Kennebunk Elementary opens high-tech campus next week
New kindergarten to grade three school will use a SMART Board interactive whiteboard in every classroom
CALGARY, Alberta --- November 24, 2004 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces the installation of SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards in each of Kennebunk Elementary School's 35 classrooms in Kennebunk, Maine. The school took 17 months to build, and November 29 will be the first day of classes in the new facility. Kennebunk Elementary will accommodate almost 500 students from Cousens and Park Street elementary schools. Kennebunk Elementary is working with SMART reseller Headlight Audio Visual to achieve its vision of equipping each classroom with leading-edge technology products that improve student learning and make lesson planning and delivery easier for teachers. The school received technology funding through grants from the SMARTer Kids™ Foundation (www.smarterkids.org).
Complementing the SMART Board interactive whiteboards are other technology products such as projectors, computers, DVD players and sound systems. The combination creates a multimedia environment where teachers can access websites in front of the entire class, show students' work, play movies, write class notes in digital ink and post files to the Internet. All the peripherals are accessed and controlled from the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, so the teacher can easily change materials or subjects. In order to truly integrate the new technology into the learning process, the school is currently training its staff on the use of their new teaching tools.
"Students retain more information when they can touch and interact with the lesson material," says Sharon Betts, director of educational technology for the Kennebunk School Board. "The SMART Board interactive whiteboard allows students to get out of their desks and become part of the lesson. The enthusiasm students show when you get them involved is amazing."
"SMART Board interactive whiteboards are improving student outcomes in more than 150,000 classrooms around the world," says Nancy Knowlton, SMART's president and co-CEO. "The installation of SMART products in every classroom at Kennebunk Elementary School demonstrates the school board's commitment to providing the best learning environment possible to its students."
About SMART Board interactive whiteboards
The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is the world's leading interactive whiteboard. Simply by touching the large display, users can access and control any computer application or multimedia platform, including the Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs. With SMART Board software, users can write over applications in digital ink and then edit, save, print or post their notes to a website for future reference. SMART Board interactive whiteboards are used in classrooms, briefing rooms and boardrooms around the world, helping people to collaborate effectively whether they are in the same room or in different locations. Feature-rich software and intuitive functionality make the SMART Board interactive whiteboard the number one choice of educators, presenters and trainers in more than 75 countries. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/smartboard. For more information about other SMART products in education, visit www.smarttech.com/products.
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For more information, contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.2595 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
www.smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.