We all come into the world as physical learners. As we get older, we master abstract ideas, but even as adults we often learn best by doing. As Thomas Edison put it, "great ideas originate in the muscles".
Because words and letters are symbols that cannot be touched and moved, young children used to physical learning can have trouble grasping their meaning. We've long known that flash cards can help, but until now those cards have lacked any real interactivity.
With patent-pending technology developed in conjunction with university reading experts, we are overcoming these challenges. For the first time, the young learner is able to physically manipulate the building blocks of language and see the words she creates come to life.
We are building an integrated learning system around this powerful concept, including stories, activities and games that make abstract concepts real and teach reading and language more rapidly and intuitively. Want to see more? Check out the video below to watch the platform in action.
Using an ordinary webcam and our custom flash cards, your computer will be able to detect the position of letters and words manipulated by the child in real time.
Once it "sees" the cards, the computer interprets the word the child has constructed and superimposes images of the word directly over a video of the child's environment. Doing so, abstract concepts are made real, and feedback is provided instantly.
While SmashCards offer an exciting way to drill sight words, the platform provides much more - interactive stories and games that present words in context.