Hi, I’m Jordan O’Kelley, an 8th grader in Los Angeles, California. I’m raising funds to develop my “Keys to Reward” 100 Point All-Positive Behavior Chart as an app to help improve students’ behavior in class. I'm also raising funds to support my travel expenses to go to the 2019 SXSWEdu conference in Austin, TX this March. I've enter my app idea into the Student Start-Up Competition there. We have a budget of $3,000 to develop the app and are seeking $500 for travel expenses.
Most elementary school teachers are using positive-negative behavior charts such as the stop light chart with its red, yellow, and green behavior levels. These negative reinforcing charts traumatize students— especially special needs and gifted kids— by putting them in a constant state of stress, instead of calm.
Our “Keys to Reward” app would be an all-positive, collaborative behavior app that promotes positive behavior by utilizing an individual’s motivation and engaging parents, teachers, and employers to align with the individual in support of their goal. Our app is differentiated in that our behavior chart encourages intrinsic motivation and utilizes only positive reinforcement, excluding negative reinforcement.
I created our “Keys to Reward” behavior charts as a kindergartener, in 2011. I created the first chart for my own use in my classroom. It was subsequently implemented in other classrooms at my next school, in multiple grade levels, and at other school sites. It has also been sold as reusable laminated cards.
Keys to Reward is a scalable behavior monitoring tool. Users can vary the evaluation interval for which a key or point is awarded based on the specific needs of the individual. Some individuals may require a daily interval, others hourly, to maintain positive behavior. We are targeting this application beyond education, to include employment environments, where special needs individuals would benefit from this kind of support. The need for these kinds of special needs supports is growing as awareness and acceptance of neuro-diversity grows.
In the educational setting, when a student picks his or her own reward for achieving the 100 “keys” or points through our chart, they become especially motivated to regulate their own behavior. The teacher and parents can then support positive behaviors in collaboration with student toward meeting their individualized goal. We have observed, over time, that the student becomes empowered to self-regulate and develops the improved ability to autonomously meet their goals.
Based on this experience, we’ve determined our minimum viable product should be a cloud-based multiple device, cross-platform, web and native mobile application. Our primary aim is to facilitate this essential feedback loop in relation to our chart. This loop can apply to multiple relationships: child and parent, student and teacher, employee and employer, and client and behavior professional (such as therapist, social worker). Our primary design goal is to create an app with a low-friction user interface, while accommodating the necessary user roles for the individual and their supervisor.
Our goal is to see our all-positive “Keys to Reward” app replace the positive-negative behavior charts commonly used in elementary schools, which we believe are damaging to a student’s self-esteem. I hope you'll join me in changing the psychological landscape of the classroom and work environments.
Our mantra: Support the positive!
Our request: Please support our app!
Thank you so much!
Most elementary school teachers are using positive-negative behavior charts such as the stop light chart with its red, yellow, and green behavior levels. These negative reinforcing charts traumatize students— especially special needs and gifted kids— by putting them in a constant state of stress, instead of calm.
Our “Keys to Reward” app would be an all-positive, collaborative behavior app that promotes positive behavior by utilizing an individual’s motivation and engaging parents, teachers, and employers to align with the individual in support of their goal. Our app is differentiated in that our behavior chart encourages intrinsic motivation and utilizes only positive reinforcement, excluding negative reinforcement.
I created our “Keys to Reward” behavior charts as a kindergartener, in 2011. I created the first chart for my own use in my classroom. It was subsequently implemented in other classrooms at my next school, in multiple grade levels, and at other school sites. It has also been sold as reusable laminated cards.
Keys to Reward is a scalable behavior monitoring tool. Users can vary the evaluation interval for which a key or point is awarded based on the specific needs of the individual. Some individuals may require a daily interval, others hourly, to maintain positive behavior. We are targeting this application beyond education, to include employment environments, where special needs individuals would benefit from this kind of support. The need for these kinds of special needs supports is growing as awareness and acceptance of neuro-diversity grows.
In the educational setting, when a student picks his or her own reward for achieving the 100 “keys” or points through our chart, they become especially motivated to regulate their own behavior. The teacher and parents can then support positive behaviors in collaboration with student toward meeting their individualized goal. We have observed, over time, that the student becomes empowered to self-regulate and develops the improved ability to autonomously meet their goals.
Based on this experience, we’ve determined our minimum viable product should be a cloud-based multiple device, cross-platform, web and native mobile application. Our primary aim is to facilitate this essential feedback loop in relation to our chart. This loop can apply to multiple relationships: child and parent, student and teacher, employee and employer, and client and behavior professional (such as therapist, social worker). Our primary design goal is to create an app with a low-friction user interface, while accommodating the necessary user roles for the individual and their supervisor.
Our goal is to see our all-positive “Keys to Reward” app replace the positive-negative behavior charts commonly used in elementary schools, which we believe are damaging to a student’s self-esteem. I hope you'll join me in changing the psychological landscape of the classroom and work environments.
Our mantra: Support the positive!
Our request: Please support our app!
Thank you so much!