SMART Table

[Cummins]

SMART Table! I have no experience of these personally and a colleague of mine is interested. If anyone could help me out it would be much appreciated. We have the following queries

 

a) Are they any good?

b) Are they worth the price tag?

c) If you have one - are they being used to full capabilities?

I believe Microsoft now have something similar so how does it stack up again that aswell?

 

Any feedback appreciated.

Adam

[synaesthesia]

Yeah, they're pretty good.

Worth the price tag? Not so sure. It's an interactive whiteboard on it's end with a PC attached. Could you perhaps not do the same with similar (or the same?) software on a straight IWB and PC attached.

 

Unfortunately out of the 2 schools I have a smart table in, neither has had the time or willingness to actually put them to really good use often - but when it was first set up and the "novelty" was there, you could see the kids wanting to actually get on with using them, and play around a bit more, learning as they did so. I think with more time, it would be an invaluable resource. The only large difference between a table and most IWB's is multi-touch.

[Dos_Box]

*Sssshhhhhh*

We're trying to borrow one for the EduGeek stand at BETT

[Cummins]

Ahh so SMARTTable's are essentially the Wii's of the classroom? Great when you first get them but unless you invest time in them there pointless? In regards to lieing a board down that may be problamitic due to projector... Short throw on a boom would likely wobble and unalign too much. Keep the reviews coming please!

[synaesthesia]

Noooooo I never meant lying a board down - I just meant using it on the wall But as most boards aren't Multitouch, that's a fairly moot point anyway :|

[K.C.Leblanc]

Can you play air hockey on them?

[Cummins]

Haha my bad Promethean Boards now have multitouch! Probably could play some form of air hockey on them... sounds like a christmas experiment to me!

[robins]

I was ready to buy three last BETT as I think the concept is great for EYFS. However the platform wasn't too well supported with software at the time and there were no 3rd parties developing killer apps for it. Maybe things are different now.

I think Smart are a brilliant supplier for integrated hardware and software but they are not really content developers. If their table apps could be developed by say 2simple or whoever then I think it would be a great (if pricey) product.

[Ric_]

In regards to lieing a board down that may be problamitic due to projector... Short throw on a boom would likely wobble and unalign too much. Keep the reviews coming please!

 

I spotted http://www.isisconcepts.co.uk/educational_solutions/ict/vertable_i.html a few weeks ago and thought it might be a better solution as it could easily be used in both orientations. I'm not sure how you would make it multi-touch though.

[robins]

Buyit247.com had a RM Interactive ClassTable for a tiny price so I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do - no great expectations at this price. Only acts as a horizontal surface so less flexible but uses that same excellent Hitachi short throw asymetric mirrored projector.

For me the Smart table is a winner with little kids as they get confused when they shadow the projected image, so a plasma/TFT underneath an touch sensitive bit of glass is the way ahead.

[DarrenC]

The theory on these is sound enough, as far as I am aware it is an ebeam strapped to a table with a hitachi ultra short throw bolted on that can move through 90 degrees.

 

Not sure how practical or user friendly they actually are though.

 

I do know there are lots of plans to have interactive tables based on touch screen LCD technology in the pipe line, it all seems to be heading back to the days of having table top games consoles, how retro!