Three popular titles accredited and added to SMART’s growing list
CALGARY, Alberta --- May 14, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that premium content publishing companies Rand McNally and Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. have joined its software accreditation program. The SMART Software Accreditation Program recognizes multimedia content and software applications based on their level of compatibility with SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards, Sympodium™ interactive pen displays and Notebook™ collaborative learning software. The two publishing companies join the software accreditation program at the Ready level, which means that SMART has reviewed and approved their multimedia content and software titles for use with SMART products. The titles include Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite CD, Britannica Online® School Edition and Rand McNally Classroom. Accreditation of Rand McNally and Encyclopædia Britannica at the Ready level will promote teacher and student use of these complementary K–12 learning products.
Encyclopædia Britannica has two new accredited titles, Britannica Online School Edition and Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite CD, which come equipped with three encyclopedias, two dictionaries and thesauri, multimedia, homework tools and more. The content spans all subjects and is designed for primary and secondary students. Britannica Online School Edition is also cross-curricular and provides three levels of content for elementary, middle and high school students, and now includes the Britannica Learning Zone, a PK–2 Interactive Learning Environment. Rand McNally Classroom is a trusted, student-friendly website loaded with up-to-date maps, interactive games and activities, reference articles and skill-based teaching materials for K–12 classrooms. It supports primary and secondary students studying social studies, geography and history. The Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite CD, Britannica Online School Edition and Rand McNally Classroom are premier classroom-learning tools that together currently provide millions of students and teachers with high-quality CD and online resources.
“In our increasingly global society, teachers and students need to quickly access accurate and reliable maps, geography, social studies and history content which they are able to do with Rand McNally Classroom – our online service – and a SMART Board,” says Courtney Marsh, marketing manager, education, at Rand McNally. “We are very pleased to receive accreditation at the Ready level from the leading provider of interactive whiteboards.”
“This is a great development for teachers and students, because it puts Britannica’s knowledge right where it belongs – in the classroom,” said Michael Ross, a senior vice president and general manager of Britannica’s education division. “Now teachers can integrate encyclopedia articles, multimedia, learning modules and all the other materials from our online service with their SMART Board interactive whiteboards lessons.”
“As the number of classrooms using SMART products continues to grow worldwide at a very rapid rate, so does the demand for complementary interactive content,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “Content companies like Rand McNally and Encyclopædia Britannica recognize the value of working with SMART because the accreditation program directs teachers and students to a variety of quality resources that are essential for engaging students in interactive learning.”
About the SMART Software Accreditation Program
The SMART Software Accreditation Program offers educators a wealth of multimedia content and software resources to enhance instruction in the classroom. SMART has accredited 33 companies representing more than 60 titles in subject areas that include art and design, English, health, language arts, foreign languages, music, mathematics, science, social studies, history, technology and cross-curricular.
The SMART Software Accreditation Program has three accreditation levels – Ready, Enabled and Select. Each designation indicates the level to which the content or software has been enhanced or customized for use with SMART Board interactive whiteboards, Sympodium interactive pen displays and Notebook collaborative learning software. The Ready level is the basic accreditation level for an application or content product, indicating that SMART Technologies Inc. has approved the software title for use with SMART products. At the Enabled level, products meet the requirements of the Ready level and are integrated with SMART Board Tools. The integration provides more interactivity because it takes advantage of a digital ink feature called Ink Aware. At the Select level, products meet the requirements of the Enabled level and are specifically designed for use in Notebook software. More information on the SMART Software Accreditation Program is available at www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/SAP/.
About Rand McNally
Found in schools throughout the United States, Rand McNally’s maps, globes and supplemental materials are the standard in geography education. The company began publishing educational products in 1880 and today provides innovative learning tools at all levels, from custom-made, school-centered My School & Neighborhood™ Maps to Rand McNally Classroom, a Web-based service that delivers geography, social studies and history content to the classroom. Rand McNally offers the most trusted tools to discover, map and navigate your world. The company leads the way with innovative products and services for the consumer, business, education and commercial transportation markets. For more information, visit http://www.randmcnally.com/ or call 1.800.333.0136.
About Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. is a leader in reference and education publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to cell phones to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, the company also still publishes the 32-volume Encyclopædia Britannica, along with services such as Britannica Online School Edition and new printed products such as Britannica Student Encyclopædia, available at Britannica’s online store (store.britannica.com). Britannica’s editorial operation is overseen by some of the world’s most distinguished scholars, several of them Nobel laureates. The company makes its headquarters in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.britannica.com/.
