Arvin Union School District standardizes on SynchronEyes software and SMART Board interactive whiteboards
Successful pilot project transforms rural California school district into high-tech learning community
CALGARY, Alberta --- April 25, 2005 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that Arvin Union School District (AUSD), in Arvin, California, has standardized on SMART products – with more than 100 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and SynchronEyes® software labs to serve its 3,000 rural students from preschool through the eighth grade. It all started with a pilot project by one teacher and, since then, more than 100 teachers at AUSD have centered their teaching around SMART products – boosting classroom productivity, enhancing student assessment, and streamlining lesson planning and delivery. With technology grant funding from the SMARTer Kids™ Foundation (www.smarterkids.org), AUSD worked with a local SMART reseller, IVS Computer Technology, to achieve its vision of equipping classrooms with SMART products to engage students and improve learning outcomes.
AUSD teachers create their lessons using Notebook™ software (the whiteboarding application that is included with SMART Board interactive whiteboards) to incorporate screen shots, links from the Internet and file attachments. The teachers frequently access the more than 7,500 classroom-ready digital teaching resources available for free on SMART's EDCompass™ website (www.edcompass.com). The teachers also share their Notebook files on the district's network, so they are able to reuse standardized content for different classes and in subsequent years. SynchronEyes computer-lab instruction software is used by the computing science department for daily pop quizzes to generate instant feedback, gauge lesson understanding and determine if students are ready to proceed with the next concept. The district has also integrated SynchronEyes software with rolling laptop carts in their ESL classes. The students take a laptop from the cart when they're ready to be tested so the teacher can quickly assess their progress.
“SynchronEyes software helps boost classroom productivity by enabling teachers to check for lesson understanding instantly,” says Loyal Anderson, district technology coordinator, AUSD. “And when teachers use the SMART Board interactive whiteboard in the classroom, the children just jump for joy! It’s so engaging for the students, whether young or old. Believe it or not, one student even wrote a letter to Santa Claus asking for a SMART Board interactive whiteboard for Christmas.”
“Ongoing assessment of student progress is crucial to the learning process, but it can be time-intensive for educators,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s president and co-CEO. “Arvin Union’s effective use of SynchronEyes software and SMART Board interactive whiteboards helps its educators free up more time to focus on teaching and improving student outcomes.”
About SynchronEyes computer-lab instruction software
SynchronEyes computer-lab instruction software enables networked student workstations to be monitored and controlled from one teacher’s computer. SynchronEyes software displays thumbnail images of all students' screens on the teacher's desktop, so student progress can be monitored, questions answered and lessons broadcast. Teachers can take control of a student’s computer to guide the student through a problem or focus attention by locking all student screens and disabling mouse devices and keyboards. Teachers can also block access to specific applications including Internet browsers, instant messaging or games. To facilitate in-class collaboration, teachers can assign students to groups, create polls and chat sessions, and conduct tests with automatic marking. Using the File Transfer feature, teachers can distribute materials and assignments with the click of a mouse. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/synchroneyes.
About SMART Board interactive whiteboards
The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a large, touch-sensitive display. Connected to a computer and projector, the interactive whiteboard is like a giant computer screen that students and teachers simply touch to operate. Using their finger or a pen as a mouse, teachers and students can access and control any computer application, file or multimedia platform, including the Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs. They can also write over applications in digital ink, then save their work for future study and review. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard engages students with diverse learning styles by providing both immediate access to a wide range of digital materials and a common focus for the entire class – not something easily achieved with other technologies. It is the number one choice among primary and secondary school educators in more than 75 countries worldwide because the pioneering software interface captures the imagination of students of all backgrounds and abilities in order to help them learn together, understand better and achieve more. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/smartboard.
About Arvin Union School District
AUSD is located in the southern Central Valley of California at the base of Bear Mountain. With a population of approximately 3,000 students, the district is made up of four schools: Arvin State Preschool, Sierra Vista Elementary (K–2), Bear Mountain Elementary (grades 3–5), and Haven Drive Middle School (grades 6–8). AUSD also has a very active migrant education program, with both Saturday school and an after school program. For more information, visit http://arvin.k12.ca.us.
About IVS Computer Technology
For more than ten years, IVS Computer Technology, Inc. has earned the respect of clients in the public and private sector for providing innovative, cost-effective technological solutions. IVS specializes in education technology integration – offering complete hardware and software advice, superior training programs and excellent service. For more information, visit www.ivsct.net.
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For more information, contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
1207 – 11th Avenue SW, Suite 300
Calgary, AB T3C 0M5
CANADA
403.802.2595
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