{"id":5368,"date":"2016-06-08T08:07:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T12:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=5368"},"modified":"2016-06-17T11:14:32","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T15:14:32","slug":"student-doubles-support-homebound-services-attend-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/student-doubles-support-homebound-services-attend-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"Student \u2018doubles\u2019 support homebound services and attend classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEveryone get goggles. We have a lot to do in a little bit of time,\u201d announced Kathy Brasington.<\/p>\n

The Kellam High School chemistry teacher had a shortened class period due to citywide Standards of Learning (SOL) testing and her students had a lab to complete.<\/p>\n

Kyle Bradley retrieved goggles for himself and lab partner Cam Barackman. He knew his other lab partner, Hunter Batkins, wouldn\u2019t need them.<\/p>\n

Batkins, a sophomore, was participating in class from home via a robotic telepresence device. The iPad through which he was communicating did not need eye protection.<\/p>\n

\"Brasington
Brasington talks with Batkins before class.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The robot, known as \u201cDouble\u201d to some, has been used at two high schools this spring by students eligible for homebound services. It allows students to have a physical presence in school and attend classes until they are able to return in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our students are homebound, they are tutored in four basic classes \u2013 math, science, social studies and language arts or English. Double gives them availability to participate in all<\/em> their subjects and in areas where we are unavailable to secure tutors, like upper-level classes,\u201d explained Denise White, coordinator of student conduct\/services.<\/p>\n

In his chemistry class, Batkins was seen and heard through the iPad display and speaker which is atop an adjustable pole attached to a single-wheel, self-balancing transporter.\u00a0The robot connects to school Wi-Fi via the iPad once a student has logged on to the Double Robotics website from a computer or tablet equipped with a webcam and microphone. Students drive or move the robot from home using the arrow keys on the keyboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI play video games, so it\u2019s easy for me,\u201d responded Batkins when asked about driving Double in school. Turning can be a challenge, he admitted.<\/p>\n

Students can raise and lower the iPad for interactions at sitting and standing levels. Batkins kept the iPad lowered to \u201csit\u201d at his lab table and talk with friends before class and listen to teacher instructions.<\/p>\n

\"Sitting\"<\/p>\n

When the lab began, Batkins rolled to his group\u2019s lab station and raised the iPad using controls at home to watch the work of partners Bradley and Barackman. He recorded data on lab paperwork he received in advance from Brasington.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you see, Hunter?\u201d asked Barackman before they started.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunter, did you get that?\u201d asked Bradley about the first figures from the lab. He restated them for his robotic partner.
\n\"lab<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really good,\u201d said Brasington of the experience. \u201cHe talks to the guys at his table. He communicates and will ask questions. He\u2019s included just like he\u2019s here. I think it\u2019s a wonderful resource that the school division has for motivated students.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is not always wonderful are the technical glitches that inevitably occur when using technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Brasington, he can\u2019t hear us and we can\u2019t hear him. He can\u2019t talk to us,\u201d Bradley called out as students nearby turned to help.<\/p>\n

\"Trouble\"<\/p>\n

The trouble with Double was short-lived. Batkins reconnected and was seen on the screen again.<\/p>\n

Connection issues were cited by Ocean Lakes High School (OLHS) freshman Ryan Boylan as the most challenging aspect of using the robot dubbed \u201cBoylanBot\u201d during his use in April.\u00a0He noted sections of the school\u2019s hallways have spotty network problems, which means the robot loses its Wi-Fi connection and stops moving.<\/p>\n

White explained that it is one of the reasons a \u201cminder,\u201d a fellow student or staff member, is always with the robot when traveling to and from classes.\u00a0According to White, the travel time in between classes is also an opportunity for homebound students to socialize with peers.<\/p>\n

That was an aspect Boylan seem to value most.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was glad I was able to talk to my peers because being out for that long and not interacting with any of your peers can be hard. I almost felt like I was there talking to my friends. That was a good part of it, and I kept up with the work pretty well,\u201d Boylan said.<\/p>\n

He also was able to keep up with practice in band class, an elective course he would miss without the robot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI listened to them play. I was even able to practice along with them at home sometimes. It was cool. I gave them a couple of piano solos,\u201d said Boylan.<\/p>\n

\"RyanBoylanPiano\"<\/p>\n

Boylan\u2019s teachers observed the benefits of using BoylanBot as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really replace instructional time in the classroom so it was great that Ryan could be there when we were learning new content,\u201d said OLHS math teacher Susan John. \u201cHe asked questions like he always does and the novelty wore off with his peers super fast. It was no big deal for them to interact with Ryan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The novelty wore off quickly in English class as well. Teacher Ashley Adams said students were enamored with BoylanBot\u2019s presence the first day and then adjusted quickly. Boylan participated in classroom discussions as well as small group work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished reading The Last Lecture<\/em> and students began to create their own four- to five-minute speech that would impart some advice on other students,\u201d said Adams. \u201cWhen we had a timed partner practice, Ryan and his partner were able to give feedback to one another on timing, inflection, eye contact and content. It was invaluable for Ryan to be a part of this class because he would have missed the feedback otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe waited until Ryan could present in person, but we could have done this via the robot as well,\u201d Adams added.<\/p>\n

Being at school in person was questioned by some of Batkins peers after having seen Double in class and in the halls.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have said to me, \u2018Man I just want to get one of those and stay home from school. How do I get one of those?\u2019\u201d said Batkins.<\/p>\n

He understands the allure.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight when you log off, you\u2019re already home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s from home, noted White, homebound students can feel right at home in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there in a club and they want to participate in their club, they can go,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can attend after school tutoring sessions if they like. They can go to lunch if they want to. It\u2019s all part of the socialization piece we\u2019ve seen become very important. They are not isolated in homebound.\u201d<\/p>\n

White added there is flexibility for homebound students who use Double to access tutors as needed or when they can\u2019t get to school for a particular reason, such as for Standards of Learning testing. A tutor administered SOL tests to Boylan at home.<\/p>\n

But for students who do use the robotic telepresence device, its two test drivers to date indicate they won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody just loves seeing it,\u201d said Batkins, \u201cand they think it\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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