New service offers educators over one million learning resources
ATLANTA, Georgia --- June 25, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces the SMART Learning Marketplace, a new content subscription service that dramatically increases the learning resources available for lesson creation. It also integrates seamlessly with SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software and the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard. The Web-based service offers access to more than one million professionally developed, copyright-cleared, multimedia learning resources from trusted content providers around the world. With the launch of the SMART Learning Marketplace, SMART now provides the largest and most varied collection of dedicated digital learning resources in North America. This makes the SMART Board interactive whiteboard experience more engaging and effective for teachers and students. Content in the SMART Learning Marketplace is delivered through the Global Grid for Learning, as part of a new North American alliance between SMART Technologies Inc. and Cambridge University Press, the oldest printer and publisher in the world.
SMART subscribers can search the Marketplace directly from Notebook software or by visiting the SMART education solutions website. Using the education-specific search engine, they type in keywords to find and download high-quality learning resources in the form of images, text documents, audio files, video clips and learning objects for all subject areas. The content comes from the world’s top education publishers, technology and software educators, and museums, including the Bridgeman Art Library, Scran, The Learning Federation, Intel® Skoool™ and Cambridge University Press. The content is standards-correlated and can be easily integrated into Notebook files or any lesson activities. In addition to the resources available from the Marketplace, customers can still access all their favorite content, at no charge, from the Essentials for Educators Collection in Notebook software’s Gallery.
“For more than 20 years, SMART has been a global market leader in providing collaborative tools for education,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “With the SMART Learning Marketplace, we make a major commitment to the dissemination of education content that makes lesson creation easier and raises levels of student engagement, motivation and performance.”
Features of the SMART Learning Marketplace
Large content repository – Over one million pieces of content available, with new content being added regularly.
Standards-correlated content – Most content is standards-correlated for North America.
Advanced search – Searches can be narrowed by subject area, curriculum and grade level, saving preparation and classroom time for teachers and students.
Professionally developed resources – All learning resources are developed by trusted education content providers, ensuring crisp, clear images, video and audio.
Copyright-cleared – Learning resources are royalty free and free of legal restrictions, so content can be used at no additional charge for the duration of the subscription.
Integrated with SMART Notebook collaborative learning software – Content loads into the Gallery within Notebook software. An Add to Notebook icon downloads selected content directly into an open Notebook file so lessons can be quickly created.
Pricing and availability
The SMART Learning Marketplace will be available in October 2007. Pricing details for individual, school and district subscriptions will be announced at that time.
