Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind engages students with SMART Board interactive whiteboards
America's largest special needs school standardizes on SMART products
Calgary, AB --- January 11, 2005 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine, Florida, has standardized on SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards (running on Mac OS® X) to improve learning outcomes for its students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. After a comparative evaluation of various interactive whiteboard brands based on ease of use and functionality, FSDB chose the SMART Board interactive whiteboard over other brands for campus-wide installation. With the help of local SMART reseller CCS Presentations and grants from the SMARTer Kids™ Foundation, the school has equipped classrooms with SMART products to engage students with hearing or vision impairments and special needs.
Teachers and students at FSDB use SMART Board interactive whiteboards with Mac OS X applications in almost all subject areas. Students create movies and storyboards using iPhoto™, iMovie® and Quicktime® applications on the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, applying effects and transitions to photos and videos captured during field trips. Many students arrive at FSDB with limited language abilities, and teachers have found the interactive whiteboards useful in teaching grammar basics. Social studies classes tour the Internet with the Safari™ browser, taking students to international events like the Olympics. The whole class can follow along on the interactive whiteboard, write notes in digital ink, take screen shots of Web pages and save their notes in a variety of computer formats.
“The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind accommodates the diverse needs of more than 750 students,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART's president and co-CEO. “The school has overcome barriers to learning by using SMART's interactive technology products to cater to the special needs of its students.”
“Using the SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a very inclusive experience for our students. The interactivity keeps students focused on learning and motivates them,” says Susan Cooper, a reading and language teacher at FSDB. “Students who might not have the best ability to explain their thoughts in writing can easily use the interactive whiteboard and become really involved with materials they are presenting as they explain things in sign or speech. It benefits the whole educational process. I love this tool. I couldn't teach without it.”
“We had looked at other interactive whiteboards on the market and found that the SMART Board interactive whiteboard fit our needs the best. Teaching deaf students, we need our hands free to use sign language, and the SMART Board interactive whiteboard allows us to do that,” says Sue Clark, a mathematics teacher at FSDB. “We've been really pleased with the frequency of software releases, and the software keeps getting better and better.”
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.
About the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a state-supported residential school for eligible hearing-impaired and visually impaired students from preschool through grade 12. Founded in 1885, the school awards standard and special diplomas, and prepares its graduates for a wide range of professional careers and trades. Each year, over three-quarters of the graduating class continue their education at colleges, universities and technical training centers. The school has two departments: the department for the deaf and the department for the blind and special needs. The special needs department serves students who are either deaf or blind and who have a secondary handicap affecting their ability to learn. FSDB is the largest school of its type in the United States, with more than 750 students housed on a 70 acre-campus. For more information, visit http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/.
About CCS Presentations
CCS Presentation Systems is a leading provider of audio-visual systems and services for business, education and government applications. A nationwide company, CCS specializes in the sale, service and integration of multimedia presentation systems.
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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.