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Taptilo: New Smart Device to Teach Braille

Here is a creative, fun way to teach and reinforce braille skills!

Update 7/25/17  Taptilo is now available for purchase!

Taptilo developers have listened closely to beta testers and have completed the following updates:

Taptilo developers are currently working on:

Below is the original announcing Taptilo dated April 19, 2017:

Are you looking for a new tool to engage students in learning to read and write braille?  Check out this new tech tool!  Taptilo is a Bluetooth Braille device that syncs to your smartphone.

Taptilo is being introduced at CSUN in San Diego March 1st – 3rd, 2017.  Taptilo has unique blocks with jumbo size 6 pins and automatically refreshing jumbo size dots perfect for small fingers to learn Braille skills.

Hangsok Kim with OHFA TECH, shares the following information:

From today, Braille learning is going to be fun. Just play Taptilo to write and read Braille.

Meet Taptilo at CSUN. March 1st to 3rd, 2017. At Northridge, CA. Booth# 219

Taptilo is Wireless Braille device that syncs to your smartphone using Bluetooth along with a partnered application to teach and learn Braille reading and writing. Wi-Fi model for classroom setting is also available.

Why is Taptilo so brilliant?

  1. One-to-many instruction. No more one-on-one teaching. You can teach many students at the same time.
  2. Play & Learn by oneself. Taptilo offers 5 different self-study modes including game which allows anyone to learn Braille.
  3. Refreshable & Auto spelling check. Taptilo’s Braille moves up and down automatically and it can check spelling of vocabulary
  4. Durability and Safety. This product is made with durable and safe materials which means it is safe even for kids to chew and play with.
  5. Study progress tracking with smartphone
  6. Hundreds of pre-programmed vocabularies

Specification Preschooler hands pushing in pins on a Taptilo block to create a braille letter.

Size is 17 inches length, 5 inches wide and 2 inches height. Weighs 3 lb. Battery Life is up to 15 hours during study mode. Bluetooth connection to your smartphone.

Contact OHFA Tech, Inc. for more information.

Email [email protected]

Web www.taptilo.com

Call 1-888-278-4565

Note:  The Taptilo information above is also available as a PDF flier.

In the video below, a smiling young girl plays independently with Taptilo, creating words by pushing the braille dots up to make the desired letter then placing the correct braille tile on the top row of the Taptilo device.  This adorable child then presses the button on the right side of the device to hear if she is correct.  In the kitchen, the mother uses the Taptilo app on her phone to send one word at a time (“play” and “easy”) to the device.  On the iPhone, the word is displayed in both print and braille dots.  When the word is displayed in braille on the bottom row of the device, the little girl’s face lights up.  She immediately begins to duplicate each braille character and creates the word.  In the next scene, the mother encourages the little girl as they sit together on the floor in the family room playing Taptilo together.  The next scene is a teacher using an iPad and four young students who are blind are sitting at a square table, each with their own Taptilo game.  The teacher sends the desired word (“learn”) and the students intently create the word in braille using individual Taptilo tiles.  One student accidently knocks a Taptilo tile onto the floor.  The teacher picks up the tile and places it in the student’s hand.  The last student scene shows a student’s hands pushing in the Taptilo braille dots to create a letter.  The word “Taptilo” appears on the screen, followed by “OHFA”, the company that creates Taptilo and the website address, “www.taptilo.com“.

Editor’s Note: See the new Taptilo post that features the recent software updates!

Attached File(s)

https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/taptilo_OHFA.pdf
By Diane Brauner

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