SMART Technologies addresses Teacher Training gap!

SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, and the industry pioneer and global leader in interactive whiteboards, announced the launch of the Mumbai chapter of its successful SMART Professional Development Program for Teachers. The program unveiled by  Mr. David Lapides, Director, Product Management - Education, SMART Technologies and Mr. Sanjiv Pande, MD India and South Asia, SMART Technologies is focused on addressing the need to train teachers in the use of interactive educational technology tools. The aim of the program is to help educators acquire technology skills enabling them to actively integrate digital learning tools in their teaching process for improved learning outcomes. SMART plans to train around 100 teachers from over 50 schools in Hyderabad in the first wave of this program in the city.

 

Under the SMART Professional Development Program - India, SMART Technologies’ team of Education Consultants will conduct a series of workshops across 15 major cities in India in order to prepare teachers in the use of technology tools including the industry-leading SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software. Over six million teachers have activated SMART Notebook software to create and deliver engaging lessons for more than 40 million students in 175 countries around the world. The award-winning software enables educators to bring course material alive for learners with the aid of various interactive tools, videos, images and digital activities allowing lessons to be highly engaging and dynamic for students. The training sessions will be offered to teachers at no cost.

 

Commenting on the launch of the SMART Professional Development Program for Teachers, Sanjiv Pande, MD India and South Asia, SMART Technologies said, “Well trained teachers are integral for an effective education system and it is critical to equip them with 21st century educational tools as well as offer professional development to optimize the use of such products. Taking a significant step towards addressing the need for training teachers in the use of digital tools, SMART has introduced this training series for the instructors to ensure their optimal use of SMART products and enabling them to make subject lessons more engaging for students.”

 

‪For over 20 years, SMART Technologies has been a leading company in the global education industry with hardware, software, content and services that create more effective, collaborative learning environments. Numerous studies have been conducted resulting in documented evidence confirming that the use of interactive whiteboards, combined with appropriate pedagogy, can increase student engagement, motivation and participation. Improvements in student learning outcomes, especially in math and science, have also been noted. In India, SMART is a significant educational technology player with almost 50 percent share in the interactive whiteboard category. SMART solutions have been adopted in over 15,000 classrooms across 3,000 schools for enhanced learning outcomes.