Applying SMART Table Technology in Early Elementary Classrooms

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1 Applying SMART Table Technology in Early Elementary Classrooms Joi Upton Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Computer Science and Software Engineering Department REU On Pervasive and Mobile Computing (Summer 21) Abstract Virtual environments are computer generated, three dimensional worlds that give the illusion that the user is within the space where the interaction takes place. Most things now are interactive whether it s educational, recreational or for business. Early virtual worlds, like chat rooms, were just text based. These environments have advanced to games such as Call of Duty and Final Fantasy and to educational devices like Microsoft Surface, and the SMART Table. We have plenty of recreational virtual environments; there is a need for more tools for learning. This study describes the effect technology has on early education. The utilization of the SMART table, a multi-touch table that can capture and identify numerous objects simultaneously when placed on its surface, will provide a more interactive and participative environment in classrooms. The expectations of these SMART table applications is to help enhance, engage and support elementary students in their mathematical skill development. Introduction Technology is advancing at a fast pace. Technology is being associated with almost everything in today s society. Now, it's really being enforced into education. Even though research has proven different, many see technology in the classroom as a harmful thing. They feel children would come dependent on technology to learn and would lose their ability to relate to others. Same was probably said about other technological inventions but they turned out to be beneficial and helpful to humans. Video games is one of the biggest markets out there. There has been so much controversy over video games. Many feel they are a waste of time and promote negative concerns. If we could combine education and gaming, a lot of the controversy could be eliminated. Playing these games, gets kids more involved and create an environment where work and play together. Research The purpose of this project is to develop educational applications incorporating some of the latest technology. The SMART Table will be the device used to support educational

2 gaming. The SMART Table encourages teamwork and cooperation. Therefore, the first target would be early elementary school students, preferably grades K-2. The SMART Table will be used to enhance and develop their beginning mathematical skills. The device is used to provide a more hands-on experience for the students and to get away from the teacher centered classrooms. Concepts can be easier to grasp when you are more involved and you experiment with them. The teacher will still be very much involved in the students lesson. Even though, the teacher can monitor the students as they participate on the SMART Table, pre and post tests should be included in the lesson just to document the students progress and how effective the table is on their knowledge. For the first application, mathematics was incorporated into a simple, still very popular childhood game, Tic-Tac-Toe. Since many kids still do play this game, it would be efficient and beneficial to include computation into it. In order for the user to mark its X or O into the designated box, they have to solve a mathematical equation and answer it correctly. If the user answers it incorrectly, they will lose their turn and give their opponent a chance to mark that same box. The students can work in teams or by themselves. It not only teaches mathematical skills but it also teaches them strategy, cooperation and competitiveness. Literature Review People have different ways in researching how effective technology is in a learning environment. Most studies show that technology does help students and their development in a certain topic. The U.S Department of Education did a study back in 26 on the amount of students who went to college. Their study showed that 8% of high school graduates went to college but only half of them graduated with a bachelor degree. Deficient preparation for higher level mathematics was a major reason for students to drop out. "The foundation for K-12 mathematics is laid in the early years of elementary school. To succeed in college, this foundation must be solid."[1] Technology in the Classroom Technology has slowly graduated itself into classrooms. In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act(ESEA) passed in 1965.[2] It was used to bring money into the schools for technology. A few computers were put into the school but mainly for administrative and counseling purposes. In 22, it was changed to the No Child Left Behind Act. This act was developed to raise equality in students learning ability. Students had to now meet or exceed the states standards for mathematics and reading. In the mid 198's, very few computers were introduced to the classrooms and still barely no use in instructional exercises. It wasn't until the 199's where computer and other technological devices such as digital video, virtual reality and 3-D systems caught many peoples attention. They were very popular for personal use but became effective in the classroom as well. The GenevaLogic Active Teaching System did research on technology in classrooms. The utilization of technology can lead to improved interactivity and create more student-centered environments [3]. With computers being involved in their exercises, they found an increase in self-regulation by students and a higher level on

3 apprehension. Being able to have these computers, gave teachers different tools they needed to enhance students learning ability. Their goal was to get away from the teacher centered classrooms and produce a different type of learning environment. Some educators and parents had a problem with the large amount of time students spent on technology in the classroom. They felt that the amount of student-teacher communication would have an extensive decrease. They feared teachers would spend too much time at their workstations and rely on the computers to do all the teaching. But with time, their research showed that embracing of technology in the classrooms led to big improvements in student-teacher interaction. Even though that turned out not to be an issue, there were other setbacks when it came to computers in a learning environment. It can be challenging for students to keep their focus on their work due to the misuse of the Internet and gaming. This problem could be resolved by teachers monitoring and managing the students computer activity. GenevaLogic felt that in order to provide a greater more efficient one-on-one attention from the teacher to the students, the use of management software was needed. Vision classroom management was introduced to their classrooms. 83% of the teachers found that with using Vision, their interaction with their students increased and gave them more time to focus on individual needs. "Vision maximizes student achievement and gives me more time with students. I spend less time at the white board or overhead projector and more time with individuals"(brog, 27). Even though back in 25 the national ratio of public school students to instructional computers was 3.8 to 1, more than 9% of students in middle and high school use computers regularly during school hours. Since technology is being used so much in higher education, such technological devices should be incorporated in early education as well. SMART Board technology should be part of an overall framew ork for better practices in inclusive education Teachers acknow ledge the benefits of SMART Board technology percentage Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Better practices framework and benefits of using SMART Board technology

4 percentage Not Much Somewhat Very Much Access to SMART Board technology has enhanced my ability to differentiate instruction SMART Technology for Early Education Technology is advancing in many different ways. With that being said, the utilization of technology for education has changed. The Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick along with the New Brunswick Department of Education and SMART Technologies, Inc. decided to take a different approach in testing the efficiency of technology in classrooms. Instead of focusing on all levels, they only studied elementary school students. Park Street in District #18 was the test bed for this experiment. The intent of this project was to document and investigate implementation processes of the initiative, as well as its associated outcomes related to instructional knowledge and practices, student engagement in learning, and staff support and collaboration [4]. SMART Boards are very similar to SMART Tables. It's an interactive, electronic white board that uses touch detection for user input. They were placed in over 25 classrooms in Park Street School. Throughout this project, they held monthly meetings to discuss the efficiency and progress of the interaction between the students and the device. They decided to focus on six major headings: Project Readiness: Diverse Needs and Strengths Related to Technology, Skill Enhancement with SMART Board Technology: Individual Tutorial Support and Staff Mentorship, Better Practice Orientation and Professionalism, Changes in Instructional Practices, Impact on Student Learning, and Areas for Continued Development. Their observational data showed that it was easier to engage students in the lessons and the students were able to keep their attention for longer periods of time. Even though technology isn't as facile and efficient for children with special learning needs, their data showed that those children were more engaged with the SMART Board than they would be if it were a regular computer. There was a big increase in technology

5 proficiency throughout all grades. SMART Boards became apart of their daily use in the classroom. The students felt comfortable to ask questions and interact with their peers. Some classrooms changed from the traditional setting to small groups. More studentinitiated conversations based on learning were generated when the classroom setting changed. Approximately 9% of the participants said that the SMART Board was a very beneficial educational tool to have in the classroom. 95\% reported daily use of the SMART Board to engage their students in the lessons. The teachers teaching ability enhanced with having the SMART Board present. The graphs below were documented by the researchers observational data and survey responses that were taken throughout the project. Students are more engaged in the learning process My ability to teach has been enhanced percentage Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Enhancement of both teaching and learning engagement SMART Table In order to create educational applications, developers must target things that children invest a lot of their time in. For example, gaming is a big market in todays society. We have slowly graduated from the traditional methods of education such as textbooks and chalk boards to having PC's in our classrooms. Even virtual environments are now being incorporated into education. The SMART Table was not the first multi touch multiuser device. Microsoft Surface was released before that. But the SMART Table is the first device if that nature to be used simply for education purposes. The SMART Table consist of three major components: a host computer that controls and runs all the desired applications, the table surface with its sensing circuit boards and the 82.11b wireless interface. The computer is connected to 82.11b basestation. Compaq provides an Ipaq which controls the wireless and includes an RS-485 transceiver. The Ipaq's microprocessors compute the objects position. The surface board is 1.2m by.8m so it has 24 sensing boards across the surface to obtain accuracy. The initial use of the

6 SMART Table was for a project called Smart Kindergarten. It was a project to investigate early childhood education learning process[5]. They studied all aspects such as reading, math and writing. Smart Kindergarten had very similar results as the New Jersey Department of Education when they used the Smart Boards. The students were a lot more active and engaged in the lesson. Smart Kindergarten didn't only study their education but it also studied their social skills. When the kids were participating on the table, did students of the same ethnic background group together? Did the students who progress faster than some others group together? Their observations showed that the children were very diverse, open and not afraid to communicate with each other. References [1] W. Wilson and U.S Department of Education, "Elementary School Mathematics Priorities", [2] Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act" [3] GenevaLogic Active Teaching Systems. Classroom Technology \& Teacher- Student Interaction: 27. [4] Faculty of Education of New Brunswick, "Applying SMART Board Tehnology in Elementary School Classrooms"27 [5] Phillip Streurer, Mani B. Srivastava, "System Design of Smart Table," percom, pp.473, First IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications(PerCom'3),23