Adoption of SMART products part of long-term implementation plan
CALGARY, Alberta --- November 22, 2011 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces that the department of education in Puerto Rico will equip 245 classrooms with SMART education solutions. Every classroom will receive a SMART Board® 685ix interactive whiteboard system, a SMART Slate™ wireless slate, a SMART Document Camera™, SMART Notebook™ Math Tools software and a SMART Audio™ classroom amplification system. Government officials chose SMART solutions based on the ease of use of all the products and the versatility of learning they provide all students. SMART education solutions are being implemented in cities throughout the territory, in classrooms from kindergarten to twelfth-grade, benefiting thousands of students. It is an important step in the long-term adoption of interactive classroom technology in Puerto Rico.
The government of Puerto Rico’s Educational Touch project objective is to support the learning process and address student needs through classroom technology use. The department of education cited that they chose SMART for the 245 designated classrooms because SMART education solutions meet the objectives of the project in an efficient and interactive way. This installation is the largest implementation of any classroom technology products in Puerto Rico to date. With the support of local authorized SMART distributor Audio Visual Concepts, the installation is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of November 2011. As adoption of educational technology in Puerto Rico continues to grow with initiatives such as the Educational Touch project, SMART is well equipped to continue to be a leader in interactive classroom technology in the territory.
“We are pleased to be installing SMART education products in our classrooms as part of our long-term goal of adopting interactive classroom technologies,” says Carlos Vega Medina, Director of Technology and Curriculum, Department of Education, Puerto Rico. “With SMART products, both students and teachers can engage with interactive technologies, allowing for everyone to become more involved in the learning process.”
“Administrators with the Puerto Rico department of education clearly recognize the value of using educational technology in the classroom,” says Patric Nagel, Vice President, Americas, SMART Technologies. “With SMART education solutions in 245 classrooms throughout Puerto Rico, students across all grades and subjects will benefit from having the tools and resources needed to support their success now and in the future.”
About Educational Touch
The Educational Touch project is an initiative of the technology and curriculum division assigned to the assistant secretary for academic services. Its goal is to offer innovative alternatives to education, to encourage and support teaching and learning in line with technological advances, meeting the needs of the Puerto Rican student.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc.
is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
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