that they will be updated as new information is available.
How do you start transitioning a young student to digital math? First, it is critical to introduce the math skill using manipulatives and tactile formats. The student should learn the braille math code, how to align numbers to solve equations, etc. It is all about tools in the toolbox – to be successful with higher math in digital format, students should be introduced early to very basic digital math concepts. These concepts should mirror the tactile math activity and should systematically progress. 21st century students should be ‘multimedia students’ who embrace print (if possible), braille, manipulatives, tactile graphics, and digital formats. In the most, we will use the word, ‘teacher’, to mean the person who will be instructing the student – it might be a family member, general education math teacher, or TVI.
Success with digital math skills requires that the teacher understands:
The teacher needs a clear idea of where digital math will be heading, in order to teach the foundational digital math concepts. For students who rely on a screen reader, these concepts include unique VoiceOver tech skills, which are clearly explained in the related Paths to Technology posts linked below.
If you need a jump start with basic VoiceOver gestures and the more unique tech skills, the following posts will guide you. FYI: Don’t worry, you are not alone! Most people with vision have never heard of “split tap”, gesture of the terms “earcons” or “sonification”, which means many students with visual impairments frequently have gaps in these areas! Most of these math-related posts include video tutorials.
Animal Watch Vi: Building Graphics Literacy post (app along with tactile graphics and large print in paper format)
Math Melodies App was fully redesigned and updated in the fall of 2021.
AI-Learners is a website platform that has 100+ games to help students practice counting, addition and subtraction, geometry, logical reasoning, color and object recognition, time and money, letters, sight words and more. The app is designed for preK- 2nd grade and for learners with diverse needs. The app is fully accessible and can be played with a switch.
*This app is anticipated to be released in the fall of 2024.
Each post includes a combination of tactile and digital activities.
There are too many coding concept posts to list here; see Coding Posts Summary which organizes and lists coding-related posts (unplugged, apps, robots, and programming languages).
Do you know of additional accessible math apps for K-3rd grade students who use a screen reader? Please share your favorite apps and/or math-related activities!
By Diane Brauner
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