COGNOREHAB
"Keep swinging up and down as the life does so"
Cognokids
Playground
Summery
Have you ever tried to guide your child over the phone to find something you left at home, only to realize they can't locate it even though you said it's on the dining table? This is a common problem, as children (and even adults) learning English as a second or first language may struggle with prepositions of direction, such as in/into, unto/onto, around/round, over/above, and middle/center/between.
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This issue can be further complicated for children with cognitive impairments, intellectual disabilities, or sensory impairments, particularly blind children who may struggle with acquiring spatial concepts. Prepositions of direction are often learned indirectly and unconsciously through sensory perception, which can lead to some concepts being overlooked or misunderstood, even into adulthood.
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Impairment or loss of sensory perception can significantly affect cognitive development, as stated by the embodied theory of cognition. Research has shown that some individuals may struggle to acquire these concepts due to poor input or environmental factors, leading to cognitive delays that may only be remedied later in life.
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Dr. Mahmoodi Ahmad Abadi, the creator of this innovative teaching device, has conducted extensive research on sighted and blind individuals for her Ph.D. thesis and M.A. dissertation. Her experience working with blind individuals has given her unique insights into the weaknesses they may face in acquiring spatial concepts and prepositions of direction.
Using the results of her research and experience, Dr. Ahmad Abadi has designed this device to specifically address the needs of children with visual impairments. The use of partially hollow objects with various textures and related sounds provides a hands-on approach to learning, enabling blind children to acquire these concepts in a more concrete and tangible way.
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Our innovative playground, specifically designed to help children acquire more than 20 directional prepositions (with the possibility of increasing this number in the future) and their subtle nuances, such as up, down, below, and under.
The device utilizes a hands-on approach, enabling children to move partially hollow objects (including cubes, cones, star shapes, cylinders, and pears, each covered with different textures like "porous", "smooth", "hard", "soft", "liquid", "solid", "lumpy", and more) across rods while simultaneously listening to related sounds that play the name for that movement. For instance, if a child lifts a hollow, rough cube, the device will play a sound that integrates the name of the movement with the concept they have acquired in their mind.
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The Cognokids Playground is equipped with a sound system that operates at the right moments to develop and trigger these concepts in children's minds. Additionally, its colorful and shiny design is intended to attract children's attention, making it an engaging and effective tool for language acquisition.
We believe that our teaching device has the potential to revolutionize the way children learn prepositions of direction and improve language acquisition for children of all abilities.
How Cognokids Playground Teaches Directional and Movement Concepts
Summery
Cognokids Playground is an innovative tool designed to teach children about directional and movement concepts using a comprehensive approach that combines visual, tactile, and audio learning methods. The device consists of a base plate with four sections of nested bars, a cross-section box, a balance platform, and a push-and-pull cabin equipped with an electronic audio system.
The device is suitable for teaching more than 20 directional and movement concepts to children, including those who are sighted, partially sighted, and blind. The various parts of the device, including rods with different shapes, sizes, and inclinations, as well as balls with different geometric shapes, move through the rods to create a stimulating learning experience.
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The balance platform section of the device is used to teach the concept of balance, while the push-and-pull cabin with two drawers and five hinged doors is designed to teach concepts such as pulling, pushing, and axial movement.
Cognokids Playground can be used in two ways: through training by an instructor or training with the electronic audio system. The electronic section of the device includes electronic circuits and microswitches to broadcast audio messages of concepts to students.
The Playground is a valuable tool for teaching children about directional and movement concepts, providing a fun and engaging way for children to learn about complex concepts that are essential for their development.
Digital Sound System (DSS)
Summery
The duty of the digital sound system (DSS) is to create an interactive space with the user under training in the teaching of movement directions. This system detects the user's interaction with the playground and produces appropriate audio feedback. This system can also transmit the performance of the user under training to a smartphone or tablet at the discretion of the instructor through wireless communication.
By using the audio feedback produced by DSS, this playground becomes an Interactive Training Environment that can help the trainer in training and evaluation. By using magnetic sensors in all components of the playground, the DSS system is able to detect the interaction of the user under training with the playground. These sensors have the characteristics of high accuracy and also lack of depreciation, and through communication with the microprocessor controller board, they monitor the state of the playground at any moment. In addition to creating appropriate audio feedback, the controller board sends this information to devices such as a tablet or smartphone for recording and analysis through a wireless WIFI connection.
"Hall Effect Sensors in Cognokids Playground"
Summery
Cognorehab Team has utilized Hall Effect Sensor technology to set up a digital sound system for the Cognokids Playground. The Hall Effect Sensor is a thin rectangular piece of semiconductor material, such as gallium arsenide or silicon, through which a small current flows. When a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the current, the electrons in the material are deflected to one side of the conductor, resulting in a measurable voltage difference between the two sides of the conductor. By integrating Hall Effect Sensors into the digital sound system of the playground, Cognorehab is able to accurately detect the movement of the various components, such as the rods, balls, and doors, and generate corresponding audio messages for the children. This technology allows for a more interactive and engaging learning experience for children, as they can receive immediate feedback and reinforcement for their actions.
Cognorehab Mission
Summery
Cognokids Playground is a unique device designed for teaching directional prepositions to children under the age of 6. It caters to a wide range of individuals and institutions such as parents, school teachers, kindergartens, cognitive rehabilitation centres, and clinical linguists. Cognorehab Inc. is dedicated to providing a comprehensive and multi-sensory approach to help children learn directional and movement concepts
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Cognorehab Inc. is dedicated to developing a comprehensive, visual, tactile, and audio teaching method for children to learn directional and movement concepts. Our patented approach has never been seen before, both domestically and internationally, making our final market the world.
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While we have big plans for global expansion, we're starting with a focus on Winnipeg and Manitoba province. Our innovative educational playground has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of disabled persons, and we're committed to solving some of their most pressing problems.
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We believe our product will remain one of the most helpful teaching instruments for cognitively disabled persons, particularly as science continues to develop solutions for cognitive disabilities. Technological advancements like real-time access, wireless integration, video analytics, and affordability are driving the growth of assistive technologies for eligible persons diagnosed with disabilities. We're proud to be at the forefront of this movement, and we look forward to continuing our work to make the world a better place.