CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces that Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) in Lubbock, Texas, is installing approximately 1,300 SMART Board interactive whiteboard systems and 1,300 SMART Document Cameras. This extensive implementation is the result of a US$198 million bond passed in November 2010, with US$28 million devoted to technology. LISD is installing a SMART Board 680i interactive whiteboard system, featuring the ultra-short-throw SMART UF75 projector, and the SMART Document Camera 330 in all classrooms where core subjects, such as science, math, language arts or social studies, are taught. Additionally, the district is installing 75 SMART Height-Adjustable Wall Mounts in pre-kindergarten classrooms to ensure that younger students have easy access to the interactive whiteboard to engage with digital content. With this installation, LISD has standardized on SMART Board interactive whiteboard systems and SMART Document Cameras. Administrators say they chose the 680i system for its ease of use and for the reduced display shadow of the ultra short-throw UF75 projector. The SMART Document Camera 330 was chosen because it integrates seamlessly with SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software and the interactive whiteboard. Combined with earlier adoptions of SMART products, approximately 1,600 LISD pre-kindergarten to twelfth-grade classrooms will be equipped with SMART education solutions when the installation is completed in March 2012.
Individual LISD teachers began using SMART Board interactive whiteboards in 2004. Soon, LISD officials discovered that nearly every teacher applying for a technology grant was asking for a SMART Board interactive whiteboard. They cited the intuitiveness of SMART Notebook collaborative learning software and their ability to easily use it to create professional and engaging lessons as reasons for preferring SMART solutions. With the bond passing in 2010, LISD looked to standardize on a single company for a large-scale implementation of education technology and chose SMART because of the company's commitment to innovation, the cost-effectiveness of its products and its willingness to support the district's efforts to successfully adopt technology. Administrators also noted that because SMART products integrate so easily, they are considering adding SMART Response™ interactive response systems to classrooms in the future.
"SMART products are working so well that technology solutions are becoming part of the culture in our classrooms," says Bill Landis, Director of Technology Support, Lubbock ISD. "The products are so easy to use that the technology becomes almost invisible, supporting the instruction so that it becomes more effective."
"We're pleased that administrators at Lubbock ISD have chosen to standardize on SMART education solutions and that our products are having a positive impact in the classrooms," says Patric Nagel, Vice President, Sales, Americas, SMART Technologies. "By working closely with Lubbock ISD administrators, SMART is helping to ensure that teachers and students are benefitting from SMART solutions, giving them the tools to be successful now and in the future."
About Lubbock Independent School District
Lubbock Independent School District is a growing district in the heart of the vast southern plains of West Texas. Home to nearly 29,000 students and 2,000 teachers, it covers 85.5 square miles (221.5 km2) and contains nearly 900 acres (364 ha) of school properties that are owned by the local taxpayers. Those properties have 57 campuses including 35 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, 4 high schools, 1 special purpose school and 3 alternative campuses. Lubbock ISD facilities include a state-of-the-art Advanced Technology Center for the teaching of computer operations and programming. For more information, visit lubbockisd.org.
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.
© 2011 SMART Technologies. SMART Board, SMART Document Camera, SMART Notebook, SMART Response, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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