SMART Table Project

SMART Table ProjectHave you ever felt the urge to splash vivid colors across your kitchen table using paint and your hands? Did you get trouble with your parents for experimenting this way?

What if you were a kindergartener and were encouraged to flow colors and games across your table with three other classmates. You’d be excited, right? Magically, you can use fingers, hands, elbow and other body parts to activate the table which makes it easy for students with special needs to participate in the group activities.”

~Pam Thompson

SMART Table Project

Early Learning: With the focus on interventions at the Pre-K through third grade level to ensure early academic success.

Achievement Gap: Reduce the achievement gap between students with disabilities and those without.

A Proof of Concept to demonstrate improvements in:

What is a SMART Table?

The SMART Table is an interactive collaboration tool that makes it easy to get students excited about learning. The multi-touch, multiuser surface lets several children work simultaneously, promoting collaboration.

The sturdy table design makes it easy for all students to participate, including students in wheelchairs or with limited motor skills, making this a perfect tool for our students with disabilities.

What are we measuring?

Time on TaskVerbal and non-verbal communication

with adults and peersTurn takingMuscle UseOne academic goal, specific to each

student

Where are we piloting the tables?

Birney: Hard of Hearing and Pre-schoolReed: AutismSkyline: Development and Multi-Ortho Stanley: Developmental and Inclusion

COLLABORATION has been HUGE!

Student to Student Groups of two

to eight student simultaneously touch and manipulate objects on the surface.

Students with Teacher Increase direct interaction between

students and teachers as they work together on the SMART Table activities.

COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATION

SPEECH Students with speech deficits will increase

verbal communication while working with other students.

MUSCLE EXTENSION Students with orthopedic limitations will be

encouraged to use and stretch muscles as they reach to manipulate objects on the SMART Table.

ENGAGING SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

Consistent and predictable responses, particularly useful for people who, like those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, often find their surroundings confusing and unpredictable.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN for LEARNING

With multi-touch functionality for up to eight children at one time and a design that supports UDL (universal design for learning) principles, the SMART Table is appropriate for all children, no matter their ability or learning style.

Teachers can customize the software to individualize the lessons for their classroom.

What the Teachers Are Saying:

Sue Sabol, Primary Autism Teacher, Reed Elementary

They’re talking to each other! They’re talking to each other! This just would never happen anywhere else, and I’m not even intervening!”They usually melt down at the end of activities like this and they haven’t. The kids are working together, which I rarely see.”

“

“

What the Teachers Are Saying:

I am currently participating in my classroom, student access to technology as part of our daily lessons was introduced. It was at this time that this particular student came back to 'learning life' in my classroom.

Overnight, he was no longer refusing to work. Since he loves technology, I was a bit concerned that giving him so much access would engage him in only the lessons using iPads and the SMART Table, and increase his refusal to participate in traditional lessons. My fears were unfounded. My students rotate through an iPad group, smart table group, and academic work with pencil and paper, and he moves through the rotation, engaging in all, even those activities he finds most difficult.”

~Sue Sabol, Autism teacher, Reed Elementary

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What the Teachers Are Saying:

Using computers is particularly helpful for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder because they focus on the information on the screen while excluding distractions from sensory stimuli.

They now can focus on the problems, pull information they already know from their head and solve it without the distractions.” ~Kathy Skaar

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What the Principals Are Saying:

Research shows Tabletop interfaces, increase social training.

What I am seeing with the table is an increase of student talk. Students are talking to each other as they are working, which is so rare to see in the classroom otherwise.”

~Sue Goerger, Principal, Skyline Elementary

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Let’s see it in action

Data Criteria

Communicates verbally with another student Communicates verbally with another adult Communicates non-verbally with another student Communicates non-verbally with another adult Takes turns with another student Muscle use – reaching, cross body Time on Task Academic Goal, individualized for each student

Data Criteria

Communicates verbally with another student Communicates verbally with another adult Communicates non-verbally with another student Communicates non-verbally with another adult Takes turns with another student Muscle use – reaching, cross body Time on Task Academic Goal, individualized for each student

Final Data:District Averages

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Take

s turn

s with

another

studen

t

Muscle U

se (re

ach, st

retch

, walk

, inten

tional move

ment o

f limbs)

Time o

n task

Academ

ic Goal

%0

20

40

60

80

100

120

District Totals (Averages)

District Totals: January Pre-AssessmentDistrict Totals (averages): After 6 WeeksDistrict Totals (averages): After 12 Weeks

Final Data: Birney DHH

SMART Table defective last month. No final data as a result.

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Take

s turn

s with

another

studen

t

Muscle U

se (re

ach, st

retch

, walk

, inten

tional move

ment o

f limbs)

Time o

n task

Academ

ic Goal

%0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Birney 1/6/2014Birney 2/13/2014

Final Data: Reed Autism

Final Data:Skyline DD and Multi-0rtho

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Take

s turn

s with

another

studen

t

Muscle U

se (re

ach, st

retch

, walk

, inten

tional move

ment o

f limbs)

Time o

n task

Academ

ic Goal

%0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Skyline 1/6/2014Skyline 2/13/2014Skyline 3/25/2014

Final Data: Stanley DD and Inclusion

Intermittent problems with SMART Table freezing.

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other stu

dent

Communicates

non verb

ally w

ith an

other ad

ult

Take

s turn

s with

another

studen

t

Muscle U

se (re

ach, st

retch

, walk

, inten

tional move

ment o

f limbs)

Time o

n task

Academ

ic Goal

%0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Stanley 1/6/2014Stanley 2/13/2014Stanley 3/25/2014