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Creating Digital Math Worksheets that can be Accessed on Windows Computers
In this post you will learn how to create digital math worksheets that your students can access on a Windows computer using the NVDA screen reader.
In this post you will learn how to create digital math worksheets that your students can access on a Windows computer using the NVDA screen reader. You will need the following tools:
MathType is an equation editor that can be downloaded and purchased directly from the Design Science web site. Even though Microsoft Word has a built-in equation editor, you WILL need to use MathType in order to get your mathematics encoded correctly. Once you have downloaded and Installed MathType, it will automatically be integrated into Microsoft Word and you should see a MathType tab added so that you can access the MathType Ribbon as shown below.
Creating Your Worksheet
Now you are ready to start creating content with accessible text AND mathematics. The video below will walk you through the process from start to finish—including how to to save and share it with someone else. The final outcome of this process will produce an HTML page for the consumer. The HTML page, which contains the needed embedded code for the mathematics, can then be emailed via link you acquire from DropBox or another cloud sharing system.
Try not to be overwhelmed by all of the template options in the MathType ribbon. They are grouped symbol type. Some of them are very easy to find, while others may require you to do a little bit of searching. However, the more you use these tools, the more comfortable you will become with the symbol grouping. Don’t be afraid to click on the different areas to see all of the different options. Also, if you hover over each section with your mouse and do not click on anything, it will give you a description of the different types of symbols. For a more in-depth look at creating a worksheet with more complex math content, see the video below:
Known Issues and Student Access
In theory, a student should be able to use an iPad and VoiceOver to access the digital math created by the process described in this post. However, grouping symbols such as parentheses, brackets, absolute value bars, etc are not displayed correctly on iPads using VoiceOver. We hope this issue will be resolved at some point. Until then, see Creating Digital Math Worksheets that can be Accessed on iOS Devices if your student needs to access digital math on an iPad.
At this time, UEB math is not totally supported by NVDA. However, Nemeth is supported. If your student needs to access digital math using UEB, I recommend using an iOS device. See Creating Digital Math Worksheets that can be Accessed on iOS Devices for more details.
Suggested Student Access/Tools for HTML pages
- Windows computer
- NVDA
- MathPlayer
- Mozilla Firefox
- Supported Braille Display
- Nemeth Code
For more information on how students can access this information, please see the Paths to Technology post How to Read Math Equations with a Screen Reader on a Windows Computer.
By Shannon Pruitt
