About the Writer
Matt LaPointe is an accomplished educational professional serving as the Dean of Students at Andrews Academy. With a background in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Education from Truman State University, Matt has a rich history of involvement in the educational field, including roles as an Elementary Physical Education teacher and a high school track and field coach in Kansas City. After taking some time as a Stay-at-Home-Dad in St. Louis, Matt returned to education with a focus on student success and engagement. His passion for outdoor activities and his deep understanding of the needs of both teachers and students have made him an invaluable advisor at Jotit. Matt's extensive experience in education and his commitment to fostering positive learning environments have significantly contributed to the successful integration of Jotit at Andrews Academy.
Abstract
Over the course of several months, Andrews Academy, a K-8 school from Lake Saint Louis, participated in a trial program for an educational software called Jotit. During the trial, 18 5th-grade students, two classroom teachers, and five specialist teachers integrated the Jotpads—paper tablets with the Jotit software—into their daily learning routine. This case study reviews the implementation, challenges, and outcomes of this trial.
Background of Andrews Academy
Andrews Academy - Lake Saint Louis is a private elementary school serving approximately 130 students from Kindergarten to 8th grade. The student body is predominantly white, with significant representation from Middle Eastern and African American backgrounds. Class sizes vary from 5 to 18 students, with the middle school being the smallest section, comprising 25 students across the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
The mission of Andrews Academy is to provide a quality education tailored to meet each student “where they are,” facilitated by small class sizes that allow for a more individualized curriculum. The 5th-grade trial group consisted of 14 males and 4 females. This group, characterized by a higher number of males, presented challenges in organization and motivation.
Background of Jotit Learning Platform
Jotit Educational Technologies recognized the challenges many students face with executive functioning, distraction, and focus. Aiming to address these challenges, its software serves as an integrated learning space which unifies traditional learning (mostly based on textbooks, notebooks, and worksheets) with digital learning based on internet sites. It also provides easy access to the school’s LMS, and a special focus on enhancing handwriting skills. The expected outcome is simplified students' learning processes and reduced cognitive load associated with managing various digital and traditional tools and resources.
Jotit integrates with existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) used by schools, ensuring a cohesive educational experience. Students instantly see what teachers upload to their LMS in an organized manner. It also allows students to handwrite their assignments. Each course has a dedicated digital notebook section for notes and writing assignments, and separate sections for materials and assignments. Students can access regularly used class materials and write directly on them if they choose. Assignments have work that needs to be turned into the teacher. Students can access worksheets, write directly on them, and turn them in. Jotit also has a daily schedule showing students their classes and a daily planner for tasks. Jotit replaces the need for paper, focusing students on educational materials. Internet access is controlled, allowing students to access specific links posted by their teachers.
Jotit's Learning Platform works on touch screen devices—both e-ink tablets and 2-in-1/foldable Chromebooks. The e-ink tablets feature a passive, zero light-emitting screen that mimics writing on paper, suitable for younger grades. The 2-in-1 Chromebooks combine the benefits of a laptop with Jotit, suitable for higher grades with more online resources or typing assignments.
Challenges
Prior to the pilot, the upper school, particularly the 5th grade, faced significant issues with material management and organization. Teachers expressed frustration with students arriving unprepared, often using excuses like unawareness of assignments or difficulty accessing materials. Existing strategies included Google Classroom with an integrated calendar, daily homework slides on Google Slides, and homework planners.
Motivation to Pilot the Jotit Solution
Andrews Academy's interest in Jotit stemmed from its organizational capabilities, consolidating all assignments and Google Classroom features in one accessible location. Another facilitating factor was that most assignments could be completed within the Jotit environment. Ultimately, the school hoped to enhance organizational skills and reduce distractions by limiting internet access only to essential sites.
When addressing the students and staff about the possibility of integrating the Jotpads into the school, there was much positivity and excitement towards the trial program. Many teachers were excited about the ability to limit what the students could access via the internet.
Implementation
The trial involved on-site training for both teachers and students. The school’s faculty, together with the Jotit team, conducted ongoing monitoring of usage patterns, adoption rate, and issues throughout the duration of the pilot. Initially, a few students were somewhat resistant, but the majority quickly adapted to the JotPads paper tablets, appreciating the ability to write directly on PDF assignments and their digital workbooks. Over the course of the pilot, teachers noted and reported the benefits of improved handwriting practice and reduced paper usage.
Results
Post-trial surveys revealed that both students and teachers found the software helpful for organizing assignments. Teachers appreciated the streamlined access to student work and the reduced distractions from the internet and games. The main drawbacks reported were related to the devices themselves rather than the software. The teachers agreed that all the students seemed comfortable finding their assignments and projects within the software. With the scribble application, students found it an easy distraction from lectures and presentations; responses on the questionnaire for both students and staff supported this. Both students and teachers agreed that the Jotit software was very intuitive and did not take much training to become familiar with it.
The main issue raised by students was the lack of color (the paper tablets use a gray-scale screen). Teachers thought the best qualities of the software were the centralization and easy access to all learning materials from one place, reducing incomplete work. Teachers also noticed faster completion of work without the distraction of the internet and games.
For teachers, the ability to post a website link to their Google Classroom stream and be confident that students would only access that site and not navigate away was an important improvement in reducing distractions.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The pilot was considered a success, leading to a decision to integrate Jotit software on Chromebooks for middle school next year. The handwriting capabilities and organizational features were highlighted as key advantages. It is recommended that future implementations focus on using Jotit software on Chromebooks for older students, while younger grades can benefit from the Jotpads (tablets). The key benefits observed were improved organization, reduced distractions, and enhanced focus.
Another important conclusion was that the use of handwriting for note-taking and completing assignments significantly contributed to the pilot's success. The consensus among the faculty was that the organization and ease of access to materials were the biggest highlights of the pilot. It is recommended that the preferred platform for the Jotit software from middle school onwards would be the 2-in-1 Chromebooks (aka JotBooks), while the Jotpads (paper tablets) would be utilized for the lower school grades. The handwriting aspect of the software would be a valuable addition at any grade. Older students would require internet access for research and interactive sites, which is why Andrews Academy selected the use of the Jotit software on the Chromebooks for the future.
Comments