The Problem
For the past 8 years I have served as a Guidance Counsellor in the junior-high environment. One thing that I have learned in that time is that teenagers are forgetful! One pattern that emerged during that time is that students who started keeping track of homework in a daily planner tended to experience an upswing in their grades over the course of the term. Keeping a daily planner is, however, not for everyone, let alone teenagers.
Thinking about other ways to have students remind themselves of pending assignments and tests became a personal concern and required further exploration on my part. Furthermore, another key pattern began to emerge in my sessions with my junior-high students with regards to ownership of mobile devices or “smart phones.” When asked the question in my guidance office: What do you use your phone for the most, the most common reply was: “You know, the usual. Twitter, Facebook, texting, everything.”
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E
Thinking about other ways to have students remind themselves of pending assignments and tests became a personal concern and required further exploration on my part. Furthermore, another key pattern began to emerge in my sessions with my junior-high students with regards to ownership of mobile devices or “smart phones.” When asked the question in my guidance office: What do you use your phone for the most, the most common reply was: “You know, the usual. Twitter, Facebook, texting, everything.”
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E
Putting the Pieces Together!
I would often see students leaving school at the end of the day without the possession of textbooks and materials. I began asking a simple question in guidance sessions that revolved around improving grade performance. “What thing do you never forgot when coming to or leaving school?” Time and time again, the answer I received was “My phone (smart phone), Sir!” I then began to wonder if the value placed so high with regards to having the smart phone with them at all times revolved around the social networking and connections that today’s mobile devices provide.
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E
What is the Solution?
My curiosity started to develop with combining teens’ usage of mobile devices and students who tracked their academics to improve their grade performance and kept their learning on track.
I began to wonder about a tool that would combine teens’ use of mobile devices with the need to track academics, to improve grade performance and keep learning on track.
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E
I began to wonder about a tool that would combine teens’ use of mobile devices with the need to track academics, to improve grade performance and keep learning on track.
Chad Tobin, CEO & Founder REMIND-E