Method and System for Providing Content for Learning Appliances Over an Electronic Communication Medium

• US 20110029591A1
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fishbach, Matt, Marggraff, James, Brown, Matthew, Wood, Michael C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,520,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/003 electrically operated apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/006 with audible presentation of the material to be studied audio and audio-visual teaching apparatus in general G09B5/04, G09B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/025 with electrically operated apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• 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 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• 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 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/08 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying further information

Abstract

A method, a user interface, and an educational content server for assisting a user in learning using interactive learning appliances are disclosed. The performance information of the user, which may be in the form of a user log file in an interactive learning appliance, may be received at a server computer from a site where the user is present. The performance information and profile information can then be presented in the user interface and used to generate an electronic content package. The electronic content package can then be received and loaded into the interactive learning appliance.

Claims

1. A method of downloading educational content comprising:

retrieving profile information of a user at a server computer;

retrieving one or more user performance logs comprising performance information for the user from one or more user log files for the user;

receiving a user log file for the user from a first interactive learning appliance wherein the user log file is recorded while the user interacts with one or more content packages using the first interactive learning appliance;

analyzing the user log file and the one or more performance logs;

generating a report showing the user'"'"'s performance based on the user log file and the one or more user performance logs;

generating content to be included in a content package tailored to the profile information of the user, wherein the content package is used in an interactive learning appliance; and

sending the content package to a client computer via an electronic communication medium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the user log file comprises receiving the user log file for the user from a first interactive learning appliance via a linker device, wherein the linker device is capable of transferring data between the client computer and many different types of interactive learning appliances and the client computer is capable of communicating with the server computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic communication medium includes the Internet.

4. A server computer configured to perform the method of claim 1.

5. A user interface on a host site configured to be displayed on a client computer, the user interface comprising:

profile information of the user;

a log file received from an interactive learning appliance;

a report showing the user'"'"'s performance based on a user log file and one or more user performance logs; and

content to be included in a content package tailored to the profile information of the user and the report showing the user'"'"'s performance.

6. The user interface of claim 5 wherein the log file is received via a linker device capable of transferring data between a client computer and many different types of interactive learning appliances.

7. The user interface of claim 5 wherein the host site is a Web site operating on a server computer.

8. The user interface of claim 7 wherein the Web site can be displayed on a client computer that is capable of communicating with the server computer via the Internet.

9. A system comprising:

an educational content server comprising (i) a personal adaptive learning module configured to receive performance information for a plurality of users captured while the plurality of users interact with one or more interactive learning appliances, (ii) an automatic content packager, (iii) an update module; and

(iv) a website, wherein the personal adaptive learning module can analyze the performance information to create a content package for the one or more of the plurality of users.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising one or more databases.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more databases comprise a user profile database, a user performance log database and an electronic content database.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the electronic content database comprises a plurality of competency matrices that organize and sequence a plurality of skills into levels, wherein at least one of the plurality of competency matrices is for each of the one or more interactive learning appliances.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the website comprises a user interface configured to be displayed on a client computer comprising:

profile information of one or more users;

a summary of log files received from an interactive learning appliance;

a report showing the one or more users'"'"' performance based on one or more log files and one or more user performance logs; and

the content package compiled by the personal adaptive learning module.

14. The educational content server of claim 13 wherein the automatic content packager organizes and sequences the problems in the content package for presentation to the one or more users.

15. The educational content server of claim 14 wherein the personal adaptive learning module is further configured to update data in the one or more databases.

16. The educational content server of claim 15 wherein the content package further comprises a prescriptive component.

17. The educational content server of claim 16 wherein the prescriptive component comprises problems based on the personal adaptive learning module analysis of common errors in the received performance information.

18. The education content server of claim 17 wherein the prescriptive component can be direct to a plurality of subjects.

19. The educational content server of claim 18 wherein the personal adaptive learning module is further configured to place the one or more users in a zone for one or more of the subjects.