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1
Leaders in education
interactive
classroom
PreParing today’s students for tomorrow’s world
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Volume 3 | issue 2 | aPril 2008
Power to the pupils in Denmark
Lilla Voss,
a chief advisor in Denmark’sministry of education since 1983, has a doctoratein history and a passion for the subject. This loveof history is fitting, because when the history ofICT in Denmark’s education system is written,her name will be there in bold print as a keyproponent of education reform.Since 2004, after a successful technologyrollout coupled with intensive teacher trainingat universities, colleges and secondary schools,Voss’s attention has been focused on a morecomplete integration of ICT into the folk schools.It was found that these schools, whose NorthAmerican equivalent would be first throughtenth grade, had inadequate ICT.The Danish government made an initialinvestment into the folk schools of around500 million Danish kroners (US$105 million).Seventy-five per cent was specifically earmarkedfor the implementation of ICT into the schools.Local authorities, who administer the folkschools, were given the opportunity to applyfor funds on the condition they matched thegrant, kroner for kroner, and spent that matchon computers, too.
standardisation
Trinidad and Tobago: SynchronEyes software inthe classroom
The Trinidad and Tobago
educationministry has recently taken steps to makeits computer labs more productive spacesfor students. The ministry has purchasedSynchronEyes
™
classroom management softwareand Notebook
™
collaborative learning softwarelicences for all secondary schools in the country.These new technology tools will be implementedin 133 secondary schools and used by more than100,000 students.“SynchronEyes software will provide teacherswith an environment that will promote learning,”says Arnott West, programme consultant,secondary education modernisation. The software,which enables teachers in a computer class to viewand control all students’ computers, is being usedin a variety of ways. Teachers can now transferfiles, assess students, broadcast multimedia filesand conduct surveys.Ministry officials performed substantialresearch on the product category before settlingon SMART. In addition to its functionality, thesoftware’s licence fees made it appealing todecision-makers. One licence covers one teacherand an unlimited number of students.SynchronEyes software is often selected byeducators because it makes the ICT teacher’slife much easier and helps increase studentproductivity. The software makes onlineassessment simple and efficient, and enablesteachers to ensure students are on task in thecomputer class.see
 
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pg. 3“We stipulated that the computers purchasedhad to be used by the students, not the teachersor other staff,” says Voss. “The other conditionwe thought was important was that they hadto be placed in the classrooms. Our goal wasthat computers would become a personal toolof the students.”The programme was by all accounts aresounding success. In the first year alone,the local authorities applied for 87 per centof the funds available. It was later discoveredthat they gave more than the required 50 percent, sometimes contributing 60–75 per centmore of their own funds. In the 2006–2007school year, the programme was opened upand 20 per cent of the government funds couldbe applied to other technology peripherals,such as projectors and interactive whiteboards.Additionally, the ministry developed a series ofcourses that helped teachers better integrateICT into their subject areas, with a focus onfacilitating students’ learning.The final aspect of the decade-long ICTintegration project has seen the creationof a national repository of educationcontent that has three main content areas:content produced by education publisherssupporting curriculum, inspirational contentdeveloped by teachers, and multimedia clips.Hand-in-hand with the repository is anationwide collaborative learning managementsystem. The end result is an education systemthat rivals any in the world.Ultimately, Voss has high hopes that thereforms she has helped instigate will buildcollaborative and creative skills in Danishstudents, and perhaps most importantly inher opinion, hone their ability to question thestatus quo and to think critically.“What we think is important in our schoolsis to have creative kids who perform forthemselves and are not passively sitting andlistening to a teacher. We want to see problemsolving, critical thinking, all of that,” explainsVoss. She adds, “ICT must be used in a qualityway in education and I think many possibilitieslie with giving some of the power back tothe pupils.”
10172-08 - IC Newsletter - April 2008 - UK.indd 14/28/08 4:46:14 PM
 
2
Literacy atthe core
a g f n Kl
Over the last
number of decades there hasbeen great interest in literacy. All subject areasrequire students to have literacy skills or theycannot move to deep understanding and mastery.Language and the ability to articulate ideas arefundamental skills that must be acquired by all.In fact, literacy is seen as such a fundamentalbuilding block to the education process that some jurisdictions mandate a daily minimum dose.Recently I have been reading a variety of booksand papers about literacy and the best waysto develop these skills in today’s students. Themethods used vary by country. What is clear to meis that the selected theory can have a deep impacton just how literate a country’s students become.One of the books,
The Knowledge Deficit 
, hasstruck a particular chord, because it points outhow many literacy programs are built on shakypremises. The author laments the lack of workbeing done to build fundamental knowledge inAmerican students in particular because of thetheories and strategies employed.For years people have been undervaluing basicknowledge acquisition. Perhaps it is becauseof pronouncements that the sum of today’sknowledge will double within a year or two.With that reality, some suggest that an ability tolearn is more important than the acquisition offundamental knowledge in traditional areas.However, the reality remains – test scoresprove that the children who demonstrate highliteracy are those who have acquired foundationalknowledge and therefore have a basis forcomprehending what they read.Getting children interested in reading andknowledge acquisition is an absolute must, and ithas to start early. At SMART, we strongly believethat educational technology encourages youngstudents to take an active role in building theirliteracy skills. We have some tools that can help.
 
*
The Knowledge Deficit: Closing the Shocking EducationGap for American Children
, E.D. Hirsch, Jr., 2006
weLcome
Nancy Knowlton is the CEO of SMARTTechnologies. Her biography is availableonline at
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As SMART develops
new products, it neverstops striving to meet evolving customer needs.In education, these needs change rapidly as moreand more educators embrace not just one or twonew technology products, but a whole range ofICT designed to improve student engagement andachievement. Over the past year, we have listened toyou and worked hard to develop the products youneed. Here are just a few of them.
smart B 600 vb 
This new integrated system makes it easier thanever to engage students. Combining a short-throwprojector and an interactive whiteboard, the 600istarts with a push of a button. Not only does theintegrated projector reduce on-screen shadowsand distracting projector lights, but you can switcheasily between classroom peripherals, such as DVDplayers and document cameras. The projector alsodelivers a bright, crisp image that’s easy to see.The 600i offers the best value at the lowestprice for any integrated system. By addingoptional speakers and a height-adjustable wallmount, you can turn the 600i into a completemultimedia centre where every student can see,hear and participate. For information about the600i, please visit
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.
nbk f 10
Educators who know the value of digital contenthave been eagerly awaiting the release ofNotebook software 10, the latest version ofSMART’s award-winning collaborative learningsoftware. With over 30 new features and accessto 100,000 pieces of content, Notebook software10 makes lesson creation and delivery easier andlearning more exhilarating. Every day, millionsof teachers and students around the worldexperience the vivid multimedia world of Notebooksoftware. As it was created specifically for theSMART Board
™
interactive whiteboard, Notebooksoftware lets teachers deliver dynamic lessons ina highly visual manner. Teachers can create tables,animate objects and magnify images – simply bytouching the interactive whiteboard.
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With this new presentation tool, teachers canproject real-time images of three-dimensionalobjects onto a SMART Board interactivewhiteboard. They simply place an object underthe camera and zoom in. Once a still image orvideo of the object is displayed on the interactivewhiteboard, integrating it into Notebook softwarelessons is a snap.The activities that document cameras enableare endless – everything from frog dissection tomicroscope slide analysis. Teachers can use thecamera to zoom in and out, write over documentcamera images displayed on the interactivewhiteboard, and capture stills and video directlyinto Notebook software or any application.Students, too, can use the document cameraas they present work to the class, interact withobjects and bring learning into focus.
new Products
SMART brings learning into focus
Tokyo goes SMART
An interactive whiteboard
on each floor of each school in Kotou City, Tokyo, is the goalof Kotou City’s board of education. The board recently purchased 165 SMART Board interactivewhiteboards and 195 GoWire
™
SMART Board software auto-launch cables. These products supplementthe 38 SMART Board interactive whiteboards installed in primary and middle schools last year. Schooladministrators expect the new technology products will improve students’ performance as teacherslearn to create fun and stimulating lessons on their interactive whiteboards.
Narrowing the gap in Ecuador
The ministry of education
in Ecuador has begun an initiative to include new technologyin the classroom. This initiative will improve the quality of the learning and teaching process and willbridge the digital divide between students who have access to technology and those who don’t.This gap is fairly wide and geographical in nature. A substantial percentage of schools are in rurallocations and some do not yet have digital connectivity. So the need for a bridge is pressing.The project involves 70 digital classrooms. Each is equipped with a computer, projector, SMARTBoard interactive whiteboard and an audio system. The new Ecuadorian education website,
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, will also provide numerous resources for teachers to use intheir lessons.Jose Barahona, technology consultant for the ministry of education in Ecuador, is optimisticabout the effects of the programme. “For a small child to access the means and tools that he willuse in his professional career is invaluable, and his education itself will be improved with these kindof tools.”
news
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3
The town of Dunaharaszti
, a holidayresort and industrial area bordering Budapest,is home to II. Rákóczi Ferenc primary school.This Hungarian school is focused on enablingteachers’ creativity in their preparation anddelivery of lessons to enhance students’learning. To support this goal, the school’sdirector, Mr Károly Zsigmond, wanted tointegrate education technology products, andin 2001 discovered the SMART Board interactivewhiteboard at a technology exhibition. Theschool has since decided to make SMARTBoard interactive whiteboards a key part of itseducation plan.According to the director, the SMARTBoard interactive whiteboard has enhancedthe classroom experience. “In classes whereteachers use the interactive whiteboard, thechildren’s approach to learning has improved,”Zsigmond says.He notes that communication betweenteachers and students has improved becauseteachers can present their lessons moredynamically, which engages the studentsand enables them to learn more rapidly.Additionally, teachers have access to lessonmaterials from Sulinet Digital Knowledge Base,a government-initiated content developmentwebsite. They can download subject-specificdigital materials and present them on theSMART Board interactive whiteboard.Teachers are also creating their own lessonsusing the product’s interactive features.Zsigmond says that the capabilities of theSMART Board interactive whiteboard makethe lessons more colourful and interesting forstudents. Students and teachers touch theinteractive whiteboard to control computerapplications and write in digital ink – enablingcollaborative learning as students can worktogether with teachers to modify and addengaging elements to their lessons.The SMART Board interactive whiteboardalso enables teachers to add visual content totheir lessons, including presentations, videoclips and the internet. This capability enhancesthe overall learning experience for studentsbecause they are focused on what’s happeningon the interactive whiteboard.“When using the SMART Board interactivewhiteboard, students move from passive recipientsto active participants,” Zsigmond says.The addition of the SMART Board interactivewhiteboard at II. Rákóczi Ferenc primaryschool has enabled teachers to present morecreative and dynamic lessons, and students areresponding with enthusiasm.
standardisation
GETS unites education leaders
The Global Education Technology Summit
 (GETS) – Europe 2008, took place in Frankfurt, Germany,March 3–5. The summit included a series of regional discussionsessions focused on key topics related to ICT in education.The Frankfurt summit stems from the success of theoriginal GETS event, a global gathering held annually in Calgary, Canada. Supported by Foreign Affairsand International Trade Canada, GETS – Europe 2008, gave educators a chance to add their voices to aregional discussion that continues to gain momentum as we understand more about the unmistakablelinks between education, technology and economic prosperity.
case study
Adding creativity to learning
“When using the
smart B cvhb,  v pv cp cv pcp.”
– Kál Zg,,ii. rákóz F p l
Study showstechnology improvesengagement
Preliminary research from
Canada’sUniversity of New Brunswick (UNB) shows thatstudents are more engaged in the learningprocess when technology is integrated intoinstructional activities. The study began witha school-wide installation of SMART Boardinteractive whiteboards and is cosponsoredby UNB’s department of education, a NewBrunswick primary school and SMARTTechnologies. The preliminary results highlightthe ability of the interactive whiteboard to helpstudents learn and teachers teach. Followingthe installation, 94 per cent of teachers feltthat student engagement had risen, and 100per cent of teachers found that their ability toteach was enhanced. Teachers also felt theyunderstood how technology could be used inthe classroom.You can find out more about how SMARTBoard interactive whiteboards impact teachingand learning in the next issue of InteractiveClassroom.
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continued from pg. 1The implementation of SMART’s classroommanagement software is part of the ministry’soverarching goal to develop 21st-centuryskills in both teachers and students. Plans areunderway to provide schools with customiseddigital curriculum resources that supportproject-based learning. Administrators areworking toward a full digital system thatlinks all students and teachers wirelessly,and leads to efficient management of theschool system.
news
SMART Board interactive whiteboards inspirelearning at II. Rákóczi Ferenc primary school 
news
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