Award recognizes teacher’s innovative blog and integration of classroom technology
CALGARY, Alberta --- February 22, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces that Teresa Almeida d’Eca, a teacher at Escola EB 2,3 de Sto Antonio in Portugal, received the SMART Technologies School of the Future Award (a SMART-sponsored eLearning Award) for her innovative blog and integration of classroom technology. d’Eca’s CALL Lessons 2005–2007 blog (call05-06.motime.com) is designed for fifth- and sixth-grade students as well as first- and second-year ESL (English as a second language) students. It is used to teach basic English comprehension, vocabulary and writing, the use of digital content and Web 2.0 mapping technologies. The eLearning Awards ceremony was held in December during the EMINENT 2007 Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
At the ceremony, d’Eca received a check for €2,000, a crystal trophy and a SMART classroom technology package, which included a SMART Board™ 680 interactive whiteboard, a pair of USB speakers, a Senteo™ interactive response system and a teacher license for SMART Ideas™ concept-mapping software. In addition to this award, Escola EB 2,3 de Sto Antonio was recognized by the ministry of education in Portugal as a forward-thinking and progressive school with a high level of student achievement. The school has the fifth highest student grades in the country.
“Teresa is an exemplary teacher who has actively integrated technology into her classrooms, so it is no surprise she was named for the School of the Future Award,” says Derrick de Kerckhove, the eLearning Awards jury president and director of the McLuhan program at the University of Toronto. “Her use of Web 2.0 mapping technologies provides very young students with the opportunity to collaborate and interact globally via an elegant and simple blog.”
“SMART has a long-standing commitment to education around the globe,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “The SMART Technologies School of the Future Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of European teachers who integrate technology into the classroom, and we congratulate Teresa on her excellent work.”
About the SMART Technologies School of the Future Award
The SMART Technologies School of the Future Award, an eLearning Award sponsored by SMART, recognizes teachers for developing the best learning platforms or virtual workspaces for students, for strategic management solutions in and out of the classroom, and for innovative teaching and mentoring approaches. The award is presented at the annual eLearning Awards, which have been running for seven years and are one of the leading competitions for schools in Europe. The objective of this competition is to identify and highlight examples of best practices in schools making good pedagogical use of ICT. To learn more about the eLearning Awards, visit www.elearningawards.eun.org.
