SMART Board interactive whiteboards to enhance Florida classrooms
CALGARY, Alberta --- November 28, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces that 16 of the best teachers in Florida have been awarded SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards. The awards were presented as part of the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Celebration of Teaching ceremony, hosted by former Florida governor and chairman of the foundation, Jeb Bush. The event took place in October in Orlando, Florida. In all, 85 teachers received awards, and all 16 teachers nominated in more than one category received SMART Board interactive whiteboards for their classrooms. The award categories focused on motivating students in reading and math, and aiding ESL learners and students with disabilities.
Created by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, the Excellence in Teaching program sponsors professional development and awards that recognize the state’s most effective teachers. It also shares materials about their methods for successful teaching. The annual awards program honors as many as 100 teachers whose students made significant progress in reading and math based on results from Florida’s annual standardized assessment.
”Providing a student with the tools and the knowledge to succeed in school and beyond is the greatest gift a teacher can give,” said Jeb Bush, chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “In a state with more than 140,000 teachers, these 85 educators are shining stars. We look forward to learning their secrets of successful teaching and sharing these important lessons with educators throughout Florida and across the country.”
“Research shows that teachers who bring information and communication technology into the classroom are able to create engaging learning environments that improve student learning outcomes,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “By providing some of the most highly regarded teachers in Florida with SMART Board interactive whiteboards, we are confident that many learners in the state will benefit.”
About the Foundation for Excellence in Education
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable organization launched in 2007 by Jeb Bush, governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of education in classrooms across Florida and the nation by sponsoring innovative programs based on high academic standards, accountability, school choice and quality teaching. For more information on the Excellence in Teaching program and the Foundation for Excellence in Education, visit www.ExcelinEd.org.
