[bksvol-discuss] a submission dilemma
- From: "Kellie Hartmann" <kellhart@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 22:11:06 -0600
Hi all,
I have a dilemma here, and I'd like to get some opinions on it. One of my
textbooks this last semester was a medical terminology text. I scanned it,
and the Ocr isn't too bad, but there are some quirks. First of all, the book
itself is not very blind-friendly. It uses something called programmed
learning, which involves fill-in-the-blank questions arranged on the page in
such a way that words in other questions point out the answers to later
questions. You're supposed to put a piece of paper over part of it while
working on the other part, then take the paper away to check your answers.
Miraculously, this layout didn't wreak scanner havoc, but of course you
can't use it to check your answers as intended. Also, there are diagrams
which you're supposed to label and they're used to teach you, well, where
certain pieces of anatomy are in relation to other pieces of anatomy. These
things aren't always explained clearly outside the diagram. For example, in
the chapter on the circulatory system you can learn the names of all the
structures and what purposes they serve without the diagrams, but you won't
know where the pulmonary arteries are in relation to the aorta, etc. Also,
there is one scanning-related quirk. The book contains charts consisting of
word parts and their meanings. In some cases the word parts are all together
and they are followed by a list of the meanings which are all together. That
may or may not be my fault because of the column setting I used, but it's
not totally consistent so I suspect the layout was a bit unpredictable.
So, what do you guys think? I can see arguments in favor of submitting or
not submitting. Would anyone like to take this on as a project? I could do
more work on it, but frankly now that the class is finished I'm sick of it
and don't want to deal with it anymore. Despite the annoyingness of the book
I got an A in the class, so it's not impossible for a blind person to learn
using it, just kind of irritating, and it would be harder for a student who
didn't already have some grasp of, not to mention interest in, the subject,
as I had.
I think I've used more than my monthly ration of commas in this message.
<lol>
Let me know what you think,
Kellie
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