Colorado District Adopts Software Suite to Support Digital Learning Initiative
The Poudre School District in
Fort Collins, CO has deployed a suite of software in an effort to support its Digital Innovation Pathways initiative.
The Digital Innovation Pathways program includes a
series of
professional development opportunities for teachers, classroom support,
enhanced educational technology tools and other ways of enhancing and
supporting classroom instruction with technology.
The district decided to adopt the Smart
Learning Suite, which
includes:
- The Smart Notebook, designed to
provide interactive learning experiences while responding to learner
needs in
real time;
- The Smart lab, which aims to enable
teachers to quickly create lesson plans and game-based learning
activities;
- The Smart amp, a web-based
learning platform designed to help with student collaboration on devices; and
- The Smart response 2,
formative assessment software that can be used on student devices.
District representatives said the
Smart Learning Suite allows teachers to individualize and differentiate
instruction, quickly evaluate student performance and adapt content
depending
on the subject or grade level.
"We are increasing the number
of educators moving to online collaborative learning," said Poudre
School District
Educational Technology Director Kim McMonagle. "These programs have
exceeded
our expectations. Using Smart's software, students experience a more
robust
learning experience as they are able to seamlessly share knowledge."
The Poudre School District
has more than 29,000 students and 3,600 teachers.
"Research has shown that when
combined with solid pedagogical practices, education software can
significantly
improve student outcomes in lesson comprehension," said Smart
Technologies CEO
Neil Gaydon. "We are thrilled to support Poudre's innovative program
with
software designed to support transitions in their pedagogy."
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.