EVALUATE THE APP “HOMEWORK” (BY GOOGLE PLAY) FOR USE BY MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

MOBILE COMPUTING AND IT’S APPLICATIONS

10/04/2023 1Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

EVALUATE THE APP “HOMEWORK” (BY GOOGLE PLAY)

FOR USE BY MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

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WHY I CHOSE THIS APP

• Could be applied over an array of students, of various classes and ages.

• If found effective, it can be introduced in school.• Is not subject specific, hence has a broader usability.• Help develop time management and organizational

skills in the students.• Creates awareness of use of a mobile app in school/

for timetable management.• Has a user rating of 4.5 • Is rated among the top 5 apps of last year. 10/04/2023 3Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

FEATURES OF HOMEWORK APP

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‘Homework’ is an Android app by Google play It can be used effectively by students to • Organize their homework and • Keep a track of the timetable• Make learning and planning more enjoyable convenient and

accessible• Encourage them to be independent• Get reminders of their homework• Connect to the school website• Keep a track of marks and grades • Keep a track of their work even outside of the class10/04/2023 5Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

• 16 students of class 7 of my school in the age group of 12 to 13 years volunteered to use the app.

• Students downloaded the app and used it over a term (about 3 months).

• They used the app at home, with the help and supervision of their parents.

• The effectiveness of the use of the mobile app was evaluated by the feedback from the students in the form of a questionnaire and informal discussion.


• For how long did you use the app after downloading it? Still using it________________ Used it for some time (specify the time)___________ Only downloaded it but never got down to using it_______• What features of the app did you find the most interesting and

useful? _________________________________________________________

• What changes would you suggest to make the app more effective? _________________________________________________________

• Did you take the help of your parents while using the app? If not, why?

_________________________________________________________• Did you face any issues while using the app ________________________________________________________

10/04/2023

INFORMATION SOLICITED FROM THE STUDENTS

7Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

FINDINGS OF THE RESEARCH

• Only 7 of the 16 students filled in all the required fields in the app and tried to use it for some time.

• None of the students used the app for more than a few weeks.

• 9 of the students who took the survey gave up without filling in the fields and using the app.


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• They found the initial filling in of all the fields like subjects, time table etc too time consuming and cumbersome.

• Some of the children were of the view that the time taken to get the app started was much more than the time required to finish their homework.

• Some parents did not allow the children to use the phone as the kids would start playing games on the phone.


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• Some of the kids also felt that their work was being increased as they had to make double entries for the homework, in their school diaries and the app.

• Also the term ‘Homework’ was not very well accepted by the kids.

• The lack of teacher supervision was another major reason why the app could not be used effectively.

• Effective participation of the parents would have been useful.


• Since the entire class of students was not involved in the use of the app, the students did not feel an urgency to use it.

• They thought that the use of the app was optional and did not find it interesting enough to use it over a period of time.

• They mentioned in the feedback that they liked the Holiday feature and the time table feature the most as it is interesting to use it to set the bag for school..

• They also suggested that they would like a similar connection to the school page on Facebook.


AVAILABILITY OF MOBILE PHONES

• Only 16 students out of a total of 48 from two classes had access to a smart phone with an Android operating system.

• When parents were touring or out of station for some reason, children could not use the app.

• This broke the continuity of using the app and also resulted in backlog of homework to be entered, thus making the children lose interest.

• The disparities between the mobile devices used by the parents also lead to some unwanted feelings like resentment, disappointment, pride etc in the classroom.


SOME COMMENTS FROM STUDENT FEEDBACK

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• It takes longer to get the app working than to do the homework.

• I am waiting for my father to come back from a tour so I can use his phone to download the app and use it.

• It is quite boring. I would rather play games on the phone.


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• It increases my work as I have to make double entries. Once in the school diary and then again in the app.

• My mother does not allow me to use the phone as I start playing games on it.

• I would be happier if the app would be called something else instead of homework.


SUGGESTIONS

• For effective use of the app over a period of time, a higher level of maturity and metacognition is needed.

• A simpler app with a fewer fields would be more suitable for use by younger children.

• A simpler version of the app could be used in the BYOD model, where the app could be preinstalled to save time.

• Students can be taught to use the app more effectively with supervision and monitoring from the teacher10/04/2023 15Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

• It will also save the children the effort of making double entries for their homework as they would be using their mobile device for keeping a track of their homework.

• Parents too will accept the use of the mobile device by their children as this would be a requirement from the school .


• The app will not only make things more organized for the user.

• Develop skills like time management and organizational skills.

• It will help students organize their homework and to keep a track of the timetable.

• Make learning and planning more enjoyable, convenient and accessible and encourage them to be independent learners.


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FEEDBACK FORM


APPS CREATED ON APPSGEYSER


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Assessing 21st Century Skills- Link to youtube video

Introduction to Physics- Link to a pdf book of Fundamentals of Physics

Quiz- Link to am online quiz on Force

Wallpaper NU Campus

Memories- A photo album on our stay at NU


VALUE ADDITION

• The course and project work has helped increase my awareness of the immense possibilities of blending Mobile Learning with classroom instruction for effective learning.

• While looking for an app to survey, I came across a large possibility of apps that I could use with my students.

• It has also reiterated the importance of the fact that school policies regarding mobile devices need to be looked into.


• I have been able to think critically and have suggested a practical strategy for including and using the app studied in the school system. Various other apps can also be used if and when we introduce the BYOD model in my school.

• Focus on the diverse uses a mobile device can be used for in the school learning scenario.

• Helped me think laterally• Develop research skills.


• Develop skills of organization and time management.

• Find learning and planning more enjoyable convenient and accessible

• Become independent learners.• Plan their daily activities and homework• Keep a track of marks and grades • Become aware of the immense

possibilities of using a mobile device for learning

10/04/2023

VALUE ADDITION FOR STUDENTS

23Harleen Singh, M.Tech (ET)

Education

EVALUATE THE APP “HOMEWORK” (BY GOOGLE PLAY) FOR USE BY MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS