SMART Technologies

SMART Technologies Inc. Launches Online Community for Educators

EdCompass helps educators exchange ideas and discover new ways of using SMART products to improve learning

Calgary, AB --- March 3, 2003 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces EdCompass (www.edcompass.smarttech.com), an online community for educators. EdCompass offers a forum for educators to share new and innovative ways to use SMART products in their classrooms and lecture halls to improve student learning. Educators can use the EdCompass community to find learning resources such as lesson activities submitted by their peers, tips on using SMART products with other educational technology products, free training materials, and links to recommended educational Web resources. EdCompass is launching with a contest called The SMART Extreme Whiteboarding Challenge, which invites educators to submit entries that highlight their innovative integration of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard into teaching practices. The contest is open until May 31, 2003, and offers SMART products as prizes to educational institutions.

EdCompass also features a programs section that helps schools gain recognition and supports educators in their professional development goals. Schools are recognized for their innovative use of SMART products through the SMART School designation. Educators have the opportunity to attend major education conferences through the Teacher Trade Show program and to borrow SMART products to deliver presentations at education conferences with the SMART Presenter program. Using EdCompass’s bulletin board, educators can discuss ideas with their peers about how SMART products can be integrated into the curriculum to increase student participation and involvement.

“Educators are always looking for proven ways to use our products to keep their students enthusiastic about learning,” says Nancy Knowlton, president and co-CEO of SMART. “With EdCompass, we have created a community that helps them share valuable knowledge with their peers and provide them with time-saving teaching resources.”

"Over the past few years, we've discovered immense value in using SMART Board interactive whiteboards in our classrooms," says Susan Clark, teacher at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. "We're always looking for new ways to use SMART products to keep our students actively involved in lessons. EdCompass provides the means for us to learn from fellow educators and explore new ideas and techniques for teaching with technology."

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Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters