SAM2010...Have you used it? Help.

Good Afternoon everyone! I come with need for some help today. I have found myself with the opportunity to assist a very nice student in their CIS 101 course this semester. The student is disabled and I'm working as a scribe. The class is basically Intro to Microsoft Office 2010 and covers the basic suite with the exception of Access (Word, Power Point, Excel and Outlook).

Now, when I took this a couple semesters ago? It was taught direct from the book and to the Office program. Nothing fancy and nothing different. This year, and as it figures, just in time to help someone else learn the underlying material? Someone else figured it was time for something new! (God help me from new ideas, for the sake of something new to do)

Anyway... The software they are introducing for this is SAM2010. I know as much about it as you'll see on the opening page. The bad thing is....the faculty is the same at the moment.

Normally, who'd care? I'm in a class to learn it and that's part of "it". Except...this class isn't about learning, but helping someone else learn ..so it seems I'm at a distinct disadvantage if I don't know more about the s/w than the student.

If anyone has used or worked with this software, please let me know? Specifically, how does this change the handling and approach for learning MS Office at an intro level? The student I'm scribing for is 100% blind..(She uses a special computer that is voice drive and voice responsive) so small changes in procedure to us can be a real big deal there.

Thanks!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Is this related to Cengage by chance? I've used that for course tracking in a few finance classes I took in late 2011 and it wasn't too bad. Basically a web-based agenda for the course, complete with quizzes, assignments, and tutoring tools/exercises.

reply to post by parad0x122


Yes! This is the Cengage program.

Okay, so imagine a blind student with familiarity and time spent getting to the starting gate on Office, in time for the semester starting today ....to just learn that SAM2010 will front end the material as a brand new trial program in the course.

With that considered, and your time with something similar to what I'll be working with next week....how much adapting or how problematic might this be?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Unfortunately, I'm going to have to lean toward A LOT! It's not the the site is difficult to use, it's just everything seems to be buried under menus upon menus, and with a vision disability that could be quite a challenge. Also, I would check with the software provider for the application(s) she uses to interpret on-screen information for compatibility with web-based applications, such as Cengage. You may find that you can get an override from the instructor/professor to stray from that type of teaching format, and opt for a more traditional/curtailed approach to the lesson plan if you find that it's incompatible with the software she needs to use in order to use the computer.

reply to post by parad0x122


Thanks. You've answered my biggest concern in saying it's highly menu driven. That could pose a major challenge. I think we'll have to see when the whole thing is presented next week. Not my call either way though. I just adapt and learn to work with it or not, as they decide.

Well good luck Wrabbit! Hopefully you can come to a solution