Look around a
district’s classrooms and there’s a good chance you’ll see a wide variety of
chairs and desks that come from different eras of schooling. The problem is
that few are particularly well suited to the efficient use of computers and
none can easily be adjusted to accommodate different size kids. How times have
changed. Over the past several weeks, I’ve seen four cool and innovative pieces
of school furniture that can not only make learning easier and more natural but
can be adjusted so that the smallest first grader and the largest high-schools
senior can comfortably learn.
Don’t let its
beautiful natural bamboo surface fool you, NextDesk’s Terra table is serious
about learning. Its sturdy aluminum frame has a chain-driven motor drive inside
the legs that move the desktop up and down from 24- to 50.5-inches high.
There’re microprocessor-controlled up and down switches with three memory
presets for different size students. The 63- by 31.5-inch desk costs $1,500 and
you can add an optional power strip.
Being
adjustable is what Populas’s family of Equity Bi-Level Workstations is all
about. The tables can work with a variety of kids and grown-ups, even students
in wheelchairs. The work tables have two surfaces, one for the notebook or
computer screen and another lower one for the keyboard and mouse. The good news
is that both are adjustable with a simple hand crank that can independently
adjust the two surfaces up and down. Available in a variety of plastic
laminates and wood veneers, the 48- by 16-inch table costs $962.
Forget everything you
know about classroom furniture because Versatables’ Edison Electric Table will
astound with its flexibility. The ADA-compliant table can move up and down as much as 26-inches,
making it a traditional table or a standing desk, depending on the situation.
The key is that the tabletop is on a track that has an electric motor to
quickly move it up and down to the desired height. The table starts at $829 for
a 36- by 24-inch surface.
Small students count for as much as large
ones with CTA’s Kids Adjustable Activity Table for iPad. Able to adjust to
three different heights: 4-, 11- or 20-inches, the table holds the slate
securely on an easel that can be removed or flipped over to create a large flat
work surface. It has a clear plastic screen to protect the pad. It’s
available for $50.
