RepIt
Bergen Raoul, Cramer Miguel, Maclean Julian & Mohan Perwinkoemar
Cohort - 1
Project Mentor(s)
Professor Padhu Seshaiyer
ABSTRACT
Coming to the end of our 3 year education program we decided as a group to write a report on a project in which we wanted to create an app that is practical to use for teachers to help their students repeat the day lessons after school hours. Using this outline we decided that it must not be too complex, every ICT-in-Education teacher must be able to add the specific files or data. The base for the app was the Hello Purr app. This was then reconstructed into our RepIt app. The app gives a platform where files can be linked which have been uploaded earlier to a blog site. This provides a faster working app which can continually be changed when needed. The QR code for the app can be given to the students just before school ends. The app provides a button which gives an overview of the lesson of the day. Another button gives video material regarding the lesson. This can be either extra material or just the lesson of the day. Another button provides just the teacher’s voice sample explaining the lesson outline. And the last button gives extra material for the lesson like tasks that can be done at home or outside of the class. With the mobile option of the app the student has the opportunity to access the lesson from anywhere he or she wants at any time he or she wants to.
This final project report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the
ICT for Education Bachelor's Degree Program from the Advanced Teachers Training College and the International Institute for Education and Development.
Paramaribo, Suriname
August XX, 2017
Table of Contents
Introduction
Our project is to build an application (app) called Repit. Repit is an app that will give students the opportunity to look up the lessons, tasks, videos and homework already done in class. After the lesson has been done in class, a summary of the lesson, the tasks, videos and subsequent homework will be linked to the app. Absent students or students needing more time to understand can view the lesson, the assignments or videos after school hours. We chose this project because we believed that the lessons should also be available to students even after school hours. So far, there is no app or website in Suriname where students can retrieve an already taught lesson or assignments for the next lesson.
That’s why we, students of ICT in Education IOL, believe that this app can boost the educational system of Suriname. The question why we want to do this project now and why not earlier: because now we have an official ICT course at IOL and second we want provide that what Suriname needs. With this project we want to make mobile use in schools useful, effective and efficient.
The driving question
From the beginning of this module this group wanted to do something different from the other groups, something unique. So two of our group members came with the idea to build an app. This thought came from the module where we had to create an app using the “Hello Kitty”. This basic app would just have the interface with the visual repetition of the given lesson. The other two members brought to mind that multitasking while visualizing would be a broader perspective and bring a larger crowd to the app.
Provide evidence
From day 1, we started brainstorming what the app should entail. We used different frameworks like 6-3-5, the Bono Hats and design thinking to come to our main concept of the app.
See below our idea in popplet
Project Planning
The RepIt App is every teacher’s friend. An app that gives the teacher more time with his or her students. When you need more time to repeat the lesson of the day with your students the RepIt App is there. Every teacher’s friend and every student’s helping hand. With the RepIt App we focus on making the classroom lesson information available outside of school hours without any loss of detail.
The RepIt App can provide a much needed source of information for students. It’s a way for repeating the day’s lesson and checking what they missed in class. Also, for those who were absent for the day, it is a way to catch up.
One criteria for making students reach better result is in the way and number of times they repeat their lesson(s). The app provides one way of increasing the number of times the lesson can be repeated.
Finding a creative and popular way to get students interested and keeping them interested in school work, we tried to have them use their mobile phone which they have by their side for a great portion of the day. We hope that with the RepIt app students will do their lessons more often and more efficiently.
The teachers can share their lessons via the app to the students. Now they will have an online platform, more as a tool, to engage the students . The tools the students will be using are the app, websites on their phone. The skill being presented here is the online lesson which can be repeated over and over again for better and better results because they will now have the lessons, the tasks and the videos by hand to prepare themselves for the future assignments.
We launched this project on 30 June at the R. D. Simonsschool. 10 students got the QR code of this app to scan and install on their android phones.
They tried the app in the weekend of 1 and 2 July 2017. These 10 students were connected with us in a whatsapp group chat for help using the app. We also did some interviews to get feedback from our students about the functionality of the app and whether it was user friendly. We used the feedback of the students and we will try to enhance the app.
Project Design and Execution
Process:
Project: ICT Tool to enhance students learning by repetition (app).
Framework:
- 6-3-5
- the Bono’s hats
- design thinking
Advantages of the app:
The student can work on their own time and tempo on the subject matter only to better understand. This will help improve their understanding because they will have unlimited repetition and extra credit homework.
Group expectation:
The app will prove it’s effectiveness in the students’ school results.
Day1: 26/05/2017
Time: 19.00u
Location: Raoul’s place
We started the meeting with brainstorming about the app itself. How will it function, what will be available through the app for the students. The interface was equally important so we started working on that too. We made an email for the group and started a google docs and slide and shared info on google drive. After many trials and errors we still managed to rebuild the Hello Purr app. This was just a beginning because we were starting to see the limitations. For the layout of the app we used the framework the 5 WHY’s.
Day 2 29/05/2017
Time: 20.00hrs - 24.00hrs
Location: Raoul’s place
On day two we used the bono's hats theory to comment on the app so we could have a clear understanding of the task that still lay before us. After good collaboration and having a look at opportunities and challenges, we managed to set some goals for this day. Also, adding the video file is still not accomplished.
Day 3 27/06/2017
Time: 19.00hrs - 24.00hrs
Location: Webinar (hangouts/docx)
We talked about the template and its limitations.
Day 4 28/06/2017
Time: 20.00hrs - 24.00hrs
Location: Raoul’s place
What did we do:
On the fourth day we talked about the app, how we would/could add the taught lesson of the teacher usefully in the app. From that point on we concluded that a blog would be useful and more efficient. Also we started to partition the project template, who's going to do which section (pages) and when the next meeting would be.
Day 5 04/07/2017
Time: 20.00hrs - 24.00hrs
Location: Raoul’s place
What did we do:
On the fifth day we made the blog where all the different parts of the lesson of a (history) teacher would be uploaded. This blog link would then be linked with the app (RepIt app). On this day we also managed to get the video part of the app working. This was one of the most difficult errors that we managed to work out.
Day 6 06/07/2017
Time: 20.00hrs - 24.00hrs
Lacation: Raoul’s place
What did we do:
On the sixth day we started double checking the app and the feeds that we brainstormed about.
As expected all the buttons and functions are working perfectly.
The RepIt App
The app can be downloaded using the following link:
De App can be installed using an APK Installer. Please download from Playstore. 
Conclusion and Future Work
The Big Idea worked. The history teacher was very interested in how it will work with his students. The students were also very excited to use app. They liked the idea of the app very much. The video was very pleasant to watch for many students. The whole class got very excited to use the app. This made the subject popular. Many students knew more about the lesson because they got the chance to try out the app on their own. The project didn’t go as fluently as expected. Some students had a hard time installing the software. The reasons are varied but most had internet issues. There were also some students who didn’t have a smartphone with the capacity to install the software. Once the software (the app) was installed, there was no problem. Only the download of the first few web pages connected to the app took time buffering. We can improve the app by making the software more mobile ready. This means smaller video files and web pages with less MB.
The project encourages higher-level thinking, because it was not as easy to build an app as we thought initially. In the beginning we lost a lot confidence because at IOL we got only the basics of how to build an app. I think the strength of the group and the perseverance made it possible that today we have an app. The project is ICT-integrated because it’s a mobile app linked to a special website. We also added a video which is linked to the app so the ICT is integrated effectively. After the interviews with students and teachers we can say that the app has made quite an impact on the school R. D. Simonsschool. Promoting the app further is now the next step.
We would like to share with some interviews that were done at the R. D. Simonsschool.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our professor Padhu Seshaiyer and Niten for introducing us to the Hello Pur app which was the foundation for building the RepIt app. We must also acknowledge platforms like MIT App Inventor which provides free working space for app developers like us who are just starting out. The Institution For Teacher Education, IOL, which has continually provided the education necessary for us to reach the point of graduation. It will be unwise not to give thanks to all the professors who were involved during this three year educational period.
References
The website for the Hello Pur app and now the RepIt app
The templates for making this document
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