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The AuraPen

Made by Kristie Lord, Cassie Alsept, Erin Fuller and Austin Garcia

Aura implemented a pilot program in which high school students at select public schools were given tablet pens that monitored and analyzed their biometric data. The schools grouped students by patterns found through this analysis. Some parents disliked the analysis and grouping of their children, concerned with the ethical issues. Alternatively, some saw this process as beneficial because of the useful information it provided.

Created: May 12th, 2019

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Intention


In an effort to improve student health and productivity, Aura implemented a pilot program in which high school students at 30 select public schools were given tablet pens that monitored their biometric data. This data allowed the students, school, and parents access to student mental health analysis during the full course of the school day. In addition, the schools grouped students by patterns found through this analysis and issued alerts if troubling patterns were found.

From the onset of the implementation of this technology, there were two sides to the issue. Some parents disliked the analysis and grouping of their children, concerned with the ethical issues regarding the digital quantification of their children’s activity at school beyond grades. Alternatively, some saw this process as beneficial and helpful to students because of the useful information it provided. The conversation continued for several years and early studies found positives and negatives to this analysis of data and student grouping. 

In creating this project, our group hoped to raise questions about the future of technology.  When do people decide enough is enough for collecting data?  Who should have access to this data?  Even with the best intention of ensuring student's safety and creating a better support system, is it alright to monitor students? 

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Artifacts


The administrative manual was drafted as a technical manual for the AuraPen. This was the version written for administrators of schools - it is much longer than the student manual and goes in-depth about administrative setup and alerting systems. It is often referred to as the “complete” AuraPen Manual, as the student version omitted many important parts crucial to understanding the AuraPen data collection process.

The student manual was drafted as a user guide - like a pamphlet for the AuraPen. Intended for student use, this manual only provides general information- omitting more technical sections that may have worried students. The manual is more stylized and informal than the administrator manual.

The permission slip that parents signed at the beginning of the school year was an agreement to let AuraPen collect and use the information of the minor students involved in order to improve the AuraPen design. It is legally required for parents to sign this slip before students use the AuraPen as to not violate a students' FERPA rights.

The report card was a daily reminder of a studentʼs work at school. It monitored how much the student was paying attention in class, their truancy, social skills and friendships, risks and alerts, and other grouping factors that the AuraPen had placed the student into.

The administrative video was shown to school personnel during the AuraPen setup process in the AuraPen Setup Program, and was accessible for later viewing from the AuraPen Monitoring System(AMS). This video gives a short overview of what administrators may see during an average day of looking through the AMS data, from looking at class data to an alert popping up.

The prototype AuraPens were issued to every student, much like a textbook, and were kept by the student for one year. The AuraPen was a smart tablet pen that monitored habits, socialization, heart rate, stress levels, and more. It was designed to help students decrease their stress and better understand mental wellness.

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Manuals 


The administrative manual was drafted as a technical manual for the AuraPen. This was the version written for administrators of schools - it is much longer than the student manual and goes in-depth about administrative setup and alerting systems. It is often referred to as the “complete” AuraPen Manual, as the student version omitted many important parts crucial to understanding the AuraPen data collection process.

The student manual was drafted as a user guide - like a pamphlet for the AuraPen. Intended for student use, this manual only provides general information- omitting more technical sections that may have worried students. The manual is more stylized and informal than the administrator manual.

We included these to serve as mediators between the viewer and the AuraPen display. What better way to explain the technical aspects of how the pen worked than a manual?

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Permission Slip 


This form that parents signed at the beginning of the school year was an agreement to let AuraPen collect and use the information of the minor students involved in order to improve the AuraPen design. It is legally required for parents to sign this slip before students use the AuraPen as to not violate a students' FERPA rights.

We knew that it would be important to showcase the "technical" side of things, and this seemed to please the viewers who commonly read privacy statements.

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Report Card 


This report card was a daily reminder of a studentʼs work at school. It monitored how much the student was paying attention in class, their truancy, social skills and friendships, risks and alerts, and other grouping factors that the AuraPen had placed the student into.

We knew it would be important to show just how invasive this technology could be- and a report card on social skills and anxiety seemed to get the point across to the viewers.

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Administrative Video 


This administrative video was shown to school personnel during the AuraPen setup process in the AuraPen Setup Program, and was accessible for later viewing from the AuraPen Monitoring System(AMS). This video gives a short overview of what administrators may see during an average day of looking through the AMS data, from looking at class data to an alert popping up.

We knew that it was important to showcase the "behind the scenes" side of the AuraPen, so we made this video.


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AuraPen Prototype


This was a prototype AuraPen- one released to a high school in a beta test.They were issued to every student, much like a textbook, and were kept by the student for one year. The AuraPen was a smart tablet pen that monitored habits, socialization, heart rate, stress levels, and more. It was designed to help students decrease their stress and better understand mental wellness. 

We knew that mental wellness care was very prominent in the future scenario given- so we created something in a school setting to monitor student mental wellness.

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#include <NewPing.h>

#define TRIGGER_PIN  12  // Arduino pin tied to trigger pin on the ultrasonic sensor.
#define ECHO_PIN     11  // Arduino pin tied to echo pin on the ultrasonic sensor.
#define MAX_DISTANCE 200 // Maximum distance we want to ping for (in centimeters). Maximum sensor distance is rated at 400-500cm.

NewPing sonar(TRIGGER_PIN, ECHO_PIN, MAX_DISTANCE); // NewPing setup of pins and maximum distance.
int distance;
int heart_rate;
int attention;
long timer = 0;
long run_time = 0;

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
    distance = sonar.ping_cm();
    heart_rate = random(70,72);
    if (distance > 8) {
      if (millis() - timer >= 1500) {
        heart_rate = random(86, 88);
        Serial.print(heart_rate);
        Serial.print(" ");
        if ((millis() - run_time > 2000) && (millis() - run_time <= 5000)) {
          attention = random(80,85);
          Serial.println(attention);
        }
          else if ((millis() - run_time <= 6500) && (millis() - run_time > 5000)){
            attention = random(75,80);
            Serial.println(attention);
          }
          else {
          attention = random(66, 70);
          Serial.println(attention);
          }
  }
  if (millis() - timer >= 1530) {
      timer = millis();
      heart_rate = random(60, 62);
      Serial.print(heart_rate);
      Serial.print(" ");
    }
    else {
    Serial.print(heart_rate);
    Serial.print(" ");
    }
  
  if (millis() - run_time <= 2000) {
  attention = random(66, 70);
  Serial.println(attention);
  }
  else if (millis() - run_time <= 5000) {
    attention = random(80,85);
    Serial.println(attention);
  }
  else if (millis() - run_time <= 6500) {
    attention = random(75,80);
    Serial.println(attention);
  }
    else if (millis() - run_time <=7500) {
    attention = random(70,75);
    Serial.println(attention);
  }
  else {
    attention = random(66,70);
    Serial.println(attention);
  }
  }
  else{
    run_time = millis();
    Serial.print(0);
    Serial.print(" ");
    Serial.println(0);
  }
}
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Process


The AuraPen started its journey as something completely different. My team knew we wanted to look at the school environment, so we started developing the idea of an "Aura KidCone" which would allow for the safe travel of a child to school without parental supervision.

Once the idea was scrapped in favor of something set in a school instead, my team came up with three separate ideas- a pen that tracked writing and truancy, a chair that tracked fidgeting, and a table structure that tracked social interactions. 

However, the amount of work it would take to create three objects and supporting objects and papers for them would have been too much to complete in the timeframe we had- so we compressed all three objects' functions into the pen idea.

The pen idea, however, switched back and forth between a tablet case and the pen for a while before the pen was settled on. 

Once the AuraPen was secured as a pen, it was smooth sailing with no other fundamental changes. 

Design wise, the initial logo for the AuraPen administrative manual was changed, and the pen changed looks a few times.

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Reflection and Feedback

Reflecting on the project, it would have been nice if we had decided what we wanted to do earlier- as we were most often behind the other groups. It would have also been nice to have a bit more time to perfect things such as the manuals and the video. Other than those minor things, this project was relatively straightforward.

There were two main places that feedback came from: our Exchange Installation, and the Meeting of the Minds. 

The people at the Exchange Installation most often gave their feedback on their interest in the presentation style and the choice of artifacts, and their interest in, and desire for, a more complete story of the AuraPen and of Aura's emergence into smart school technology.

The people at the Meeting of the Minds most often gave their feedback on their interest in the overall concept (as Aura had to be explained), the additional methods for data collection, including GPS and experience sampling, and whether a school’s grading system as a whole is flawed and whether or not it should be foregone in the future.

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Attributes and References


1. The Nintendo DS manual: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Nintendo-DS-Lite/Nintendo-DS-Lite-manual-and-additional-documents-/Nintendo-DS-Lite-manual-and-additional-documents/Nintendo-DS-Lite-manual-and-additional-documents--245249.html

This manual was used as a basis for our administrative manual.

2. The Google privacy statement: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US 

This statement was used as a reference for writting the AuraPen's privacy statement.

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About

Aura implemented a pilot program in which high school students at select public schools were given tablet pens that monitored and analyzed their biometric data. The schools grouped students by patterns found through this analysis. Some parents disliked the analysis and grouping of their children, concerned with the ethical issues. Alternatively, some saw this process as beneficial because of the useful information it provided.