Optical aids for low vision: use of the Internet to guide teachers of the visually impaired

PURPOSES: To describe and interpret teachers' opinions about and responsiveness to guidance on optical aids for low vision. METHODS: It was conducted a cross-sectional analytical study. The convenience, non-random sample consisted of 58 teachers from the public school network of the city of Campinas. It was constructed and applied a structured questionnaire, available online at the assessed website. For qualitative data collection it was conducted an exploratory study using the focus group technique. RESULTS: Responses expressed, for the most part, a marked interest in the website, its easiness of access, and the comprehensive nature of the information provided. Most people reported frequent use of the Internet to seek information, and found it easier to access the Internet at home. Among the qualitative aspects of the evaluation, we should mention the perceived importance of the website as a source of information, despite some criticism about the accessibility and reliability of the information found on the Internet. CONCLUSION: Teachers' need for training to deal with visually impaired students and their positive response to advice and information lead to the conclusion that web-based guidelines on the use of optical aids were considered beneficial to ease the understanding of visual impairment and the rehabilitation of the affected subjects.

MARC 21 e XML como ferramentas para a consolidação da catalogação cooperativa automatizada: Uma revisão de literatura

The cooperation and the sharing of information cataloguing and bibliographical in environment automated, this was only possible with the creation and adoption of interchange format MARC21. But due to the progresses of the technologies of information and communication, of the crescent use of Internet and of the databases and databanks, there were the need of the creation and development of tools that optimize the organization activities, retrieval and interchange of information. XML is one of those developments that have as purpose to facilitate the management, storage and transmission of data through Internet. Before that, it was proposed through a literature revision, to analyze Interchange Format MARC21 and Markup Language XML as tools for the consolidation of the Automated Cooperative Cataloguing, your differences of storage flexibilities, organization, retrieval and interchange of data through Internet. This research made possible the divulgation to the community librarian, through a literature revision, that has been discussed internationally on MARC21 and XML