Amongst all the hype surrounding Snow Leopard we were
interested to see the improvements Apple have made in the field of
accessibility. The Mac has always been
designed with special educational needs in mind, with a long-standing emphasis
on ‘Universal Access’, and the new version of OS X goes even further in this
field.
Students with special educational needs can benefit hugely from
the use of ICT in lessons, but over-complicated technology can make the advantages
hard to spot. This is why the Mac is such a good choice for the classroom. With
the release of Snow Leopard, the new version of OS X (the operating system for
the Mac), there are now even more ways to engage students of all learning
abilities in your classes. Here’s our
run down of the best bits!
Sometimes it can be hard to integrate Braille into your
teaching. Luckily, the Mac supports Braille displays (including those with
wireless Bluetooth) straight out of the box. The new OS X now features Braille
mirroring, which allows multiple Braille displays to be connected to a single
computer. This is perfect for a classroom setting: it’s a flexible tool to
involve students who rely on Braille in lessons.
Slow software can be frustrating for students with visual
disabilities who want to keep up with the rest of the class. Snow Leopard has
an improved, faster version of the screen reading software, VoiceOver, which
reads on-screen content out loud as soon as pages load. No more waiting around,
just swift and easy access to information as it’s needed.
The Internet is a treasure trove of educational resources,
but exploring the online world can be a challenge for students with limited
vision. VoiceOver 3.0 breaks through the remaining barriers with some nifty
functions that make it possible for all students to get the benefits of
e-learning. It’s now possible to identify (and save) important locations on
webpages as Auto Web Spots, allowing the user to jump between spots with a
keystroke or a finger flick. Sweet Spots (we love the name) can be saved on
frequently visited sites, so VoiceOver will start from that point every time a
page is visited.
Remembering lots of complicated keyboard shortcuts is no
easy task, and Snow Leopard has some clever options to make navigating the Mac
as simple as possible, including the Rotor. By simply rotating two fingers on
the trackpad as if turning a dial, you can to select options for website
navigation and VoiceOver settings. For example, a student can set the Rotor to
‘word’ or ‘character’ and this makes VoiceOver move through the text one word
or character at a time - a brilliant tool for proofreading and editing!
Even if a student can’t see the screen in front of them,
they can navigate using gestures on the trackpad, which represents the active
window. This puts the student in control, allowing them to touch to hear an
individual word and drag to hear items continuously. A webpage, spreadsheet,
slideshow or any text document can be explored and described; the more you
touch, the more information you gather!
There are loads of options for customisation in Snow
Leopard’s accessibility features, making it completely adaptable to any
student’s learning needs. All of these tools give the student ownership of
their learning, which in turn builds their confidence. Students can use the Mac
in the way that works best for them, comfortably taking control and enhancing
their own learning experience.
Students with special educational needs can feel independent
in the classroom thanks to modern technology, and Snow Leopard is a great
example. Teachers can cast away any technology-induced angst and focus on
teaching, safe in the knowledge that everyone in their class is getting the
most out of their lessons.