160 students spent two weeks this summer from June 4-14 at Capital One’s Plano campus to learn life lessons aimed to improve their performance at school. Capital One associates mentored 4th and 5th graders from Communities in Schools Dallas Region, Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County and Plano ISD. Topics included Branding Yourself, Communications, Note Taking, Problem Solving, Setting Goals. Learning from Your Mistakes as well as Staying Focused and Improving Concentration.
The focus and concentration lesson included student brainstorming sessions to explore a variety of ways to pay closer attention in class and improve brainpower. The class featured Braintone Art, a state-of-the-art, real-time experience that translates human brainwaves into studio art.
Students selected an art style and a color palette before putting on head gear with sensors that collect brainwaves. One sensor is on the left earlobe and the other that controls the painting is on the forehead. As the user gently moves his or her head, the movement of the forehead sensor is what acts as a digital paintbrush creating the work of art. The program measures and displays on the left screen the user’s meditation and focus levels.
This information streams wirelessly in real-time through the Braintone Art Imagery Generation Engine to project the user’s emotions as abstract artwork on the digital canvas, the computer monitor. Students have 30-60 secoonds to design art. No artistic ability is required to use this software, and it may be used by people with limited mobility since it is just a gentle movement of the head that controls the digital “paintbrush."
“When I get distracted, I feel frustrated, but the Braintone Art activity showed me how to clear my mind so I can understand, focus, stay motivated and be happy,” said Tamaya Crain, an incoming fifth grader in Richardson ISD.
Capital One believes that a quality education is the most important factor for youth’s future success. With that in mind, Capital One strives to widen the educational opportunities for students through programs that help them gain the skills of tomorrow, today so that they can work in the career of their choice. This commitment comes to life with Future Edge.
In 2015, Capital One launched Future Edge, an initiative that pledged $150 million over five years to help more Americans get the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in the 21st century. As part of this initiative, Future Edge DFW symbolizes Capital One’s commitment to make Dallas-Fort Worth a destination for top talent, spur growth as a world-renowned technology hub and nurture leaders of tomorrow.
“Through Braintone Art, I think I can listen better now and focus on things like my homework. I know I need to get good grades so I can be a doctor when I grow up,” said Quadri Abiodun, an incoming fifth grader in Richardson ISD.
Capital One launched Math Corps in 2011 with 25 students. Capital One mentors teach the lessons.
Another incoming fifth grader in Richardson ISD, Fernanda Flores, said, “In school I have a hard time focusing because of different people coming in and out of the classroom. Now I know how to concentrate on one thing at a time.”
Students also play STEAM focused games during the program to strengthen their math skills. Of the 160 4thand 5th graders who participated this year, 30 attend Plano ISD’s Meadows and Mendenhall Elementary schools. The 100 Communities in School attendees are from Dallas ISD schools in Richardson which include Stults Road, Forest Lane, Thurgood Marshall and Skyview Elementary. Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County, which is located in Frisco serves students throughout the county, had 30 children in the program.
