Teachers choose SMART Ideas software as innovative learning tool
CALGARY, Alberta --- February 27, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces that SMART Ideas™ concept-mapping software has received the 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award in the category of Classroom: Software and Hardware. Having received top ratings in two rounds of rigorous judging, SMART Ideas software was recognized as an excellent visual learning tool and featured in Learning magazine’s January 2008 issue. The software enables users to visually represent links between ideas and can be used in learning activities such as brainstorming, outlining, organizing and analyzing. This is the first time a SMART product has received a Teachers’ Choice Award.
Founded in 1994, the Teachers’ Choice Awards event is held annually by Learning magazine and judged entirely by K–6 teachers who have classroom-tested and recommended each winner. The award recognizes content-rich products designed to encourage interactivity in the classroom. The judges place a high degree of emphasis on quality, instructional value, ease of use, innovation and relevance to the curriculum. This year’s Teachers’ Choice Awards acknowledged the best in books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, websites and more – everything needed in the classroom.
“We are pleased to see SMART Ideas software on this year’s Teachers’ Choice winners list,” says Heather Crews, Teachers’ Choice coordinator. “Our evaluators were impressed by the innovation and quality of this product, as well as its ease of use in the everyday classroom.”
“Teachers want technology tools that engage students and improve learning,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “SMART Ideas software enables students to access, create and integrate information related to curriculum in ways that are meaningful to each student.”
About SMART Ideas concept-mapping software
SMART Ideas concept-mapping software enables teachers and students to create multilevel concept maps using colorful symbols, arrows and clip art to reinforce concepts from all subjects. An unlimited number of levels can be added to any symbol in the map, along with links to video files, audio clips, documents, photos, presentations and websites. SMART Ideas software includes an extensive clip-art gallery and a multilanguage template library that offers approximately 5,000 curriculum-based images as well as a collection of built-in map templates to help teachers save time and add visual interest to their lessons. At the end of class, diagrams or outlines can be exported to Microsoft® Word, Appleworks®, or saved as HTML files for e-mail distribution or easy posting to a website. SMART Ideas software can be used on desktop computers, SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and Sympodium™ interactive pen displays. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/smartideas.
