Volume 4 | Issue 2 | April 2009

Interactive Classroom
Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s world education.smarttech.com

R EG I O N A L F O C U S NEWS

Adapting to the global society SMART adds Touch

Recognition to
Technology for all schools in the Galicia region interactive whiteboards
of Spain
interactive whiteboards to all the schools,”
adding, “We are really very proud of this
accomplishment. If we compare Galicia to
other leading countries in new technologies,
we are at the same level as the United Kingdom
and Finland, having at least one interactive
whiteboard in every school.”
Galician classrooms fitted with an Internet
connection, a SMART Board ™ interactive
whiteboard, one computer for every five
students and a well-trained teacher, says
Piñón, are windows onto the greater world.
The interactive whiteboard, she has found,
is a tool of innovation for Galicia’s teachers,
who number nearly 32,000. They’ve used it to
enhance content by integrating new materials
into existing lessons, to create and customize
learning objects and to adapt their instruction
to the needs of their students. “Moreover,”
Piñón adds, “our teachers have discovered
that interactive whiteboards allow learners to
absorb information more easily, to participate
in groups and to work collaboratively around a
shared task or work area.”
As the minister responsible, Piñón led
the ICT cause with a mandate to increase
Laura Elena Sánchez Piñón was, the quality of education in Galicia, home
until a recent election, Galicia’s regional minister to over 380,000 students. The past three
of education. Her focus as minister was to years saw significant technology adoption and
prepare future generations of Galician citizens implementation in all of the region’s more than SMART has taken ease of use a step
to compete on a global basis by “creating 1,200 state schools. In 2007 alone, the Galician further with the addition of Touch Recognition to
equality of opportunity and making a strong government earmarked 11.2 million Euros for SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboards.
effort to increase the quality of learning.” The the purchase of technology equipment and The feature is the first to automatically detect
education system, she asserts, must adapt itself multimedia materials, including SMART Board the difference between a pen, finger and palm.
to an ever-shrinking world and make progress interactive whiteboards. Users can now use a pen to write or draw, a
in learning and teaching activities by including, “We are living in an open and global era, finger to manipulate words or pictures and a
incorporating and integrating ICT. the era of the digital revolution,” Piñón says. palm or fist to erase work – all without returning
Galicia, an autonomous region on the “Since the last century, new technologies a pen to the Pen Tray, selecting a menu option
northwest coast of Spain, is a pioneer in became part of our lives, and we are not able to or pressing a button. For current users of SMART
implementing interactive technology in imagine our daily life without them. Education Board 600 series interactive whiteboards, Touch
classrooms. Piñón says, “We are the only region can’t be excluded from this technological and Recognition is available with a controller upgrade
of 17 that has completed the distribution of scientific process.” ic from SMART distributors. ic

Interactive Classroom | PG 1
news researc h repor t

SMART strengthens Interactive whiteboards support

EMEA team with three collaborative learning
key players

As the demand for SMART products

continues to grow in Europe, the Middle East
and Africa (EMEA), SMART has created three
new key positions to better serve these regions.
Axel Rosiefsky is the director of sales operations
and services, Frederic Arneodo is the director
of sales, and Yvonne Biggins is the manager,
education business development. Each of these
key players brings the skills and background
needed to support users in their adoption of
SMART products. ic

Dialogue and collaboration, education learners asked open-ended questions, reasoned,

SMART opens office in researchers speculate, lead to higher levels of

synthesis and understanding for students.
evaluated ideas and constructed new meanings
through focused interaction, all with the help of

Paris, France University of Cambridge-based researchers set out the interactive whiteboard.
to discover the role interactive whiteboards play In one case, a class studying the First World
in supporting dialogic classroom interactions and War used the interactive whiteboard to stimulate
collaborative learning. At the SMART-sponsored discussion and speculation as they spotlighted and
The opening of SMART’s second Learning Matters seminar at BETT 2009, they underlined diary entries and poems, played audio
European office, a marketing, sales and customer presented their early findings from two projects in clips and projected drawings, photos, diagrams,
support office in Paris, France, underscores their ongoing, exhaustive research. questions and video clips. This usage encouraged
SMART’s commitment to its growing number The first project, “Interactive whiteboards and exploration, critical reflection, analogy, synthesis
of customers in EMEA. The opening occurs collaborative pupil learning in primary science,” and evaluation.
as SMART experiences significant sales in focused on how 12 teachers in 6 UK primary The researchers found that interactivity, as
the region, where in 2008 alone, 209,000 schools use the interactive whiteboard to support demonstrated by learners using the interactive
interactive whiteboards were sold. This was collaboration and dialogue in science classes. whiteboard, supported deep reasoning and
a 15 percent increase over 2007 according The researchers observed that the interactive students’ ability to build on ideas. By using the
to Futuresource Consulting, a leading global whiteboard worked as a collaborative tool in a board to publicly record, highlight, underline
research company that has tracked interactive number of instances, especially for brainstorming and circle on the interactive whiteboard, student
whiteboard shipments for over eight years. on ideas around topics. The board then became work was given weight and significance. As
When educators visit the Paris office, they can a “shared dialogic space,” they concluded. The students built on their peers’ ideas, teachers and
experience and evaluate SMART products while interactive whiteboard was key in integrating researchers determined that a new communal
touring three technology-enabled classroom web-based materials with discussion and learning. view was constructed. Additionally, after each
environments designed to meet whole-class, And because teachers saved their lessons, the class, teachers saved observations and resources
small-group and individual learning needs. board was often used to access content, notes to scaffold student learning and dialogue in
SMART users can also access the Classroom and observations from prior lessons. With the future lessons.
Tour to explore three different approaches to visual nature of the interactive whiteboard, these One recommendation the researchers made
learning, and see how SMART products work retrieved lessons assisted students in remembering is that teachers should have access to additional
together to heighten students’ understanding. earlier content. support and professional development to
The second project, “Exploiting the interactive help them exploit the opportunities afforded
Following is contact information for the new whiteboard to enhance dialogic classroom by interactive whiteboard technology. The
Paris office: interaction,” explored the potential of the researchers also recognized that interactive
Telephone +33.1.4090.4444 interactive whiteboard to support productive whiteboards can play a definite role in building
E-mail [email protected] dialogue in classes of students aged 11–14. on the known, productive values of dialogic,
Web www.smarttech.fr ic Using dialogic learning principles, educators and collaborative and inquiry-based activities. ic

Interactive Classroom | PG 2
C ase St u dy NEWS

Collaborative tools SMART is the global

leader in sales
The SMART Board creates interactive
Futuresource Consulting identifies
classrooms in British−Peruvian school SMART as the global leader in the interactive
whiteboard product category, with a 53.2 percent
share of sales in 2008 – up 6 percentage points
over 2007. SMART was identified as the leader in
all major geographies, including EMEA, Asia and
the Americas. In 2008, SMART sold nearly 300,000
SMART Board interactive whiteboards worldwide,
a record year for the company and more than
double the sales of its nearest competitor.
Futuresource also reports that SMART continues
its clear lead in the United States, with a 59.4
percent product-category share.
Futuresource Consulting is a leading global
research company that has tracked interactive
whiteboard shipments for over eight years. ic

SMART and Intel

integrate solutions

In the 77 years since its founding, Colegio they rely heavily on the school’s 15 SMART
San Jorge de Miraflores, or St. George’s College, Board interactive whiteboards.
has seen many education trends come and go. But “The use of SMART Boards has had a great
ICT, say the staff of this private, Spanish–English impact on our students and teachers. The boards
bilingual school in Lima, Peru, is in their classrooms have become windows to the global world of Web
to stay. 2.0 resources and tools that can be implemented
St. George’s ICT coordinator and lead science in and out of the classroom,” explains Lazaro.
teacher, Gerardo Lazaro, says the reason for With an ICT plan that includes putting a SMART
this assertion is that they have fully integrated Board interactive whiteboard in every classroom
classroom technology. This includes SMART Board along with the SMART Response (formerly Senteo™
interactive whiteboards, which have become interactive response system) and AirLiner™ wireless
important collaborative tools for the school’s 800 slates, Lazaro says that even more collaborative
students, from the nursery to the eleventh grade. projects and student learning will benefit, especially When Intel® Corporation began
ICT permeates every aspect of instruction and with the school’s focus on teacher training. shipping its Intel-powered convertible classmate
learning in the school, explains Lazaro. “The “All teachers were trained in the use of PCs in April, 2009, they came complete with
incorporation of technology into our pedagogical SMART Board interactive whiteboards, SMART SMART Classroom Suite software installed
methodology began in mid-2007, when teachers Notebook software and how we can use SMART as a purchaser option. The availability of SMART
were trained in the creation and maintenance of Boards as interactive tools and resources when it Classroom Suite on these classmate PCs is the
blogs. These were used to share information about comes to the creation of our blogs and wikis,” latest development in a relationship between
class and school activities, and also became a explains Lazaro. SMART and Intel spanning 17 years. It also
great way to communicate with students, parents The 2009–2010 school year will see all of marked the first time SMART education software
and others, from all parts of the world.” He St. George’s teachers and students working solutions were available preinstalled on another
adds, “Now, ICT is a vital part of our approach together to implement and build collaborative company’s hardware.
to communication and collaboration, how wikis. These wikis comprise files created in SMART Board interactive whiteboards, SMART
we share and spread knowledge and how we SMART Notebook software, clips and files from Classroom Suite and the classmate PC will help to
create interactive classes, presentations and video conferences and student-written blogs, create learning environments in which students
student activities.” all showcasing the results of the students’ can ask questions, share ideas, brainstorm and
The focus on Web 2.0-supported learning, investigations into specific topics. manage assignments. The classmate PC laptop
with student-created and teacher-facilitated “We have dedicated a great deal of time and converts from a clamshell model to a writing
blogs, wikis and video conferences, has brought effort into the use and implementation of ICT tablet. SMART Classroom Suite includes SMART
St. George’s into the 21st century, asserts in our methodology,” explains Lazaro. “And we Notebook, SMART Notebook SE (Student Edition),
Lazaro. When students work on real-time plan to continue leading the way in the use of SMART Sync classroom management software and
collaborative projects with peers from other these resources to benefit our students. ICT holds SMART Response software. Contact a SMART
countries via their wikis and video conferences, unlimited potential for our students.” ic distributor to learn more. ic

Interactive Classroom | PG 3
Stan dar d i z at ion news

Exploring creative learning New products from

opportunities SMART
These easy-to-use
Edinburgh high school standardizes on SMART and cost-effective
technology products are designed to reach
the next generation of learners and create
extraordinary learning moments.
The SMART Table is the first multitouch,
multiuser table that encourages primary students
to create, explore and discover together on its
durable screen.
SMART Notebook SE (Student Edition)
is inspired by SMART Notebook software, and is
an interactive learning application that enables
students to complete assignments, take notes,
manage due dates and organize digital material.
The UF 55 short-throw projector is now
shipping. Designed to reduce shadows on the
screen and prevent light from shining in users’
eyes, the UF 55 can also be purchased as an
integrated system with a SMART Board 600 series
interactive whiteboard (including our wide-format
SB685 model).
SMART Response, previously called
the Senteo interactive response system, is an
assessment tool that helps educators quickly
gauge student understanding so specific learning
needs can be targeted. Upgrading to the latest
version allows educators to display performance
and test results in pie charts and pie graphs. ic
St. Thomas of Aquin’s students explore creative learning opportunities with SMART Board
interactive whiteboards in every classroom.

“It is hard to imagine how we could “Another crucial factor into our decision
SMART ease of use
deliver the same quality of learning and teaching
without the use of our SMART Boards,” says
was the support partnership we entered
into with SMART. This meant we had keeps getting easier
Robert Burnett, deputy head teacher at St. Thomas extremely good support and training at key
of Aquin’s High School in Edinburgh, Scotland. stages of our implementation,” says Burnett.
And it was a specific focus on quality that “The partnership has flourished due to the
led Burnett, responsible for ICT in the newly obvious desire of SMART to engage with
constructed school, to decide in 2002 to standardize end users in the development of SMART
on SMART Board interactive whiteboards. Now, 7 software products.”
years later, each of the school’s 48 classrooms has Burnett explains he has found that
an interactive whiteboard. the presence of SMART Board interactive
The initial decision wasn’t made lightly. Burnett whiteboards and other ICT tools in the school
explains that he explored research into the encourages teachers to share lessons and ideas
technology tool, visited trade shows and met on how they use technology to enhance their Since SMART products are designed to
with various manufacturers. It was, he says, teaching and their students’ learning. “SMART be at the center of dynamic learning environments,
the functionality of SMART’s product that sold Board interactive whiteboards,” Burnett says, they are effective, versatile and easy to use.
him and the rest of the school’s staff while “have become embedded in our pedagogy SMART Notebook software, the Pen Tray and our
road-testing a SMART Board interactive and enable teachers and pupils to explore even new Touch Recognition feature all help to make
whiteboard in various classroom settings. more creative learning opportunities.” ic SMART Board interactive whiteboards intuitive.
That’s the main reason educators have made the
SMART Board the most widely used interactive
SMART Technologies whiteboard in the world.
Corporate headquarters | Phone 1.403.245.0333 | Fax 1.403.228.2500 SMART makes it easy for you to be extraordinary
www.smarttech.com | www.education.smarttech.com | www.smarterkids.org
in the classroom. Watch our new video to
© 2009 SMART Technologies ULC. All rights reserved. SMART Board, Senteo, AirLiner, smarttech, the SMART logo and all SMART taglines are trademarks or
registered trademarks of SMART Technologies ULC in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other third-party product and company names are for identification
see how teachers are creating inspiring learning
purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Printed in Canada 05/2009. 11440-09. environments and achieving incredible results.
Visit the education solutions section of
SMART’s website for more information. ic

Interactive Classroom | PG 4