Educators in Finland, Norway and Belgium using SMART products to enhance teaching and learning
CALGARY, Alberta --- July 5, 2011 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the appointment of three new international SMART Showcase Schools. Imatrankoski School in Finland, Eiksmarka School in Norway and OLV Pulhof Institute in Belgium are the first schools to be recognized in their respective countries for their effective use of SMART products. Each school has demonstrated dedication to integrating SMART products into their daily teaching and learning to engage learners and enhance interactivity for all students. Educators at the three schools will now share their experiences with other educators who are interested in exploring the benefits of using SMART education solutions in the classroom.
Imatrankoski School first introduced SMART products in 2004 and today has the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard in nine classrooms and the SMART Document Camera™ in four. The school’s goal is to equip all classrooms with both products. Eiksmarka School purchased its first SMART Board interactive whiteboards in 2002. Based on positive teacher and student feedback, more were installed, along with other SMART products, over the following years. Today, each of the school’s 35 classrooms has a SMART Board interactive whiteboard. The OLV Pulhof Institute first introduced the SMART Board interactive whiteboard in 2007, marking the institute’s first step toward full digitization by 2015. Today, more than half of its 24 classrooms are equipped with the product. Along with SMART Board interactive whiteboards, many teachers at the three schools use SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software regularly to create interactive lessons to support learning across all grade levels and subject areas. The teachers also make frequent use of the SMART Exchange™ website (exchange.smarttech.com), an online community with more than 50,000 digital resources, including SMART Notebook lessons and question sets for the SMART Response™ interactive response system.
“We strive to enable our students to create, inquire, communicate and connect through technology-based teaching and learning opportunities, and being named the first SMART Showcase School in Norway is a tremendous affirmation of the efforts made by our school,” says Mari Amundsen, Director, Eiksmarka School. “The seamless integration offered by SMART products enables us to enhance the presentation of data and content and empower our students to charge into the 21st century with confidence.”
“The SMART Showcase Schools program recognizes learning institutions that are committed to the effective implementation of SMART products and integrate collaborative learning into daily teaching and learning,” says Patrick Lelorieux, Vice President, EMEA, SMART Technologies. “The educators at Imatrankoski School, Eiksmarka School, and the OLV Pulhof Institute are ambassadors for fostering a greater understanding of the benefits of integrating SMART products into classrooms, and we’re pleased to welcome them into a community of over 200 SMART Showcase Schools worldwide.”
About SMART Showcase Schools
SMART Showcase Schools use SMART products in outstanding ways. They are a resource for other educators who want to learn more about the benefits of implementing SMART products in classrooms. Visitors to SMART Showcase Schools will see how SMART products are used every day to engage students and enhance lessons. SMART Showcase Schools are found in numerous countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates. To learn more about SMART Showcase Schools, visit smarttech.com/showcaseschools.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
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SMART Technologies Inc.
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