App Shopper: Focus GPS Lite (Education)

App Activity

Sep 23 '12	Version 2.0
Aug 19 '12	New App: Free, v1.1

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Focus GPS Lite

iOS iPad

Focus GPS™ helps students with ADHD perform better by organizing their thoughts and “things to do” in a very effective way (patent pending). Focus GPS supports the critical executive function areas of 1) memory, 2) concentration, and 3) organization. It can provide game-changing support by helping students to logically step through complex thought and scheduling processes, allowing them to effectively manage quickly changing priorities.
Focus GPS includes two uniquely effective features in its design called 1) What’s Up?, and 2) What’s Done?. The What’s Up? feature enables users to organize their daily schedules based on priority. Schedules can easily be re-organized as needed throughout the day. When students feel challenged by their schedules, they can transmit their current What’s Up? schedule wirelessly at the touch of a button to one or more of their pre-selected mentors for guidance and encouragement. Mentors can include a peer mentor (an older student experienced in ADHD issues), parents, tutors, best friends, sports or life coaches, therapists, or others who have an interest in the success of the student. This focused and timely support can be a key factor in helping students learn to modify their behaviour in a way which suits their objectives.
The What’s Done feature displays tasks completed by the student in a given time period in a bright green color and can be transmitted wirelessly at the touch of a button to one or more of the student’s pre-selected mentors. The screen showing tasks completed is intended to be helpful to the student. Transmitting this information (normally once a day) permits the student’s mentors to observe and acknowledge the progress made by the student and to offer encouragement. Acknowledgment based on legitimate achievement can be a key factor in helping students learn to modify their behaviour in a way which suits their wants and objectives.
What’s Up? and What’s Done? help ADHD students deal with two common problems, forgetfulness and procrastination. With reference to forgetfulness, many parents are justifiably concerned that during the course of a school day their student might forget to complete or work on the most important tasks on his or her daily schedule of things to do. The What’s Up? screen reminds students at a glance what needs to be done that day and in what order and can also keep parents updated in this area.
Procrastination is a strong challenge to many students with ADHD. Parents, tutors, and others are powerless to help the student overcome procrastination unless they are aware of the student’s upcoming projects and responsibilities. This information can be easily provided to mentors by the student once the student experiences the benefits of keeping mentors informed. The attention and acknowledgment from mentors which can be generated through What’s Up? and What’s Done? can powerfully motivate students to do the work needed, earn praise, and feel successful. Positive accountability can powerfully help students overcome procrastination and do better in school.

What's new

Version 2.0 of Focus GPS has been re-organized to make it considerably more user-
friendly in the following ways:

1. New Opening Screen: The opening screen selection appearing in the "Main Menu"
screen of Focus GPS in version 2.0 is now the "File Management" screen (rather than
the "Create a New Thought-Line" screen).

2. Using File Management: When in the "File Management" screen, users can either select
an existing folder-file set in which they want to work, or they can create new folders and/
or new files within existing or new folders.

The names of folders and files can be edited while in the "File Management" screen, and
the contents of files can also be edited while in this screen.

3. Appearance of Folder Names: In the "File Management" screen, newly created folder
names now appear by default in all caps. This makes it easier for users to visually
distinguish between folder names and adjacent file names which, by default, appear in
upper and lower case letters.

4. Automatic Screen Linking: When users select a given folder-file set in the "File
Management" screen, this choice automatically links each of the other three prime
screens ("Create a New Thought-Line", "View Entries", and "What's Up?").

Formerly, a desired folder-file set needed to be entered individually in each of the three
support screens, a considerably more difficult and time-consuming process.

5. Screen Identification: In version 2.0, the ID of the selected folder-file set appears
prominently at the top of each of the three linked screens. The folder name appears in
cap letters on the left, and the file name appears in upper and lower case letters on the
right. This feature is very helpful to users as an obvious reminder of the folder-file set in
which they are working.

6. What's Up Screen: In version 2.0, the "Save" button and "Edit" features have been
removed from the "What's Up?" screen.