STUDENT ENGAGEMENT SYSTEM, DEVICE, AND METHOD
20170358232 · 2017-12-14
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06F1/1694
PHYSICS
G06F3/017
PHYSICS
A61B5/165
HUMAN NECESSITIES
G09B5/14
PHYSICS
A61B2503/06
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61B2562/0219
HUMAN NECESSITIES
G06F1/1698
PHYSICS
International classification
G09B5/14
PHYSICS
Abstract
A student engagement device, system and method is provided that encourages students to maintain student engagement during a classroom activity or lecture. The device may be worn by the student and include a display that displays signals received from a remote controller. The signals are generated in the remote control based on subjective observation from the teacher related to student to engagement and may be irrespective of student behavior. The system may further include a computer device accessible by the student or parent for viewing student engagement levels during a class or over a longer length of time, such as a week, month, semester, or year.
Claims
1. A student engagement method comprising: receiving a wireless signal carrying instructions for execution by processors housed in a device worn by a student in a classroom, wherein the signal is generated, via teacher input, in a remote controller based on student engagement during a classroom activity and student engagement is determined subjectively by a teacher; executing the instructions via processors in the device worn by the student, wherein the instructions include operations to notify the student wearing the device of his or her student engagement in learning irrespective of student behavior; and effecting an increase of student engagement based on the operations that notified the student of his or her engagement in learning irrespective of student behavior.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a plurality of time frames from the remote controller operated by the teacher, wherein the plurality of time frames includes a first engagement period and a second engagement period.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether a first signal of positive student engagement has been received during the first engagement period; if the first signal has been received, then maintaining illumination of a light during the second engagement period, and if no first signal is received, then ceasing illumination of the light during the second engagement period until the first signal is received, and then re-illuminating the light.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: processing the instructions in the device worn by the student; activating at least one light based on the instructions, wherein the light represents a level of student engagement subjectively determined through observation by the teacher; adjusting the illumination of the light in a display of the device after receiving a second signal indicating student engagement has returned after a period of non-engagement; and interrupting a period in which the student registers as non-engaged with a first engagement signal generated by the remote controller and identifying the student as engaged so as to illuminate a display carried by the device in a manner indicating engagement within the same period.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: aggregating the levels of student engagement during a classroom activity and sending the levels of student engagement to a database accessible at a later time via a computer application; collating and comparing levels of student engagement over multiple time periods, and providing a system recommendation of student engagement based on the collated and compared levels of student engagement; grouping periods of engaged activity to form engagement blocks viewable in the computer application, and grouping periods of non-engaged activity to form non-engagement blocks viewable in the computer application.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising relaying the first engagement signal regarding student engagement from the wearable device to the database so as to enable the viewing of the teacher-generated signals via the computer application.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: discretely notifying the student of non-engagement so as to not cause distractions or draw attention of other students to the non-engaged student.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: actively observing for signals generated by the remote controller.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: passively observing for signals generated by the remote controller.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement consists of a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by the student when learning or being taught.
11. A wearable device comprising: a display carried by a housing sized to be generally wrist-worn adapted to display a level of student engagement; at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more processors carried by the housing perform operations to display the level of student engagement in the display, the operations including: (i) receive a plurality of time frames including a first engagement period and a second engagement period from a distinct and remote controller generated via teacher input; (ii) receive signals generated via teacher input from the remote controller, wherein the signals are based on student engagement observed by the teacher during the first engagement period, and the signals represent positive feedback and no signals are sent representing inappropriate behavior; and (iii) notify the student by altering the display to represent a decline in student engagement in the event the teacher has not observed sufficient student engagement during the engagement period and has not generated the signal representing positive student engagement; and wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement includes a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by a student when learning or being taught.
12. The wearable device of claim 11, wherein the student engagement consists of only the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by the student when learning or being taught and does not include student behavior.
13. The wearable device of claim 11, further comprising: at least one light in the display that illuminates in response to signals generated from a remote controller, wherein the light remains illuminated during the engagement period and either darkens or changes color after the illumination period if no signal representing positive student engagement was received by the wearable device from the remote controller operated by the teacher.
14. The wearable device of claim 13, further comprising: wherein the at least one light is one of three light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein the engagement period is one of three engagement periods, and wherein each one of the LEDs is associated with one engagement period.
15. The wearable device of claim 14, further comprising: a receiver carried by the housing to receive signals from the remote controller, wherein if the receiver receives a positive student engagement signal from the controller during a first engagement period, then all three LEDs remain illuminated in a first color, and if the receiver does not receive the positive student engagement signal from the controller during the first engagement period, then one of the LEDs illuminates in a second color until the receiver receives the positive student engagement signal.
16. The wearable device of claim 15, wherein each one of the three engagement periods is in a range from five minutes to fifteen minutes.
17. The wearable device of claim 15, further comprising: communication logic electrically connected with the at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium effectuating wireless data transfer between the wearable device and a central server hosting an application to display results of student engagement to a third party.
18. The wearable device of claim 17, further comprising: timing logic in operative communication with the at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon configured to initiate a countdown timer during which the student is to maintain his or her student engagement.
19. A student engagement system comprising: a plurality of wearable electronic devices including wireless communication logic, wherein one student wears one wearable electronic device; a remote control operated by the teacher, wherein the remote control includes teacher-selected input cues configured to identify student engagement; one or more computing devices hosting a student portal associated with one of the plurality of students, wherein the computing device includes wireless communication logic; a wireless network linking the plurality of wearable electronic devices, the remote control and the one or more computing devices; wherein the teacher enters and sends signals generated by subjective feedback of student engagement from the remote to the wearable electronic device to each student his or her level of engagement to foster student learning; and wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement includes a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by a student when learning or being taught.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.
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[0033] Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The present disclosure provides a system and method for student engagement in a classroom environment which is intended to be used in order to foster student learning in the classroom. The student engagement system of the present disclosure is indicated in
[0035] At the outset, it is noted that for the present disclosure student engagement is distinct from student behavior which is different than student motivation. Behavior is the “how” student acts; engagement is typically the “what” behind the act; and motivation is typically the “why” a student acts. “Student engagement” is predicated on the position that student learning improves when students are inquisitive, interested, or inspired, and that learning tends to suffer when students are bored, dispassionate, disaffected, behaving inappropriately or otherwise “disengaged.” Student engagement also refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. This is usually best determined by the teacher in the classroom as there is typically a strong interpersonal relationship between the student and the teacher. In one sense, it may be possible for a student to be “engaged” while still not behaving in an appropriate manner. Student engagement also refers to the role that certain intellectual, emotional, physical, and social factors play in the learning process and social development. For example, there are connections between “non-cognitive factors” or “non-cognitive skills” (e.g., motivation, interest, curiosity, responsibility, determination, perseverance, attitude, work habits, self-regulation, social skills, etc.) and “cognitive” learning results (e.g., improved academic performance, test scores, information recall, skill acquisition, etc.).
[0036] As depicted in
[0037] Display panel 30 may be an electronic display including a plurality of lights configured to be illuminated. In one example, display panel 30 may include a large number of pixels so as to enable the display panel 30 to display text in the event textual displays are desired. In another example, and as will be described in greater detail below, display panel 30 may include at least three Light Emitting Diodes (LED or LEDs). Display 30 is carried by a housing 33 sized to be generally wrist-worn adapted to display a level of student engagement. Housing 33 is carried by straps 31 so as to effectuate the wrist wearing capabilities of device 12.
[0038] The wearable electronic device 12 includes internal communication logic powered by a rechargeable battery that is configured to communicate through network 16 with the computing device or computer 18 and the teacher's remote controller 14. Communication logic 35 establishes electrical network connectivity and may be selected from an exemplary group comprising a blue tooth connection, a wireless internet connection, a wired internet connection, and a 3G/4G connection. In another example, the wearable electronic device 12 may include at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium 37 having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more processors carried by the housing perform operations to display the level of student engagement in the display, the operations including: (i) receive a plurality of time frames including a first engagement period and a second engagement period from a distinct and remote controller 14 generated via teacher 13 input; (ii) receive signals generated via teacher 13 input from the remote controller 14, wherein the signals are based on student engagement observed by the teacher 13 during the first engagement period, and the signals represent positive feedback and no signals are sent representing inappropriate behavior; and (iii) notify the student 11 by altering the display 30 to represent a decline in student engagement in the event the teacher has not observed sufficient student engagement during the engagement period and has not generated the signal representing positive student engagement; and wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement includes a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by a student when learning or being taught.
[0039] Communication logic 35 may also include a receiver carried by the housing 33 to receive signals from the remote controller 14, wherein if the receiver of communication logic 35 receives a positive student engagement signal from the controller 14 during a first engagement period, then all three LEDs (described in greater detail below) remain illuminated in a first color, and if the receiver does not receive the positive student engagement signal from the controller 14 during the first engagement period, then one of the LEDs will illuminate in a second color until the receiver receives the positive student engagement signal generated via teacher input into the controller 14.
[0040] Wearable electronic device 12 may further include timing logic in operative communication with the at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium 37 having instructions encoded thereon configured to initiate a countdown timer during which the student is to maintain his or her student engagement. The countdown timer may or may not be viewable by the student wearing device 12 in display 30. In some instances, the clock measures the engagement periods so as to determine whether a positive engagement signal has been received during an engagement period.
[0041] Wearable electronic device 12 may further include a plurality of one or more sensors within the wearable electronic device 12 which are configured to detect movement of the student while wearing the wearable electronic device 12. The sensors may collect data based on physical movements of the student. Additionally, the initiation of data collection when received from the sensors will initiate during a detectable motion intensity signature. An input to a trigger algorithm may come directly or indirectly from the sensor output. For example, the input may be direct output from an accelerometer or it may be processed accelerometer output. An exemplary trigger can be a student raising his or her arm in class when prompted by the teacher to answer a question. In such a condition, the motion intensity detected by the motion sensor within wearable electronic device 12 can initiate a data collection sequence from the sensor coupled with the communication logic transmits this information over the network to computing device 18 to show that the student raised his or her hand during class lecture.
[0042] However, motion signatures are not a required portion of the invention. As indicated previously, movement or physical behavior is not always indicative of student engagement. So while the wearable electronic device 12 is able to initiate data collection based on a movement signature, it is not required, in as much as the student engagement is cued from positive behaviors selectively input from the remote 14 operated by the teacher 13.
[0043] In some embodiments, information collected from the sensors of wearable electronic device 12 may include a record of information for a previous period, for example, one day, two days, or three days, or for a fixed time interval such as once per hour, once per half hour, etc. Wearable electronic device 12 may further include artificial intelligence capable of learning such that digital information may be used to detect behavior signatures from a specific student compared and averaged to the rest of the students in the classroom or to predict the likelihood of certain activity levels for a student relative to his or her classmates. For example, if a student is more apt to be inactive or have a lapse of student engagement at certain times of the day relative to other students, the teacher may be alerted that said student needs specific attention during those time periods.
[0044] In some embodiments, algorithms operating in the frequency domain are embodied in wearable electronic device 12 and are used to determine the number of times (i.e., the frequency) a student is engaged over a period of time. One problem that middle school and high school aged students tend to have is that they do not stay engaged for significant periods of time during the classroom experience. The frequency logic contained within wearable electronic device 12 can count the number of times a student is engaged per day or per hour or per half hour.
[0045] By way of non-limiting example, if a student has not been engaged for the past half hour period, display indicator 30 identifies such lack of engagement and provides feedback to the student so that they may correct his or her engagement. In some implementations, wearable electronic device 12 may include one or more vibramotors (also referred to herein as vibrators or simply as vibrating devices) for communicating information to the student. For example, a processing unit can utilize the vibramotors to communicate one or more alarms, achievement goals, progress indicators, or inactivity indicators to the student wearing the wearable electronic device 12.
[0046] With continued reference to
[0047] A first set of keys identified generally at 15a may correspond to a predetermined and selectively set communication notification by the teacher. For example, key 15a, labeled “A,” may be associated with a communicating activity that the teacher desires to notify the student. For example, key 15a, labeled “A,” may be associated with a student asking a relevant question to the topic that is being taught. Another key 15a, labeled “B,” may be associated with providing valuable comments on the lesson that is being discussed. Additionally, another key 15a, labeled “C,” may be associated with a student that is behaving properly or is otherwise on task. Alternatively, rather than keys 15a being labeled “A”, “B”, or “C”, keys 15a may include icons that correspond to behavior, such as a smiley-face, a green check mark, or a red X. First set of keys 15a may be selective programmed or selectively set by either the teacher 13 or the manufacturer of device 14. It is envision that teacher programming of keys 15a would be preferable inasmuch as the teacher knows the best types of student response indicative of engagement. When the teacher programs keys 15a, they will also show in the student portal on device/tablet 18.
[0048] The second set of keys 15b are associated with numerical indicators that correspond with a respective wearable electronic device 12 worn by a student. The teacher may select one of these second set of keys 15b in conjunction with one of the keys from the first set of keys 15a. Thus, for example, the teacher may press the first key (labeled “1”) of the second set of keys 15b, then the corresponding letter “A” from the first set of keys 15a. This input from the teacher would indicate that the first student wearing the wearable electronic device, such as wearable electronic device 12A, would be reinforced with positive engagement behavior for asking a relevant question to the lecture at hand.
[0049] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, utilizing the first set of keys 15a with positive reinforcement behaviors has been to result in better learning capabilities for the students rather than a demerit system which is indicated in some of the prior art. While it is not referred to herein, however it is entirely possible that one of the first set keys 15a could be associated with an improper behavior such that the teacher could indicate to either the student wearing the wearable electronic device 12, or a third party such as a parent observing the student on computing device 18, that his or her behavior was not acceptable.
[0050] Furthermore, while not shown in
[0051] A classroom setting is indicated generally in
[0052] It is envisioned that the classroom identified in
[0053] As depicted in
[0054] With continued reference to
[0055] If the student 11 participates and engages with quality responses or questions, then the teacher would indicate as much by pressing the keys on remote controller 14. When the teacher 13 indicates that the student 11 has achieved an engagement sufficient to the teacher's determination, the input through remote controller 14 from teacher 13 will be sent through network 16 to the corresponding wrist wearable electronic device 12A worn by student 11 to change the red LED 32 back to green.
[0056] The LEDs 32 changing between green and red are not intended to be limiting. Rather, the present disclosure contemplates that any LED colors are useful. However, middle school and high school aged students naturally associate green as positive and red as negative which is regularly reinforced as one having ordinary skill in the art would clearly understand and foresee.
[0057] As indicated in
[0058] With continued reference to
[0059] In some instances, it may be advantageous for the teacher 13 to suspend or disable monitoring the student engagement once a lecture or activity warranting use of has ended. Students' wearable electronic devices 12 may be remote controlled and overridden by the teacher 13 to be placed into “stand by” mode. Once a class is done for the day or period, the teacher can “disable” students' devices 12. In one example, the display shows the time and date. Keys may be included in remote 14 to enable, disable, and place devices 12 into stand by mode.
[0060]
[0061] The claimed methods, programmed memory and apparatus are operational with numerous other general purpose or spatial purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, smartphones (such as an Apple iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy or the like), multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0062] The claimed methods, apparatus and programmed memory may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
[0063] With reference to
[0064] Computer 18 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 12 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media, and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium (plural media). By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. This may also include non-transitory computer readable storage media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer 18. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
[0065] The system memory 116 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 120 and random access memory (RAM) 122. A basic input/output system 124 (BIOS), including the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 18, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 120. RAM 122 typically includes data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 114. By way of example, and not limitation,
[0066] The computer 18 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile, transitory/non-transitory computer storage media. By way of example only,
[0067] The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in
[0068] A user may enter commands and information into the computer 18 through input devices such as a keyboard 156 (which may also be a touchscreen keypad or keyboard) and pointing device 158, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a touchscreen, buttons, individual keys, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 114 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus 118, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A touchscreen monitor 162 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 118 via an interface, such as a video interface 164. In addition to the monitor 162, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 166 and printer 168, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 170.
[0069] The computer 18 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 172 (which may also be the remote 14 when the remote 14 is implemented as a smartphone). The remote computer 172 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device, a smartphone such as controller 14 or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 18, although only a memory storage device 174 has been illustrated in
[0070] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 18 is connected to the LAN 176 through a network interface or adapter 80. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 18 typically includes a modem 182 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 178 (or generally network 16 of
[0071] Inasmuch as computing environment 110 has been described, it should be well understood that various components of the present disclosure such as the controller 14, the wearable electronic device 12 and the central server or data base may interconnect with the computer or tablet 18 of this type. Furthermore, when controller 14 is implemented as a smartphone, it would include similar computing components to those identified above in
[0072] As depicted in
[0073] The student portal may be controlled by an administrator. The administrator may selectively set the level of access permitted to the student portal. For example, all teachers may be able to see every student portal. Alternatively, only a single teacher may be able to view only a portion of one student's portal.
[0074] The attendance system 50 for the student portal operates via communication logic between wearable electronic device 12 and either the remote 14 or a third-party networked computer managed by the school. The student's attendance may be monitored when they enter the school or a particular classroom. The attendance may automatically update based on the student's location within the building.
[0075] In one exemplary embodiment, a student 11 enters the building with wearable electronic device 12 and goes to his or her particular homeroom. The teacher 13 may then request the class to sync their wearable electronic devices 12 with a host computer, or remote 14 which may serve as the host computer when the remote is embodied as a smartphone or tablet computer. The teacher 13 should also take physical attendance to ensure the student matches the wearable electronic device recorded by computer 18.
[0076] The student attendance is then reported throughout the day based on the student's location. This may be accomplished by the GPS technology built into the wearable electronic device 12 and a Bluetooth connection across network 16 to one or more school host computers. This enables both the school and parents (through portal on remote device 18) to locate a student for any purpose including in an emergency situation.
[0077] Further, the student wearable electronic devices 12 may resync upon entry of a new classroom setting for older students who switch periods. Teachers will enter a different key code to access numbers corresponding to the students. To begin engagement monitoring, the teacher will enable as before and disable at the conclusion.
[0078] A parent, legal guardian, or other authorized third party can log onto the student's portal via device 18 and view daily attendance in attendance portion 50 or receive a notification in message portion 64 if the student is not at school for a full or half day. A record is kept as well as a more detailed record of the student's location during the day on an administrator site which may or may not be viewable in tablet computer 18, or the administrator site may be a remote access application linked to system 10 via network 16.
[0079] In one particular embodiment, if a student's wearable electronic device 12 is not present in a room (after change periods), an alert is sent to the teacher's device (an iPad, iPod, computer, or other device with software downloaded on). The teacher can then contact the office to alarm the school resource officer, the teachers, the parents, or another interested party. If an error has occurred, the teacher may affirm and continue with class.
[0080] The student engagement portion 54 of the student portal displays the teacher-monitored student engagement throughout the class period. This feature may be enabled once the teacher logs into his or her device 14 with a key code. The displayed student engagement follows the previously outlined steps with students' device having the interval bar across the display. Accordingly, in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the display 30 on device 12 is representative of an identical representation in the student engagement portion 54 of the student portal (i.e., the portal has corresponding green and red lights). However, it is possible for the portal to have an alternate manner of displaying the same feedback information. For example, the student engagement portion 54 of the student portal may incorporate various graphs and tables or charts communicating the level of student engagement to the student. Additionally, student engagement portion 54 further may provide recommendations based on programmed algorithms. For example, student engagement portion 54 may include an algorithm to calculate the frequency of the non-engaged periods during a classroom activity. Based on the frequency of non-engaged periods, the student engagement portion 54 can generate encouraging remarks or indicators which increase in encouragement as the frequency of non-engaged periods increase. For example, if a student has only one non-engaged period during the class room activity/lecture, the algorithms of student engagement portion 54 may recognize that this was only a minimal lapse of student engagement and generate a notification or message to indicate that the student only is performing very well and that there was only a small lapse of student engagement. In another example, if the same student has multiple periods of non-engagement, then the student engagement portion 54 may recognize this as a more serious representation of non-engagement and generate a notification or message to indicate that the student appears to be or may be at risk of falling behind because of their number of non-engaged periods. Student engagement portion 54 may also compare the number of engaged period and non-engaged periods and display the same relative to an average number of engaged periods and non-engaged period of the entire class to thereby enable the student to see his or her relative student engagement levels relative to his or her peers/classmates. One embodiment may provide that some students may be encouraged to increase engagement levels if they can see how they perform relative to classmates.
[0081] The message system 64 for the student portal operated via message logic on computing device 18 may enable an authorized user, such as a parent, to send a signal carrying an electronic message from the computing device to the graphic display 30 on one of the wearable electronic devices 12. The wearable electronic device 12 may be coded with logic that would enable the signal to flash across the display in real time to enable the parent from a remote location to encourage the student to have a higher level of engagement. In this instance, the display 30 would be incorporated with an LCD screen to allow the identification of the text message scrolling thereacross. It is contemplated that a parent would send either a positive message to encourage good student engagement or an encouraging message to correct insufficient student engagement. For example, a parent may send from the device 18 through the message portal a message such as “great work today, keep up the good work,” or an encouraging statement like “don't let one wrong answer get you down.”
[0082] The nutrition log 60 within the student portal of computing device 18 may be utilized in conjunction with a student's online account at the school. The food that they purchase during a lunch could automatically be synced with the student portal operated on device 18 and reported to his or her account for at least one parent or legal guardian to view. The nutrition log could contain both a summary of a lunch money account balance of how much money the student has spent on recent school lunches as well as the nutritional information about the food that the student has consumed.
[0083] Additionally, information from the cafeteria can be synced with the wearable electronic device and the student portal on computing device 18. When a student passes through the lunch line, his or her purchases may be sent to the device and account (portal). This will provide parents with the knowledge of what their child is buying and consuming at school, as well as a debit/credit account balance information. Furthermore, device 12 may be utilized to pay for school lunches. In this instance, the device 12 may be equipped with an RFID transmitter and the school can be equipped with an RFID receiver. When the student walks past the RFID receiver with their food, the transmitter may generate a signal (which is received by the receiver) to debit the student's lunch money account.
[0084] The student location 52 portion of the student portal for computing device 18 may rely on either GPS sensors within the device or other tracking means associated with identifying the presence of an item, such as an RFID chip or transmitter (the same one or a different one from the RFIRD transmitter used to purchase lunch, as explained above) which may be incorporated into an antenna mounted in the school. Together, these mechanisms could increase school safety to account for the students and assist the teachers with the necessary roll call, especially during an emergency situation. Otherwise, in non-emergency situations, this may provide an automated system for the teacher to establish which students are present and verify attendance. Furthermore, the student location may be provided to the portal operated on computing device 18 for the parents to verify that the students are in fact at school and not at another location.
[0085] The sleep log 62 portion of the student portal operating on the computing device 18 may provide data on the student's sleep cycle to indicate how much sleep has been acquired the night before or over a selected time period, such as the past week. This enables parents to increase accountability for student engagement that has a tremendous influence on academic performance. Studies indicate that sleep is directly tied to student engagement. Thus, it is critical for middle school and high school aged students to receive the proper amount of sleep.
[0086] In operation, and in accordance with one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, system 10 fosters student engagement system to encourage learning in the classroom. System 10 utilizes a wearable electronic device 12 to encourage student ownership of learning by visually (or tactically) revealing to students how active or engaged they are at a specific time or over a time period (i.e. class or day). Each device 12 corresponds to a student number (based on number in classroom and connected to student id). The teacher 13 has a remote 14 (i.e., a mobile application executed on a smartphone) size device with a key board featuring numbers (i.e., keys 15b) and several alphabet letters on the top (i.e., keys 15a). Each letter on keys 15a denotes a category the teacher might be specifically tracking (ex. questioning, commenting, or on-task performance). Teachers can choose to utilize all or several categories or only focus on tracking one trait or characteristic of student engagement. Upon demonstrating a specific positive student engagement, the teacher is able to quickly enter the student number associated with one of the keys 15b and activity letter from key 15a while continuing the lesson. A “select all” key may also located on the remote to allow for more efficient entry in instances where all students are working on a group activity or individual assignment. In one operational embodiment, remote 14 is a mobile application downloaded on a smartphone or table computer, if preferred over a remote.
[0087] In operation, the wearable electronic device 12 then displays a green bar formed by a series of illuminated green lights representing ongoing student engagement for a time period (5-8 minutes or longer if desired by teacher). As the time continues, the display bar will change colors and eventually turn to red indicting the student needs to contribute to the class again. The engagement bar is divided into three sections with the total time period properly divided dependent on length chosen by the teacher or automatically used. In the same manner, one example provides three engagement periods, namely, a first engagement period, a second engagement period, and a third engagement period. For instance, if a teacher selects to employ eight minute periods each section on the green bar would represent 2.66 minutes. Therefore, after five minutes of not questioning or working, a student's bar would only show one section of green. This visually provides immediate prompting and feedback that many students need to participate and more importantly to learn. Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 10 minutes each (30 minutes total). Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 8 minutes each (24 minutes total). Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 6 minutes each (18 minutes total). Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 5 minutes each (15 minutes total). Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 4 minutes each (12 minutes total). Other embodiments may provide that each engagement period is about 9 minutes each (3 minutes total).
[0088] In one non-limiting example, system 10 may be used with middle school and high school students (about 11-18 years old) who are able to regulate their bodies/actions but need prompted or reminded to do so in class. However, in another example, system 10 is used with elementary students (grades K-5; approximately ages 5-10). An exemplary advantage of using system 10 with elementary or primary school-aged children is to provide another tool for the school to teach the students how to regulate their engagement since young children already recognize that green lights on the device 12 correspond to positive actions and red lights on device 12 correspond to less favorable actions (or even negative actions). Another advantage of using system 10 with elementary school aged children is a safety factor for providing their location in addition to engagement understanding.
[0089] Many students often do not realize that they are not paying attention in class or even participating to help them gain a better understanding. This said student(s) is at a disadvantage when it comes to achievement. Older students are also often reluctant to respond to teacher prompts to participate or ask questions, especially when they are singled out. System 10 prevents teachers from having to push for student participation.
[0090] Furthermore, anxious parents often say that their child tells them they ask questions and “try” in class but just do not “get it.” Yet, in reality the student does not participate in lessons or ask questions. System 10 provides an easy manner to track student engagement, which may be independent from student behavior, and have valuable conversation between the teacher, student, and parents. Much like the fitness bands, such as FIT BIT®, the wearable electronic device 12 corresponds to an account online, which is accessible through computing device 18 display having an individual portal associated with login information for each student. The account would provide a place for the data to be viewed and discussed by both the student and the teacher, as well as parents and other administrators or service providers. The communicative logic 35 establishes the network connectivity effectuating the link between the device 12 and the portal on computer 18.
[0091] The present disclosure relates to a student engagement system for identifying and displaying information to students in a classroom in real time (without perceivable delay as perceived by the student) for increasing student engagement. It may be possible for the method of increasing student engagement to be implemented in other ways.
[0092]
[0093] Method 600 may further include receiving a plurality of time frames from the remote controller 14 operated by the teacher 13, wherein the plurality of time frames includes a first engagement period and a second engagement period. Method 600 may further include determining whether a first signal of positive student engagement has been received by device 12 during the first engagement period; and if the first signal has been received, then maintaining illumination of a light 32 during the second engagement period, and if no first signal is received then ceasing illumination of the light 32 during the second engagement period until the first signal is received, and the re-illuminating the light 32. Method 600 may further include processing the instructions in the device 12 worn by the student 11; activating at least one light 32 based on the instructions, wherein the light represents a level of student engagement subjectively determined through observation by the teacher 13; adjusting the illumination of the light in a display of the device after receiving a second signal indicating student engagement has returned after a period of non-engagement; and interrupting a period in which the student registers as non-engaged with a first engagement signal generated by the remote controller 14 and identifying the student 11 as engaged so as to illuminate the display 30 carried by the device 12 in a manner indicating engagement within the same period.
[0094] Method 600 may further include aggregating the levels of student engagement during a classroom activity and sending the levels of student engagement to a database accessible at a later time via a computer application, which may be executed on computer 18 and as described with respect to
[0095] Method 600 may further include grouping periods of engaged activity to form engagement blocks viewable in the computer application, and grouping periods of non-engaged activity to form non-engagement blocks viewable in the computer application. Method 600 may further include recommending a category of “sufficiently engaged” or “insufficiently engaged” during the classroom activity based on the comparison of engaged grouping periods to non-engaged grouping periods. In one example, if the engaged grouping periods exceed the non-engaged grouping periods, then the student may be categorized as “sufficiently engaged” when viewed by a third party, such as a parent, in the computer application or portal. In one example, if the engaged grouping periods exceed the non-engaged grouping periods by a factor of at least 1.5× (i.e. engaged grouping periods is 1.5 times greater than non-engaged grouping periods), then the student may be categorized as “sufficiently engaged” when viewed by a third party, such as a parent, in the computer application or portal. In another example, if the engaged grouping periods exceed the non-engaged grouping periods by a factor of at least 2× (i.e. engaged grouping periods is 2 times greater than non-engaged grouping periods), then the student may be categorized as “sufficiently engaged” when viewed by a third party, such as a parent, in the computer application or portal. In another example, if the engaged grouping periods exceed the non-engaged grouping periods by a factor of at least 3× (i.e. engaged grouping periods is 3 times greater than non-engaged grouping periods), then the student may be categorized as “sufficiently engaged” when viewed by a third party, such as a parent, in the computer application or portal. In another example, if the engaged grouping periods exceed the non-engaged grouping periods by a factor of at least 5× (i.e. engaged grouping periods is 5 times greater than non-engaged grouping periods), then the student may be categorized as “sufficiently engaged” when viewed by a third party, such as a parent, in the computer application or portal. Additionally, the method may assist in diagnosing or confirming a medical diagnosis based on the number non-engagement periods. For example, the system 10 may assist in confirming a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD in student 11.
[0096] Method 600 may further include relaying the first engagement signal regarding the student engagement from the wearable device 12 to the database so as to enable the viewing of the teacher-generated signals via the computer application or portal. Method 600 may further include discretely notifying the student 11 of non-engagement so as to not cause distractions or draw the attention of other students to the non-engaged student.
[0097] Method 600 may further include actively observing for signals generated by the remote controller 14 by device 12. Alternatively, Method 600 may include passively observing for signals generated by the remote controller 14 by device. Further, Method 600 may provide wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement consists only of a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion shown by the student when learning or being taught.
[0098] In yet another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method of use from an exemplary school board's perspective comprising: providing a plurality of wearable student engagement monitors, such as device 12 including the display 30; providing a first wearable student engagement monitor to a first student, such as student 11A; providing a second wearable student engagement monitor to a second student, such as student 11B; providing a controller, such as controller 14, to a teacher, wherein the controller is in wireless communication with the plurality of wearable student engagement monitors; establishing, via teacher input into the controller, a first engagement period and a second engagement period; illuminating the display 30 during the first engagement period; requiring the teacher to indicate whether positive student engagement was present for each student during the first engagement period; wherein if the teacher indicates that student engagement was sufficient during the first engagement period, then the display remains fully illuminated during the second engagement period; wherein if the teacher indicates that student engagement was insufficient during the first engagement period, then the display is partially illuminated during the second engagement period or illuminated in a different manner so as to indicate a lapse in student engagement to the student; and wherein student engagement is independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement includes a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when learning or being taught.
[0099] In yet another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method of use from an exemplary teacher's perspective comprising: equipping students in a classroom with a wearable device, such as device 12 including display 30 and wireless communication logic 35; generating a first engagement time period and a second engagement time period and communicating the periods to the device 12; teaching a classroom activity; engaging with the students and observing student engagement irrespective of behavior; generating a signal, via teacher input, in a remote controller; sending the signal to each wearable device, wherein if the student was engaged during the first time period, then the signal instructs the device to illuminate a first amount of lights during the second time period, and if the student was not engaged during the first time period, based on the teacher's observation, then the signal instructs the device to illuminate less than the first amount of lights during the second time period or the same amount of lights in a different color so as to indicate non-engagement to the student. Again, in this scenario, student engagement may be independent and distinct from student behavior, and student engagement includes a degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when learning or being taught.
[0100] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
[0101] “Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and/or system. For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like a processor (e.g., microprocessor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, an electric device having a memory, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logic between multiple physical logics.
[0102] Also, a computer or smartphone may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.
[0103] Such computers or smartphones may be interconnected by one or more networks in any suitable form, including a local area network or a wide area network, such as an enterprise network, and intelligent network (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.
[0104] The various methods or processes (e.g., of designing and making the coupling structures and diffractive optical elements disclosed above) outlined herein may be coded as software that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.
[0105] In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, USB flash drives, SD cards, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory medium or tangible computer storage medium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the disclosure discussed above. The computer readable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.
[0106] The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present disclosure need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0107] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
[0108] Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fields that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium that convey a relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.
[0109] While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto; inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
[0110] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, embodiments of technology disclosed herein may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers.
[0111] Further, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in any of a number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, a computer may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as a computer but with suitable processing capabilities, including a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smartphone or any other suitable portable or fixed electronic device.
[0112] Also, a computer, such as computer 112, may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.
[0113] Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in any suitable form, including a local area network or a wide area network, such as an enterprise network, and intelligent network (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.
[0114] The various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as software that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.
[0115] In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory medium or tangible computer storage medium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the invention discussed above. The computer readable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present invention as discussed above.
[0116] The terms “program” or “software” or “algorithm” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present invention need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present invention.
[0117] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
[0118] Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fields that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium that convey relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.
[0119] Also, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
[0120] The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
[0121] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
[0122] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures.
[0123] An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
[0124] If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
[0125] In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
[0126] Moreover, the description and illustration of the preferred embodiment of the disclosure are an example and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.