SMART is lead contributor to Digital Learning project
CALGARY, Alberta --- May 22, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that it was selected as the lead supplier of interactive whiteboards for an education project in The Hague, Netherlands. Ninety-three SMART Board™ 680 interactive whiteboards were installed at the beginning of the 2006–2007 school year in primary, special education and vocational schools as part of the city’s Digital Learning project. The main goal of the project is to stimulate the transformation of education in The Hague through ICT (information and communications technology).
Over the past two years, The Hague has invested €1.5 million to improve the use of ICT in education. In 2006, the money was used to ensure that each of the city’s primary schools received an interactive whiteboard, computer and projector. A total of 174 interactive whiteboards were installed and SMART was the lead provider. Participation in the project depended on each school sending two teachers to a special beginner’s course on how to prepare digital lesson plans and use interactive whiteboards effectively. Many of the teachers who took that course are now training their colleagues and an advanced interactive whiteboard training course is being offered later this year.
“The children and the teachers are really enthusiastic about the SMART Board interactive whiteboard,” says Joost Maarschalkerweerd, a teacher at Prinses Catharina-Amalia school in The Hague, where two SMART Board interactive whiteboards are used for students from ages 6 to 12. “Children are more visual these days, and we believe a child has to see to learn, so the activities we can do with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard are very helpful.”
“Studies around the world have shown that using ICT, and specifically interactive whiteboards, improves student engagement and learning outcomes,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “The decision by education authorities in The Hague to train teachers and use SMART products displays a true commitment to collaborative learning.”
About SMART Board interactive whiteboards
The SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard is the newest generation of award-winning Front Projection SMART Board interactive whiteboards from SMART Technologies Inc. The SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard features the 690, 680, 660 and 640 models, and the 600i interactive whiteboard system. SMART Board interactive whiteboards help people collaborate in classrooms, briefing rooms and boardrooms around the world. Feature-rich software and intuitive functionality make the SMART Board interactive whiteboard the number one choice of educators, presenters and trainers in more than 100 countries worldwide. By simply touching the large display, users can access and control any computer application or multimedia platform, including the Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs. With SMART Board software, users can write over digital ink and then edit, save, print or post their notes to a website for future reference. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/SB6/.
