Rural Texas district goes digital with SMART products in classrooms
Meridian installs 15 Rear Projection SMART Board 2000i interactive whiteboards
CALGARY, Alberta --- February 7, 2006 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that Meridian Independent School District (Meridian ISD), in Bosque, Texas, has installed Rear Projection SMART Board™ 2000i interactive whiteboards in every classroom. The small town district serves 550 students and has been working on achieving its technology vision for the past seven years. Despite the district’s small size, the community wanted to prepare students for 21st-century learning using the latest technology. The district’s board reviewed a number of products, and after seeing a demonstration on SMART Board interactive whiteboards, they knew they had found what they were looking for. With the help of a SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada grant, Meridian ISD purchased 15 SMART Board interactive whiteboards and installed them in every classroom in grades one through six. There were also two SMART Board interactive whiteboards installed in the high school.
These SMART Board interactive whiteboards are being integrated into the classroom in a variety of ways. Some teachers for elective classes, such as art, have even shown interest in incorporating the SMART Board interactive whiteboard into their classes. One of the main uses of SMART Board interactive whiteboards is working on vocabulary lists and math problems. Since the introduction of the technology in September 2005, the SMART board interactive whiteboard is being used by students and teachers in a number of subject areas. The district is seeing greater class participation and retention rates.
“We wanted all of our students to engage with the subjects being taught and learn in a manner that works best for them,” says Beverly Huffman, assistant principal and curriculum coordinator at Meridian ISD. “SMART Board interactive whiteboards allow visual learners to see everything, and tactile learners to come to the front and touch the board. Students are learning more and enjoying more.”
“We applaud the technology initiatives at Meridian Independent School District, and its efforts to provide leading-edge technology tools for the 21st-century learner,” says Nancy Knowlton, president and co-CEO of SMART Technologies Inc. “Meridian ISD has joined the growing number of schools and districts, from urban centers to rural areas, that are adopting SMART Board interactive whiteboards as their classroom standard.”
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 classroom technology products. It is the number one choice among primary and secondary school educators in more than 75 countries worldwide because it 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 Meridian Independent School District
The Meridian Independent School District encompasses 147 square miles of Bosque County, Texas. The two campuses, Meridian Elementary School and Meridian High School (grades 712), serve the education needs of approximately 550 students. Both campuses are proud of their strong curriculum and the students' annual successful performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Texas (TAKS) exam. Meridian ISD is currently a Texas Recognized district. The district provides an orderly and safe environment, and a challenging curriculum for all students to learn social, academic, and technological skills necessary to succeed in a changing and global society.
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For more information, contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
1207 – 11 Avenue SW, Suite 300
Calgary, AB T3C 0M5
CANADA
Phone: 403.802.2558
Fax: 403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.