International panel of education experts cite pedagogical value of collaborative learning software
CALGARY, Alberta --- June 27, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces that SMART Notebook software version 10 has won the 2008 Worlddidac Award. Worlddidac is a global trade association of publishers, manufacturers and distributors of educational material. Every two years, the association presents the Worlddidac Award to innovative and pedagogically valuable products with strong potential to improve learning or teaching. Following a rigorous evaluation of the latest version of SMART Notebook software, an independent international panel of education experts congratulated SMART for the development of what it called an outstanding product in the category of Products – All General School Subjects. Judging criteria included overall quality, pedagogic value, ease of use, aesthetics, degree of realism in software, multifunctionality, adaptability, design innovation, pedagogical innovation, technological innovation, degree of interactivity and performance-to-cost ratio. This marks the second Worlddidac Award for SMART. The SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard was honored in 2004.
The Worlddidac Award is the most internationally recognized prize in the education sector. It was created in 1984 with the objective of encouraging manufacturers of educational materials and training tools to continuously pursue new standards in innovation. The award presentations will take place on October 28, 2008, in Basel, Switzerland, in conjunction with WORLDDIDAC 2008 BASEL. SMART will be exhibiting at this global education trade show, which includes all types and levels of education and training, and participants from 80 countries.
“Teachers around the world consistently tell us how much they value SMART Notebook software as a principal teaching tool in the classroom,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “This award confirms their appraisals and makes us proud to deliver a product that leads the way in helping teachers improve student engagement.”
About SMART Notebook software 10
Every school day, millions of teachers and students around the world experience the seamless integration between SMART Notebook software and the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. SMART Notebook software 10 offers over 30 new design and delivery features that make learning more fun and engaging. The software also includes access to an updated teachers’ resource hub, which connects teachers to hundreds of lesson activities and offers tools that help them use SMART Notebook more effectively. Since the launch of version 10 in April 2008, more than eight thousand customers a week, on average, have activated the software.
SMART Notebook software 10 is included with the purchase of SMART Board interactive whiteboards, Sympodium™ interactive pen displays, Senteo™ interactive response systems and AirLiner™ wireless slates. It is available at no charge to current SMART customers.
