Florida district chooses SMART over several competitors
ARLINGTON, Va. --- April 26, 2012 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces that Bay District Schools has standardized on SMART products. The district, based in Panama City, Florida, is currently equipping 1,500 core-subject classrooms with SMART Board® 880 interactive whiteboards, SMART Response™ PE interactive response systems, SMART Document Cameras™ and SMART Slate™ wireless slates. The multimillion-dollar project is being financed by a half-cent sales tax, a district initiative to provide equitable technology for students in all classrooms across the school district with money raised from the tax. District officials hope to similarly equip remaining elective-subject classrooms in the near future.
Bay District Schools is comprised of 40 schools, more than 26,000 students and approximately 1,850 teachers. In 2011, approximately 200 classrooms were equipped with educational technology from various suppliers, including SMART. As part of the equitable classroom technology initiative, district officials decided to acquire products from a single supplier and established a committee to make a recommendation to the school board about which products to purchase. The committee, which included district personnel, school board officials and local educators, made a thorough assessment and chose SMART because of the company’s reputation for innovation, the multitouch capabilities of its SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboards, its engaging software and resources, and the company’s professional development and support services. The school board also approved positions for 15 Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) – individuals with technical and curriculum expertise – to work with other teachers during the first year of the installation. As well, they provided SMART trainers to ensure effective implementation of SMART education solutions.
“Our teachers love SMART products,” says Tamra Hogue, Supervisor of Instructional Technology and Media Services, Bay District Schools. “Teachers who were not even using projectors are now working with their SMART Board interactive whiteboards every day, and their students are responding, becoming more empowered by using this exciting, up-to-date technology.”
“Administrators and teachers at Bay District Schools recognize the importance of using classroom technology and the training required to ensure it’s used effectively,” says Patric Nagel, Vice President, Americas, SMART Technologies. “With a SMART Board interactive whiteboard in every core-subject classroom in the district, teachers are increasingly using our products to create lessons that are more interactive, resulting in more engaged students and improved learning outcomes.”
About Bay District Schools
Bay District Schools, based in Panama City, Florida, is an “A” graded school district based on Florida School Accountability Standards. Bay schools deliver high-quality education in a collaborative, safe and respectful environment. School district leaders and teachers are committed to inspiring students in the development of character with the acquisition and use of knowledge and skills as they prepare them for life and work in a diverse, global economy. For more information, visit bay.k12.fl.us.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that change the way the world works and learns. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, our focus is on developing a variety of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, making collaboration and learning with digital resources more natural. Our products have transformed teaching and learning in more than 1.9 million classrooms worldwide, reaching over 40 million students and teachers. In business, our Freestorm™ visual collaboration solutions improve the way that people work and collaborate, enabling them to be more productive and reduce costs.
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© 2012 SMART Technologies. SMART Board, SMART Response, SMART Document Camera, SMART Slate, Freestorm, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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