During the February 24 broadcast SML’s Executive Director Steve O’Keefe introduced the new three-week Chromebook Chronicles tutorial workshop and online user group. The Chromebook Chronicles will be conducted in Google Hangouts on March 2, 9, and 16, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Chromebook Chronicles is a live tutorial workshop/online user group on Chromebook accessibility and applications. It’s copyright-free, and will be moderated by O’Keefe.

The Chromebook is an inexpensive “netbook” computer that has very little storage or memory. It works to access applications in the cloud, such as Google Docs, YouTube, Soundcloud, Zoho, Microsoft 365, Facebook, as well as video- and audio-editing software. It is also Amazon-friendly.

“Cloudbook is a better name for it,” quipped O’Keefe during the broadcast, noting that “the cloud is ready for your business” and its improving performance opens up a “new world of accessibility.”

The Staunton Media Lab has created a Soundcloud playlist for its Chromebook Accessibility Tutorials — a series of four tutorials on using the Chromebook for the blind and those with low vision — written, narrated and edited by SML Audio Director, Coley Evans.

The playlist consists of four individual tutorials that can be listened to separately, but also work well sequentially. Here are descriptions of the material covered in each tutorial.

Part 1: The Chromebook. This tutorial introduces the Chromebook, the Chrome web browser, and ChromeVox, the screen reader program bundled with the Chromebook.

Part 2: The Status Tray. Includes information on your Internet and Network settings, your Chromebook settings, and the all-important Accessibility settings for the Chromebook.

Part 3: The Shelf. Used to locate, add, or pin apps or applications. The shelf is also used for working with folders and files.

Part 4: The Web Browser. Since the Chromebook is a “netbook” computer that primarily uses cloud-based applications and storage solutions, web browsing is its primary function. Covers how to navigate the web browser, the address bar, and tools to the right and left of the address bar, keystrokes necessary to open your history, settings, extensions, and other essential functions.

The Staunton Media Lab will continue to produce tutorials on Chromebook accessibility, as well as Chromebook applications. The Chromebook is an inexpensive “netbook” computer that has very little storage or memory. Rather, it works to access applications in the cloud, such as Google Docs, YouTube, Soundcloud, Zoho, Microsoft 365, Facebook, as well as video editing software, audio editing software, and other frequently-used tools at the Staunton Media Lab.

Please stay tuned for more programming and tutorials related to the Chromebook and connect with us on social media to be notified of new releases.

In a “Business Plan Live!” broadcast that streamed live on February 3, 2016, Steve O’Keefe, Executive Director, and Coley Evans, Audio Director, both of of Staunton Media Lab (SML), shared some company news, discussed the business plan for the Staunton media Lab, and introduced the fourth and final installment of SML’s Chromebook Accessibility Tutorials.

In the news:

• SML hired a new Director of Operations, yours truly.
• SML’s audio profile of collage artist Deborah O’Keefe is now online. It’s a 20-minute interview, edited to a two-minute audio segment. Contact us if you want one! ($99) Chrome Book Accessibility Tutorial, Part 4

Part 4 of the Chromebook Accessibility Tutorial, a series of audio tutorials introducing Chromebooks to visually impaired people — or anyone who wants to learn how to navigate this computer well — is the final installment in this series.

Part 4 covers how to use a web browser, including how to open a new browser window, how to use the address bar, navigate the left and the right buttons and the Chrome menu (also sometimes called “hamburger” or options menu); and the keystrokes that can move you from field to field in a form.

The Chromebook Tutorial series are quick — just a couple minutes each. Previously covered subjects in the Chromebook Accessibility series included: logging in, turning on accessibility settings, and using shelf and launcher.

Recently, a student of mine who is blind expressed a need to find “a video with shortcuts for Google Docs.” If you are wondering why a blind person would want to watch a video of shortcuts to Google Docs, it is in hope of hearing the shortcuts read alound. Visually-impaired persons have taught me that the fastest way to learn something is often to find a video and listen to it.

The Staunton Media Lab has just posted a video version of Shortcuts for Google Docs on YouTube as an assist to the visually-impaired who want to use Google Docs. We took a set of shortcut keyboard commands, stripped out all the graphics, reformatted the instructions to be read by a screen reader, and then recorded the screen reader speaking the keyboard shortcuts.

We then took that excellent recording and re-attached it to PDF slides in Keynote, then output the whole thing as a video and uploaded it to YouTube. We also added a text version of the shortcuts in the video description on YouTube. If you know how to use screen readers, and you want the shortcuts read in a different voice, you can copy them out of the description on YouTube or out of this post, below.

This is just one of many assitive technology hacks we will be bringing you from The Staunton Media Lab in the weeks to come. Please be sure to share this information with the ones you love who can’t see so well and still want and need to use computers.