New bracelet makes it easy for students to work on their own files, using their own software, with any PC
CALGARY, Alberta --- December 5, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces SMART Notebook SE (Student Edition) software on a convenient USB silicon bracelet. Designed for technology savvy students, the product offers portable interactive learning software that complements SMART Notebook software, a widely-used lesson delivery application. North American students use several computers each day to complete school work as they move from their homeroom to the computer lab to the library and then home. The bracelet allows them to plug in to any computer, complete assignments and save their work to a single, portable USB key. SMART Notebook SE software runs automatically from the bracelet, so there is no need to download or install it. With 2 GB of space (120 MB of which is used by SMART Notebook SE), the bracelet makes it easy for students to take homework, digital texts, multimedia and other important information with them wherever they go. The mobile format also means issues concerning variability in computer set up are minimized. Today, the bracelets are compatible with the Windows® operating system. A Mac version and cross-platform version are under development.
SMART Notebook SE has a clean interface and offers features designed specifically for students. My Binder helps students organize assignments, lessons and information files from all classes, and can be accessed quickly in a variety of ways. For instance, Web 2.0 tag clouds can be used to locate assignments and files quickly with key words. My Home allows students to personalize and customize the software by adding photos, images, links and Adobe® Flash® files. Each student’s personalized version of the software can also be saved to a network drive. To develop SMART Notebook SE, SMART recently ran a worldwide beta-testing program with more than 10,000 students downloading and testing the software. The feedback they provided was used to enhance the release version of SMART Notebook SE software. SMART Notebook SE will be available in 16 languages, and the USB bracelets will be offered in blue or green.
“On school trips, the students use SMART Notebook SE to create travelogues on their PDAs. I give them maps of their journey and templates to record thoughts, and they add pictures, ideas and jottings as they feel necessary while they are there,” says Andrew Stogdale, a learning and teaching consultant in Redcar and Cleveland, Louisiana, who beta-tested the software with his students. “The software is pivotal. The ease with which they can simply take a photo and then have it automatically drop into the SMART Notebook file for note taking is brilliant.”
“As more and more classroom activity embeds technology use, students and teachers need an easy way to take their digital work and applications with them,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “SMART Notebook SE gives students and teachers the same interactive learning capabilities, and the bracelet format makes it all mobile perfect for teachers and students who move from room to room throughout the day.”
Image
To download an image of the SMART Notebook SE USB bracelet, visit: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/About+Us/News+Room/Image+Gallery/SMART+Notebook+SE/
Features
USB bracelet – SMART Notebook SE interactive learning software is loaded onto a green or blue USB silicon bracelet with just under two GB of available space for storing and accessing files and multimedia content
My Binder – Helps students organize schedules, assignments and to-do lists based on tags they assign to their SMART Notebook SE files
My Home – Allows students to personalize SMART Notebook SE software with their own photos and images
Tag clouds – Helps students quickly locate files using keywords in Web 2.0 tag clouds
Simple interface – Intuitive interface lists all items filed in a quick reference format
SMART Notebook Gallery – Includes thousands of copyright-cleared images, backgrounds and multimedia files for use in developing reports, presentations and other materials; includes more than 6,600 clipart images. Students can also add their own images, and audio and video files.
SMART Learning Marketplace – Provides access to the SMART Learning Marketplace, a subscription-based online resource library with more than one million pieces of copyright-cleared educational content
SMART Notebook software – Complements SMART Notebook SE. For a complete list of features, visit www.smarttech.com/smartnotebook.
Pricing and availability
The suggested education price for SMART Notebook SE is US$35 per student for the software and US$49 per student for the USB Bracelet (which includes software). The price outside of North America depends on applicable taxes, duties and importation costs. SMART Notebook SE will be available in February 2009. For more information, specifications and a list of SMART authorized resellers, visit www.smarttech.com.
