About IDEAL Group's Knowledge Discovery Data Mining (KDD) System
The objective of our Knowledge Discovery Data Mining (KDD) System is to enable learners with print disabilities, and everyone else, to more easily access, navigate, search for, and acquire information from single or collections of digital content (in the formats below), using both mobile devices and computers. Note: The source digital texts do not need to be accessible to to assistive technology (AT) in order to knowledge mine them into accessible formats.
HTML (including web pages, websites, blogs, and wikis)
Doc/Docx
ePub2/3
RTF
TXT
2.0 Strategies:
Enable learners to KDD single or collections of digital texts and then automatically:
Extract and present concept words and phrases in alphabetical order and ranked by importance;
Generate concept word clouds;
Generate mind maps from each concept word;
Generate both short and long content summaries;
Provide exportable files of all of the collateral, listed above, in HTML and RTF formats; and,
Provide files suitable for importing into powerful, stand-alone, mind/concept-mapping applications including MindManager, XMind, iThoughts, MindGenius, MindMeister, FreePlane, and Connected Mind.
The definition of a print disability is generally considered a functional definition[i]. That is, a student with a print disability is one who is unable to gain information from printed materials at an anticipated level for their grade and needs alternative access or a specialized format (i.e., Braille, Large Print, Audio, Digital text) to access that information. This includes students with visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disabilities. For example, a learner with a print disability may[ii]:
Have significant problems learning to read
Confuse similar-looking letters and numbers
Have difficulty recognizing and remembering sight words
Lose place while reading
Have poor memory of printed words
Confuse similar-looking words (e.g., beard/bread)
Have weak comprehension of ideas /themes
Reverse letter order in words (e.g., saw/was)
Have problems associating letter and sounds
Guess at unfamiliar words rather than using word-analysis skills
Have trouble naming letters
Read slowly
Substitute or leave out words while reading
Have poor retention of new vocabulary
Dislike and avoid reading or read reluctantly
Have difficulty understanding the difference between sounds in words or blending sounds into words
The term mLearning, or "mobile learning" is related to e-learning and distance education. However, it is distinct in its focus on learning across contexts and learning with mobile devices. Mobile learning uses handheld devices to provide learning “anywhere, anytime,” reach underserved students, improve “21st century social interactions,” link students to online learning environments, and deliver more personalized learning experiences. For the purposes of this report, the term “mLearning” is used to describe “learning” that takes place through the use of a mobile device. Based on this definition, lets further explore this important ecosystem.
A recent review of research on mobile learning by Dr. Naomi Norman surveyed benefits for mobile learning as perceived by members of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. Many of the benefits identified in Dr. Norman’s report parallel those of mobile learning for students K-12. A summary of the key benefits are as follows[iii]:
Convenience
Mobile devices for learning make it more convenient to undertake learning from
any location at any time.
Reassurance
Being able to quickly and easily “double-check” facts, as they were originally
learned, provided extra degrees of reassurance and confidence to learners.
Flexibility
mLearing content can be adapted to meet the access and educational
needs of individuals students, including students with disabilities.
Relevance
Mobile learning enables training to be ‘situated rather than simulated.’ For
example, learning could take place in a math lab where the learning is being
put into practice.
Control
Allows students to control the pace at which they learn
Easy access
Provides easy access to information resources
Communication
Enables students to communicate with peers, teachers, and other educational
stakeholders
Sharing
Enables students to share their knowledge, work, and experiences with others
Decision-Making
Being able to access educational materials quickly and easily can increase the
effectiveness of reasoning and decision making.
Learning styles
mLearing can accommodate many different styles of learning.
Choice
Offering mobile access to learning materials and assessments helps to ensure
that as many students as possible engage.
Dead time:
mLearning provides a practical way to learn during ‘dead times’ such as
waiting for a bus, or standing in line.
Informal learning
The portability of mobile devices makes information learning available at all
times.
Assessment feedback
Taking assessments on mobile devices offers the opportunity to provide instant
feedback.
References:
[i] What Is a Print Disability? Maine-AIM. http://aim.mainecite.org/print_disability
[ii] Checklist for Learning Disabilities. Milestones. Web. http://tinyurl.com/76rm5sj
[iii] Norman, Naomi. "Mobile Learning for the NHS: Research Report." Mobile Learning for NHS. Epic, 12 Apr. 2011. http://tinyurl.com/7owtmma
The knowledge base technology used by this resource is being funded by The App Factory, a project hosted by The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) for Wireless Technologies. The RERC for Wireless Technologies is sponsored by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of The U.S. Department of Education under grant number H133E110002. Any opinions expressed in this website are those of IDEAL Group, Inc., Context Discovery Inc., and the source organizations of the information presented, and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or NIDRR.
Knowledge-Mining and Context Discovery Technology by
IDEAL Group, Inc. and
Context Discovery Inc.
For more information please contact:
steve.jacobs@ideal-group.org