SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISCREETLY PROVIDING REAL-TIME FEEDBACK TO AN INSTRUCTOR

• US 20110053133A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Beth Thead, Marcia L. Rock
• Original Assignee: Beth Thead, Marcia L. Rock
• Inventors: Rock, Marcia L., Thead, Beth
• Application Number:
  US12/414,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053133A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/351
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for providing with real-time feedback from one user, referred to herein as an “advisor,” to another. In one exemplary embodiment, a real-time feedback system enables an advisor to remotely monitor an instructor, such as a school teacher, while the instructor is instructing attendees, such as attendees, in a classroom or other setting. While the advisor is monitoring the instructor, the advisor provides real-time feedback that is discreetly communicated to the instructor in an unobtrusive manner that does not significantly disturb the presentation or teaching environment. In this regard, the attendees are unable to hear or see the feedback and may even be unaware that the instructor is receiving feedback from an advisor during the presentation, although it is possible for the attendees to hear and/or see the feedback in other embodiments. The feedback provided to the instructor can be useful for assisting the instructor in various ways, including constructive criticism and suggestions for various teaching techniques.

Claims

1. A system for discreetly providing real-time feedback to an instructor, comprising:

a headset having a first speaker;

a video camera configured to capture video images of the instructor while the instructor is providing instruction to a group of attendees thereby providing video data indicative of the captured video images;

a first microphone configured to convert speech of the instructor into audio data;

a network interface coupled to a network; and

first logic configured to transmit data packets defining the video data and the audio data to the network interface such that the data packets are transmitted to an advisor station via the network thereby enabling an advisor at the advisor station to view the video images and hear the speech, the first logic configured to receive feedback data from the advisor station and to wirelessly transmit the feedback data to the first speaker, wherein the first speaker is configured to generate sound based on the feedback data such that the instructor hears a real-time feedback message defined by the feedback data without the attendees hearing the feedback message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the advisor station comprises:

a display device;

a speaker;

a second microphone; and

second logic configured to display the video images in real-time via the display device and to play the speech via the second speaker, the second logic configured to receive the feedback message via the second microphone.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the advisor station comprises a user input interface, wherein the second logic is configured to generate real-time coding data as the video images are displayed in real-time, wherein the second logic is configured to store the video data and the coding data, and wherein the second logic is configured to correlate the coding data with the video data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second logic is configured to automatically convert the audio data into text as the audio data is received by the second logic from the network, and wherein the second logic is configured to correlate the text with the coding data and the video data.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the second logic is configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI) having a user-selectable graphical element, wherein the coding data is based on the graphical element.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical element comprises a button.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second logic is configured to count selections of the graphical element, and wherein the coding data is based on a count of the selections of the graphical element.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the second logic is configured to display the video data within the GUI.

10. A method for discreetly providing real-time feedback to an instructor, comprising the steps of:

providing video data defining images of an instructor while the instructor is providing instruction to a group of attendees at a first location;

providing audio data defining speech of the instructor while the instructor is providing the instruction to the group of attendees;

packetizing the video and the audio data thereby defining a plurality of data packets;

transmitting the data packets via a network to a remote location;

receiving the data packets from the network;

displaying the images of the instructor at the remote location in real-time via the video data based on the data packets received from the network;

generating the speech of the instructor at the remote location in real-time via the audio data based on the data packets received from the network;

receiving feedback in real-time from an advisor viewing the displayed images at the remote location;

defining feedback data based on the feedback;

transmitting the feedback data to a base unit at the first location;

wirelessly transmitting the feedback data from the base unit to a headset worn by the instructor; and

generating sound based on the feedback data such that the instructor hears a real-time feedback message defined by the feedback data without the attendees hearing the feedback message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the instructor is a school teacher, wherein the attendees are students of the school teacher, and wherein the first location is a school at which the school teacher in instructing the students.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

generating real-time coding data based on the displaying step;

storing the video data and the coding data; and

correlating the coding data with the video data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of automatically converting the audio data into text at the remote location as the audio data is received from the network.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) at the remote location concurrently with the displaying the images step, the GUI having a user-selectable graphical element, wherein the coding step is based on the graphical element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the graphical element comprises a button.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of counting selection of the graphical element, wherein the coding data is based on the counting step.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the displaying the images step comprises the step of displaying the images within the GUI.