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Students, teachers and administrators at George Hall Elementary are enhancing their lessons with an exciting piece of equipment: The Lü Interactive Playground. The system uses a high definition laser projector to display images on a wall the size of 12 by 19 feet, along with a movement detection camera that allows students to interact with the projection.
Students bounce balls against the wall projection as they play games that incorporate numerous aspects of classroom learning, including times tables and math fluency; word choices and spelling; and science and history facts. The Lü is mainly used in the school gym during P.E. time, but the system is portable and can be easily moved to different classrooms. “It’s a multi-sensory approach to learning,” said Melissa Mitchell, principal.
The Lü has plenty of built-in educational games, but teachers at Hall are encouraged to add their own content, and each teacher has an account, Mitchell said.
Students and teachers both enjoy working with the Lü, because the system gets everyone up and moving at the same time that they are taking part in a lesson, Mitchell said. “They’re running around and playing instead of just sitting at a computer,” she said.
During P.E., students are sorted into groups to compete against each other during the Lü lessons, which encourages teamwork and camaraderie. In addition, Mitchell said, the kids are very focused on the educational games, to the point that disciplinary referrals have dropped dramatically. “We haven’t had any more behavior problems in P.E.,” she said.