SMART Technologies and teachers mark the
completion of first global collaboration project between
special education classes
DENVER, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - SMART Technologies
Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration
solutions, announced today the successful completion of the
first-ever SMARTee Global Project focused on providing a positive
impact for special needs students. The program was developed by
teachers who are SMART Exemplary Educators (SEE) in collaboration
with SMART Technologies, and leveraged products within SMART
Learning Suite™, SMART's education software, to help special needs
students improve social and communication skills while creating the
opportunity for the students to connect with other special needs
students around the world.
In total, sixty special needs students from around the world, in
grades three through seven, participated in the program using SMART
software. The main objective of the project was to create a
collaborative and project-based learning environment where special
education students can meet new individuals and work together.
Students from each school engaged in a number of activities ranging
from creating videos for one another to writing and sharing digital
postcards.
The results were genuinely life changing for both the students
and teachers involved. For example, a student in Sweden who had previously been unable to share
or communicate with others was compelled by interactions with
students in Finland to engage and
participate in activities. As many special needs parents and
educators can attest, this is a major developmental hurdle for
students to overcome.
The project, which ran for the duration of the 2015-2016 school
year, was developed and carried out by six special education
teachers in five different countries including:
- Jörgen Holmberg, Kungsvägens Skola in Sipoo, Finland
- Stefan Schwarz, Oberlinschule,
Potsdam, Germany
- Carla Pinho Vieira, St. Vincent
School for the Deaf, Johannesburg, South
Africa
- Lotta Ramqvist, Birgittaskolan, Örebro, Sweden
- Staci Gelbaum, Cumberland
Academy of Georgia, Atlanta,
Georgia, United States
- Brianna Owens, Petroglyph
Elementary, Albuquerque, New
Mexico, United States
More success stories from teachers around the globe who
participated in the project are detailed below:
- In the United States,
Brianna Owens, of Petroglyph
Elementary in Albuquerque, New
Mexico: "The biggest success for me in this project has
been instilling confidence in students from around the world who
often can't or don't speak, who struggle in many different ways,
and who ultimately feel like a failure," said Owens. "In
participating in this project, we gave our students a voice, some
for the first time, and taught them that in teaching one another,
they had something to say. To empower students who have been so
discouraged by society, schools, and even classmates for so many
years has been life changing in for my students. This program
taught my students that they have a voice on a global level and
ultimately gave my kids purpose in coming to school, on working
hard toward goals, and in learning new information," she said.
- In Sweden, Lotta
Ramqvist of Birgittaskolan in Örebro: "I had a student with
Autism and a language disorder who was very hesitant to communicate
or share with others physically in the classroom. When he was
working in this project, he felt empowered to pick up a drawing he
had made and hold it close to the web camera so a student in
Finland could see. This student
would have never shown his drawing if visitors physically came into
the classroom but he through the project, he gained the courage to
communicate on video."
- In Finland, Jörgen
Holmberg of Kungsvägens Skola in Sipoo: "I had one student in
my class who was unable to grasp the ability to read or write, but
through SMART Learning Suite software, we gave him the tools to
share his experiences and thoughts with others. Drawing is almost
the only way this boy could communicate and by leveraging the
software, he was able to learn and relate with the other students
across the world by sharing his art. There are many ways to
communicate and this project allows those avenues to be
explored."
Paying homage to SMART Technologies' headquarters in
Canada, the project's mascot is a
small beaver named "SMARTee" who spent the school year visiting the
students in each country, chronicling his adventures in a blog.
"Special education students often feel isolated," said
Neil Gaydon, President and CEO of
SMART Technologies. "SMART Learning Suite software, paired with
solid pedagogical practices, allowed these students to collaborate
and gain a feeling of connectedness by meeting students around the
world who are very much like them. Not only did this project
succeed in enabling that feeling of connectedness, but the teachers
and parents also noted marked improvement in social and emotional
skills, empowering the students who were previously highly
non-communicative to communicate in ways that that suit them and
play to their strengths," he said.
One of the SMARTee project educators, Staci Gelbaum, will be at ISTE 2016 to present
this project in greater detail. For more information about the
SMARTee Global Project or to set up an interview at ISTE or via
phone with one of the participating SEEs from around the globe,
please contact Spark PR at smarttechnologies@sparkpr.com.
About SMART Learning Suite Software™
SMART Learning
Suite Software, works seamlessly with any hardware device,
including student tablets and mobile phones, classroom interactive
displays, Chromebooks, and more. The Smart Learning Suite combines
lesson delivery, assessment, student collaboration and game-based
learning software into one ultimate suite of education software.
Products in the SMART Learning Software Suite include SMART amp,
SMART lab, SMART Notebook, and SMART response 2.
About SMART Technologies Inc.
SMART Technologies Inc.
(NASDAQ: SMT, TSX: SMA) is a world leader in simple and intuitive
solutions that enable more natural collaboration. We are an
innovator in interactive touch technologies and software that
inspire collaboration in both education and businesses around the
globe.
Over 2.8 million K-12 classrooms in 175 countries around the
world use SMART solutions and SMART Notebook collaborative software
for education to make learning more interactive, engaging,
effective and fun.
With over 3.2 million SMART Board® interactive whiteboards,
interactive displays and interactive projectors installed
internationally, SMART has been a consistent innovator since
creating the first interactive whiteboard in 1993. To learn more,
visit smarttech.com.
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SOURCE SMART Technologies Inc.