SMART Honors Exemplary Educators Under New Program
Program recognizes educators who improve educational outcomes through effective use of SMART products
Calgary, AB – June 21, 2004 – SMART Technologies Inc. announces that it is honoring more than 20 outstanding educators under a new program to recognize educators who use SMART products in innovative and effective ways to improve educational outcomes. Each SMART Exemplary Educator is provided with a range of free professional development, product evaluation and leadership opportunities as well as free SMART software. These educators are role models for the successful implementation and use of technology in their schools and classrooms. Teachers around the world will be able to follow the lead of these Exemplary Educators as they share their successes in the new Good Practices section of the EDCompass online community at edcompass.smarttech.com/exemplaryeducator.
To qualify for the program, these Exemplary Educators demonstrated how they use SMART products to positively influence educational practices and student achievement. Key criteria included a commitment to professional development, demonstrated leadership and adoption of best practices as they relate to technology implementation in classrooms and the greater education community. The selected educators receive a certificate designating them as Exemplary Educators, a free copy of SMART Ideas® concept-mapping software, the opportunity to attend SMART Master’s Training events in their area at no charge and exclusive eligibility for SMART’s annual Teachers Conference, an all-expenses-paid forum that brings together tech-savvy educators to share and collaborate at SMART’s head office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Exemplary Educators also receive advance information on new SMART products, invitations to participate in new product evaluation programs and preferential access to other SMART programs, workshops and events, both regional and national.
“It is an honor to be selected as an Exemplary Educator by a company that goes the extra mile to develop products and services that are innovative and meet the needs of educators,” says Heather Lamb, librarian, DeZazala Middle School, and finalist of the 2004 Texas Librarian of the Year contest. “This award reaffirms my beliefs that to grow as an educator, one has to share knowledge and find innovative and creative new ways to implement technology products to improve student achievement. My library lessons come alive when I use my SMART Board interactive whiteboard to deliver the lessons, and I am proud to share my experience with other educators in my area so they are able to bring similar benefits to their classrooms.”
“Thousands of educators around the world use SMART products to enhance learning and improve student outcomes,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s president and co-CEO. “The SMART Exemplary Educator program recognizes their efforts and offers them the opportunity to join an elite community of model educators, share best practices and inspire students through the innovative use of technology products in the classroom.”
Exemplary Educators honored by SMART
- Chris Klein, Ferguson, Missouri
- Ryan Maksymchuk, Swan River, Manitoba
- Heather Lamb, Irving, Texas
- Cindy Morden, Auburn Hills, Missouri
- Deb Booz, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
- Jim Henry, Orangeburg, New York
- Mike Turturice, Gilbert, Arizona
- Susan Hunter, Camden, Arkansas
- Lisa Pons, Middletown, Connecticut
- Michelle Labelle Fisch, Vacaville, California
- Joey Savoy, Mirimichi, New Brunswick
- Craig Lavin, Hollywood, Florida
- Ben Hazzard, Petrolia, Ontario
- Dawn Norton, Delano, Minnesota
- Autumn Sallee, Tampa, Florida
- Linda Treilman, Lambertville, New Jersey
- Joan Badger, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Dottie Coven, Albany, Oregon
- Andrew McClintock, Petrolia, Ontario
- Patricia Anderson, Oakely, California
- Greg Huber, Regina, Saskachewan
- Tisha Clawson, Bolivar, Missouri
- Bret Gensburg, Stark County, Ohio
How to Apply
The SMART Exemplary Educator program is open to teachers, technology coordinators and administrators around the world. Interested educators should complete an online application on the EDCompass website at edcompass.smarttech.com/exemplaryeducator. To support their application, educators must submit an electronic portfolio that demonstrates how they use the SMART products to inspire and engage students and improve educational outcomes. Applications are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis. Educators who are professionally accomplished and deemed to be skilled and enthusiastic users of SMART products in their classrooms will receive the designation.
###
For more information, please contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.3337 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.