Team: 80
School: Shiprock High
Area of Science: Behavior and Social Science
Interim: The definition of our problem
The goal of our project is to create an efficient, straightforward app that tracks and records data during a school emergency. At our school, it takes too much time to assess the situation, contact each class, collect information, and act appropriately based on the situation. Currently, each classroom and teacher has a walkie-talkies assigned to them that allows them to communicate with the security and the front office. By attending a training for teachers on how they should react to school emergencies, I learned of the procedures they should be following during real emergencies. The process is very long and takes time. It revolves around staff in the front office contacting each classroom, via walkie-talkie, and asking the teachers if the students are present, absent, and if any are missing from their class. The situation in the classroom and hallway are questioned next. Contacting over twenty teachers takes time and delays identifying the situation efficiently, which can affect the safety of students and staff. Our app intends to shorten the process to allow administration and authorities to identify and assess the situation faster.
Computational problem solving
We will create an algorithm that determines whether a student is absent from school or if they are missing during an emergency. This will tell a teacher if a student is missing from their class and should be looked for, or if the student did not attend school. The algorithm is notified of a missing student, it will check their recent attendance. It will search for present and absent marks from their classes on the same day. If present marks are found for their classes, except the one during the emergency, the student will be marked as “missingâ€. When a student is marked as “missingâ€, their name will be put into a list where teachers near their last class will look for them and be able to claim if the student is with them. In addition to this, classrooms near restrooms and libraries will be notified. Likewise, if the student only has absent marks for the day the algorithm will notify the teacher that the student is just absent from school.
A list of teachers and the subject they teach will be created with the number of present and absent students with them during the emergency. We will create an algorithm that adds the number of absent and present students together, then it will sort each into their respective category (absent with absent, present with present). The total number of students present throughout the school will be added together, with the same done for absent students. Similarly, the total number of teachers and the total number of general staff will also be displayed. The algorithm will finish by adding the total number of everyone present during the emergency.
Progress we have made
Our app is within the beginning stages, with outlines for each page and certain functions that affects what happens on each page. Currently we know the steps teachers follow for emergencies, such as forms they and the principal must complete and the procedures that all staff follow during drills or emergencies. If one button is pressed on a page, it will lead the user to another page. For example, if “evacuation†is chosen on the app, it will update the information in the database to display on other apps. The information displayed will be instructions that should be followed and a location for students and staff to meet up at. We have also looked into similar apps for inspiration on other features we should implement, alter, or take out.
Expected Results
Once our app is complete, we expect communication between each user will have the same information displayed on all devices. We will create a connection to our school’s gradebook that allows teachers to use their student roster to determine who is present, absent, or missing. Commonly referred to as powerschool, the gradebook has been made into an app. This app will allow us to determine whether students have been missing from previous classes and is absent, or if they were there that day of the emergency. This will then notify a teacher if the student is absent or missing. Students who have been marked as missing will be displayed in a certain area on all apps for teachers to view. If a teacher claims to have a student, the student’s correct teacher will be notified of their location. Depending on the situation, teachers and students will be shown which drill should be followed in addition to which locations to go to. Along with drill instructions, there will be a color code for different procedures that will match the situation. This color will appear on the background of the app, along with the instructions. We will utilize the app and create a function that presents a form for teachers to fill-out, and send that form to front office staff, including the principal. The same data will also be organized for the principal to send to their higher-ups. The app will send a notification of what occurred to parents and students after the emergency has been cleared, to keep the situation from worsening.
Team Members: Adam Pettigrew, Mya Harvey, Destiny Domingo, Lawrence Kee, Shison Tsosie
Sponsoring Teacher: Natalie Johnston
Team Members:
Lawrence Kee
Adam Pettigrew
Shison Tsosie
Destiny Domingo
Mya Harvey
Sponsoring Teacher: Natalie Johnston