|
Hark the Sound
When you meet Gary Bishop, you can tell he is full of passion. He exudes energy and excitement for what he does.
Bishop, a computer science professor, specializes in developing computer assistive technologies, or applications of current technology for people with disabilities.
A hands-on professor, Bishop is often engaging his students to work with him to develop his ideas into working products.
One of the projects that Bishop beams about is “Hark the Sound,” a computer program for elementary-aged blind students.
“It’s fundamentally no different from who wants to be a millionaire,” jokes Bishop.
The game is designed to fill the educational gap that exists when an entire class goes to the computer lab for curriculum extension. Before this program, blind students often only had books-on-tape as an option.
Some activities offer important life skills such as environmental sounds or Braille drills. But other games are just plain fun to play.
“Can you name this animal?” is a favorite among the younger users. “Name this classical tune” and “Name this rock and roll tune” also come standard with the program.
Need to work on capitals of African countries, instead? No problem. Bishop designed the program so teachers can easily customize the program to match the classroom curriculum.
The latest version of the program also turns the game into a workout by incorporating ideas from the popular “Dance Dance Revolution” game. Using a DDR game pad, children can now play games such as “Braille Twister,” which not only develops knowledge of Braille but builds upper body muscle strength, a common problem for blind children.
Because Bishop wants his work to help people, he gives the program away completely free. Three have been hundreds of downloads with users from nearly every state and more than 25 different countries.
“A deal like this, everybody wins,” said Bishop. “My students learn, little kids get something fun to do, the world becomes a better place.”
For more information:
< back to research |
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)