Homework process improvement

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

Hello,
I am working on the development of my startup. It's an internet based system aimed at improving homework process in a way that will enhance learning and be fun for the kids.
The question I am stuck with right now is - what's in it for the teachers?

Can you help me?
Can you guess what's in it for the teachers or simply express your wants, needs and especially dreams such a tool may supply?

[Shira Abel-Shvo]

What's in it for the teachers? Well, you could look at ways to make their life easier - they spend a lot of time after class working on grading homework (my brother is a teacher - BTW, if you need a consultant he has his Masters in Education and he teaches high school English.)

-shira

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

So what you are saying the teachers might benefit if it will help them shorten the grading times?

[Vincent Mespoulet]

can you give us more details about your project ? which technology ? which aim concretely ?

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

I can say only that it is web based project, targetting kids ages 9-15 mainly, aimed at improving the homework experience all around: making it more fun for the kids less tidious or something they are reluctant to do, and also improving their results, the learning process, teaching them how to work with online information sources and evaluate the content they are getting leading to better learning altogether.
I started out thinking of the kids - if I don't get them - I don't have it. But really, this system must serve the interest of teachers too, if I want the schools and teachers to support it or endorse it.
I also made it a point not to charge a membership fee because I believe this system should work for every kid who wants to learn.
Can you imagine kids rushing home excited about doing their homework assignments? That's my vision.

[WmChamberlain]

There are already many sites that are aimed at homework, or improving content knowledge. Most of them charge so being free would be a plus. (How would you make your business model work? Advertising on site would turn many teachers off!)

To address the question "what's in it for me" I would have to say not much. My state (Missouri) has fallen into the trap many other states have, test scores. If you would tell me that your site would improve my students test scores I would think it is just a drill and skill site. If you told me the site was going to enhance critical thinking and help create lifelong learners, other teachers would not be interested (test zombies).

In short, to make me want to use it would require you to alienate a much larger group. Oh, well.

What I would like to see in a homework site is a searchable database of internet resources that could help my students with a specific topic. Something like they have at the eMINTS site called eThemes

Then it would have the students do some performance based projects such as: creating a blog, creating a wiki, discussing the information in a moderated chat room, make a voicethread, or a photostory, an audio/video podcast, or something similar.

Finally, it would alert the student's teacher through email or something similar and allow him/her to track back on what the student has done to provide feedback and encouragement.

That would be the bomb-diggity! If you do a site like that, I will be the first to sign up!

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

Hi!
Thanks for that detailed reply. Let me see if I understand you correctly: you say that you are not interested in a web site that will just improve the students' achievments in tests, but you would be more interested in a site that will enable students to do their homework online, and you, the teacher, follow the students' trail, or process.
Did I get you?
If I did, I must say 2 things. First - I am amazed. Would a teacher have time to track students process and examine it and provide feedback to any student along the way??? It seems to me like it is very demanding and time consuming, and I was under the impression that teachers want a tool that will help them reduce the time spent on homework evaluations or even assignments planning. Please help me understand.
...thanks for the links, by the way. I would appreciate any links to homework related site any of you can think of.
So far, none of the homework related sites I saw are related to my concept. So I am encouraged to continue. :-)

[Ian Carmichael]

I'm not keen on drill-and-practice homework at junior levels - for various compelling reasons in my mind.
I would start to look interested if you were providing some connections between sundry subject disciplines and real-world life - egs your sport/hobby and science/mathematics, election promises and your money, facebook and moral responsibility. (Which has a part resonance with Wm's comments, I think) Many years ago C B Daish wrote The Physics of Ball Games. That's material that appeals to me through the title: I don't recall the detail.
Ideally the system should be searchable against interests, levels and styles - and provide a portal to other resources and collections of resources - drat. I've forgotten, but in a recent forum we discussed such on-line learning and varied materials. I'll go and see if I can find the link, and report later! Got it !- the forum is on Personalised Learning - and particularly the work of, and cited by Daniel Bassill.
(Because I'd like to see some real-world applications of in-school areas, which allow my students to remain in their after school social contexts, rather than being corralled away from their life into another 'school cage' This is one plank in my opposition to home drill-and-practice stuff.)

I'm a typically stingy teacher, so free sounds good, or free with contribution of suitable resources for your company's use, otherwise a subscription applies.

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

Thanks for the input.
Actually - this whole thing started, how obvious, from my own kids. My daughter is now 13.5 and my son is 10 (I am not referring to the pre-schooler, of course). I have been watching their happit when they get homework, been following how they do it, their friends, interactions surrounding homework - and that started the wheels going.
I must state here that my kids are not regular kids. They are gifted children. My daughter studies in a gifted-kids special class. My son, ADD, is in a regular class.
The interesting thing is that even though these are children who crave for knowledge, when it comes to homework, they generally dislike doing it to even resent the very fact that they are required to prepare work at home.
A couple of months ago there was a story on the evening news about the "google students": that referred to the shortcuts kids find when using google to do their homework - which results in 2 downsides: 1- we have seen children that do the copy-paste without even reading what they paste - resulting in nonsense... 2- teachers receiving 30 copies of the same value from Wikipedia...
And the third happening is that when teachers finally give their students interesting work, that doesn't work with the copy-paste dance, they google the question, don't find an answer and decide that "there is no answer", skipping the possible interaction with other resources - including the fabulous human resources (classmates, friends, adults) altogether.
That's what I am trying to solve.

[Ian Carmichael]

I'm on your side - the problems you have outlined are the challenges I want to address and need to address in class - so much 'google reading' and not 'human reading' happens, and no critical thinking skills are applied. I am keen to address these in classes, let alone homework.

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

So, what do you think, if I offer a platform that will do that - enhance the human connection and develop critical thinking skills - do you think this promise is enough for the teachers to be interested?
I am trying to figure out something more valuable, a critical benefit for the teacher.

[Ellen Pham]

Hi Or-Tal : ) I think this concept is wonderful- to enhance the human connection and develop critical thinking skills- and I'm wondering, what ideas do you have for getting to that? Teachers, at heart, want what is best for their students, and if your site could get them past the "googling" stage, that in itself would draw teachers to it. So the idea of the site is, to encourage/ show/ teach students to more effectively and creatively approach their homework? And you would use some kind of database of resources, subject content, useful programs that would do this? A specific example of what you are thinking of would be great... as far as advertising, I think that would be fine if the site is valuable. We all understand that the money has to come from somewhere... Just a little more specifics on your idea, and I would have lots of fun thinking of how to implement it.

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

Hi Ellen,
You have provided me with the dream reply. If this model in itself can be appealing to teachers - than I can start the actual development. But how much, do you think, you represent the majority of teachers? How many teachers will be drawn to it, when there is no specific benefit-for-the-teacher in it?

I have conceived an idea of how to do it. It feels like an image getting into focus. Every day I add another detail and the picture gets sharper.
I will need to create a prototype and test it on groups of students.
Naturally the American market is the initial one, because of its size. However, given that fact that I am located in Israel and mainly familiar with our exremely modest, Hebrew speaking, education system ... is somewhat lmiting in access...
But before anyone will agree to help me create a prototype I need to make sure this can be a valid business. Meaning one that could generate income.
Where are you located?