Teachers in Russia choose SMART
Competitive evaluation leads to installation of 216 SMART Board interactive whiteboards in Moscow schools
RUSSIA, Moscow --- July 20, 2006 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that 216 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards were recently installed in Moscow South Administration District schools after being selected as the best interactive whiteboard in a rigorous evaluation. Teachers chose the SMART Board interactive whiteboard over competing products during an event organized to test interactive whiteboards in a classroom environment. A total of 420 teachers from the district took part in the testing, and a large majority preferred the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.
SMART’s Russian distributor, Polymedia, supplied 186 schools in the district with SMART Board interactive whiteboards and prepared training sessions on the effective use of SMART products in the classroom. The sessions are designed specifically for information science and technology teachers who, after completing their training, will be able to organize similar sessions for other teachers in their respective schools. The 12-hour hands-on session, entitled “Working with a SMART Board interactive whiteboard in educational institutions,” includes training on how to use a SMART Board interactive whiteboard for creating lessons and managing classroom activities. Participants develop their own lessons and then present them to the group. A competition to create the best lesson is currently underway.
“The ease of using the SMART Board interactive whiteboard is what stood out to me the most,” says Valentine Korotenkova, an English teacher at Tsaritsyno State Educational Center. “I especially like the fact that you can use your finger as a mouse rather than having to use cumbersome activated pens that can break or get lost. The SMART Board is useful for teaching inattentive pupils and my students who have limited abilities. The tactile control and visual materials for lessons involve students in the learning process, and that makes it easier for them to understand the information that I am teaching.”
“The integration of SMART products with multimedia peripherals in classrooms and computer labs demonstrates the value the Moscow South Administration District places on providing a tech-savvy generation with a competitive edge,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s president and co-CEO. “ District officials have shown exemplary stewardship in using such a rigorous selection process. This assures they are choosing the best interactive whiteboard to help their teachers increase student engagement and retention, while providing students with the technology skills needed to succeed in their future careers.”
# # #
For more information contact
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
1207 – 11 Avenue SW, Suite 300
Calgary, AB T3C 0M5
CANADA
Phone +1.403.802.2593 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.