SMART Table Project

1. SMART Table Project Have 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?

2. 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

3. A Proof of Concept to demonstrate improvements in: 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. What are we measuring? • Time on Task • Verbal and non-verbal communication with adults and peers • Turn taking • Muscle Use • One academic goal, specific to each student

7. Where are we piloting the tables? • Birney: Hard of Hearing and Pre-school • Reed: Autism • Skyline: Development and Multi-Ortho • Stanley: Developmental and Inclusion

8. COLLABORATION has been HUGE! Student to Student Students with Teacher Increase direct interaction between students and teachers as they work together on the SMART Table activities. • Groups of two to eight student simultaneously touch and manipulate objects on the surface.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.” “ “

13. 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

14. 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 “

15. 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 “

16. Let’s see it in action

17. 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

18. 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

19. Final Data:District Averages

20. Final Data: Birney DHH SMART Table defective last month. No final data as a result.

21. Final Data: Reed Autism

22. Final Data:Skyline DD and Multi-0rtho

23. Final Data: Stanley DD and Inclusion Intermittent problems with SMART Table freezing.