Fitting Application Training into the Overall Picture
When training students in the use of an application, it is easy to get lost in the details. Details such as opening a document, configuring an application, or reading text within an edit field are important details to include when instructing a student in the use of an application, but it is also important to look beyond the details of one program and help the student fit these same commands into the overall vista that is the Windows Operating System.
There are concepts and controls within an individual application that are also used throughout Windows. Edit fields, Radio Buttons, Dialog Boxes, Property Sheets, Combo Boxes and the other controls of Windows are not unique to a single applications. The access of these controls is universal to Windows. So, when instructing a student on the configuration of Microsoft Word, you can take the opportunity to help them gain a better understanding of Windows in general by introducing them to the controls and explaining that they are “standard” within Windows and used throughout all applications. Helping a student understand this basic concept of the Operating System will help them better understand other applications with which they may have been struggling. When teaching these controls it is also important to use the “language” of the screen reader and to encourage a student to listen to what the screen reader is saying.
It is quite easy to tap that control key when entering a dialog or information box within an application. Many students fall into the habit of silencing the speech immediately upon entering a dialog and then feeling completely lost as they attempt to understand the options that may be available within the window. Many students come from a background of “keystroke instruction.” They learn specific keystrokes to accomplish specific tasks. Listening to the language of the screen reader has never been incorporated into the training experience. The first step in helping students learn how an application “fits” into the overall picture of Windows may be to make that control key off limits for a time. By listening to the controls and understanding the terminology used, students can begin to recognize the controls within other applications and to piece together the instruction you provide with the terminology they are hearing.
When students hear the term “edit-combo” in Jaws for Windows or “rich-edit” in Window-Eyes, they will learn to associate the concepts and means of access that you taught them in your training course. When working with the controls of Windows, they are universal and, by instructing your students in their names and means of access, you open the door to innumerable applications. Just as concepts are universal within Windows, there are also keystrokes that can be used in most Windows applications and, again, by helping students understand these basic keystrokes, you aid them in better understanding the overall picture.
In most applications, CTRL-P will print, CTRL-F4 will close a document Window, and ALT-F4 will close an application. As trainers, you probably know of a dozen other commands that are universal within most mainstream applications. When introducing a student to a command such as ALT-F4, you will help a student gain a better understanding of Windows by equating this same command with other applications the students may be using or may access in the future. A Simple statement such as, ALT-F4 will not only close this application but will also close most all applications within Windows. Whether you are working on the Internet, in Excel, Access or Winamp, ALT-F4 may be used to shut down an application,” can help place another integral piece into the puzzle of Windows. When working with keystrokes, another opportunity arises. By offering information on specific keystrokes, you can help define the difference between Windows, application, and screen-reader specific keystrokes.
Most students know how to read the title bar of an application or how to read the currently focused word or pronounce a letter phonetically. Most students learn how to open a new document or close an application Window but, in many cases, these keystrokes all blend together and have no definition as to the specific program they serve. Are they Windows, application specific, or screen reader commands? On the surface, this may seem unimportant but no one can predict the path a student’s life will take and there may come a time when access to a computer with an alternative screen reader may be necessary.
If a student believes that a computer is accessed solely through the screen reader and that the screen reader is integral when accessing an application, valuable opportunities may be lost as he/she decides that, as a Window-Eyes user, a computer equipped with JFW is inaccessible because, without Window-Eyes, the computer cannot be accessed. As a trainer, you can help a student understand that a solid understanding of application and Windows commands can allow adequate access to a computer equipped with any screen reader, allowing time for a student to investigate the options available such as learning the commands for a new screen reader or acquiring access to the screen reader with which the student is most familiar.
When teaching an application to a student, you can help a student understand the differences among the application, Windows, and screen reader commands by presenting the material in such a way that the differences become apparent. There are commands for Windows to access text within a document. You may move word by word, line by line, paragraph by paragraph and page by page-these commands are standard throughout Windows and can be used in any edit field within the Operating System. These commands allow you to access the next and previous word, line, paragraph, etc… While the screen reader is reading the text, it is Windows that is moving the cursor. When reading “current” data, or information on the display that cannot be accessed via the application cursor, you are stepping into the realm of the screen reader. While the details may be small, the differences are enormous and assisting your student differentiating among the commands and to what application they are specific will slip yet another piece into the overall puzzle.. the picture starts to come into focus.
By listening to the information being provided by the screen reader, understanding the basic controls, concepts and keystrokes of Windows, incorporating the keystrokes of one application into another and understanding the differences among the keyboarding for the applications, Windows and screen reader, students gain a solid foundation upon which they can build when accessing computer applications. By teaching one application to the best of your ability and treating the program as an element in an overall picture, the puzzle comes together and students take more than just knowledge of a single application from your classroom. They have a better understanding of Windows and the way in which the Operating system dovetails with applications and screen reading software to provide access to a wealth of information. They become more confident and start to explore their computer. In short, they start to bring Windows into focus and future training experiences only add more definition to the concepts you introduced in an organized and intelligent manner.
