New EdTech App, Shomi, To Lift Student Learning Engagement
24 May 2016
Learners now have a new tool to increase their engagement with multiple resources, with the launch of the Shomi App, a scannable link that instantly takes printed materials to online content.
The Shomi link is a unique nine-character font that teachers generate, then copy and paste into any printed learning materials. Each link connects to a specific piece of content, which can provide data tracking and collect direct student feedback.
"The beauty of the Shomi link is that it comfortably fits into a line of text, in any size or colour, allowing the teacher to link as many resources as he or she wants into an instructional, research, activity or revision sheet," said Shomi creator Tony Williams.
"The link can even be amended or deleted at any time after it is generated, making learning content dynamic."
The idea for Shomi was born when Williams, an Australian entrepreneur with a passion for science and technology, came across a clunky square code in a magazine advertisement that simply took up too much printed space.
"A font-based link provides flexibility, with the ability for educators to present a variety of digital content from a large number of sites, all in one printed sheet," he said, adding that Shomi addresses some of the key learning opportunities for teachers to help students reach higher levels of achievement, particularly in providing feedback from both data capture and survey responses.
Leading education researcher and speaker, Robert Marzano, in his model for teaching effectiveness highlights the importance of using technology to help students relate to new content and create connections to prior learning. While internationally renowned Professor in Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, John Hattie, argues in his book Visible Learning, that teachers need to seek feedback on their practice from both students and colleagues.
"We know that students learn differently and work at a different pace," said Lucas Dredge, a grade 5 teacher at Port Melbourne Primary School. "Shomi is useful in enabling teachers to create differentiated tasks for groups of students. For example, one group could work independently by scanning a variety of resources and then completing a task, which then allows the teacher time to focus on a smaller group that needs more support. The ability to self-teach and self-monitor are some of the best traits of good learners."
Particularly for younger learners, Dredge says the "one scan and go" simplicity of Shomi saves precious time from manual keying errors better spent on learning.
"With Shomi, students not only undertake the activities assigned, early finishers can be directed to more challenging work or rewarded with a fun game or video. Technology that encourages active participation increases learning engagement."
For instructions on how to generate a Shomi link, Click here or scan @JQiw2tRe.
The Shomi App is free to download and use. To download the Shomi app.
To download worksheet examples try our example page or scan @xEybZ62l.
About Shomi
Shomi is a scannable link that uses a unique font to instantly connect print to digital content – the world's first font-based mobile linking platform that captures data in real time. Its efficiency and versatility means Shomi can be used in a broad range of applications, from education, to publishing, to packaging, to marketing.
The Shomi founding team of Tony Williams, James Oppenheim and Peter Kumaschow, together have more than 30 years of experience in web design, software development, project management, marketing and sales in both offline and online based businesses. In 2014, Shomi was one of 10 top Australian businesses selected to participate in Google Australia’s Start-up program.
Shomi will soon embark on its next phase of development, with added features and capability in data capture.
For more information, visit our website shomi.link or scan @9mcut2vG.