Interactive computer system for instructor-student teaching and assessment of preschool children

• US 8,784,114 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assessment Technology, Inc. (Imagine Learning LLC (Arizona))
• Original Assignee: Assessment Technology, Inc. (Imagine Learning LLC (Arizona))
• Inventors: Bergan, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): EGLOFF, PETER RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US13/953,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130316325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 434/156, 434/167, 434/236, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365
• US Class Current: 434/322
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/07 providing for individual presentation of questions to a plurality of student stations

Abstract

A computer system contains and displays a cartoon-like story with a plurality of displayed components (such as cartoon characters, play items, etc.) recognizable by a preschool student on a first portion of the display screen along with an accompanying voice message on the speaker. Written instructions for teachers to follow in a personal one-to-one interaction with one or more students are displayed on a second portion of the display screen. For some activities, the student may actually respond using the computer such as by touching a touch screen or using a mouse to select one of the displayed components in response to a request to select a displayed component having a predetermined aspect. For other activities the teacher enters the response of the student as observed by the teacher. When one or more correct responses are entered by the student or teacher, achievement of a goal can automatically be entered into the educational management system.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system comprising:

a pre-school level assessment computer program stored in a non-transitory machine readable memory, the computer program executable on a processor of the computer system so as to realize the steps of—

interacting with a teacher user, using the computer system interface features, to select a knowledge area for assessment of a pre-school student;

playing a cartoon story associated with the selected knowledge area, the cartoon story including a plurality of displayed components recognizable by a preschool student on the display screen along with an accompanying vocal story on the speaker;

further playing an accompanying voice message that requests a user to select one of the displayed components;

concurrently with the cartoon story, displaying textual guidance for a teacher user on a display screen of the computer system, the textual guidance including display of the text of the voice message to enable the teacher user to assist a student user by the teacher repeating the text of the voice message; and

wherein the cartoon and story is configured to display and pronounce words and letters in the words, and assess the student'"'"'s understanding of how changes in a letter of a word changes the word to a different word.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer program is further configured to realize the steps of, responsive to selection of a knowledge area for assessment, displaying a list of animated activities that assess at least one goal in the selected knowledge area, and further displaying, for each of the listed animated activities, at least one corresponding goal that the activity is designed to assess, to support teacher selection of an animated activity based on a desired goal.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of pronouns.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of action words.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of negative words.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of positional words.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of words that describe qualities of physical objects.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the list of animated activities is designed to assess the pre-school student'"'"'s understanding of past and future tenses.