AUSA Sustaining Member Profile: SMART Technologies, Inc.

Army, Apr 2007

Corporate structure-Founded: 1987. President: Tom Hodson. CEO: Nancy Knowlton. Number of employees: More than 800. Headquarters: Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Web site: www.smarttech.com. Telephone: 1-888-427-6278 (Canada/United States).

SMART Technologies Inc. is the industry pioneer and global market segment leader in easy-to-use interactive whiteboards and other group collaboration tools. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the company has assembly facilities in Ontario and offices in Bonn, Tokyo, Shanghai. New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

In 2006. SMART celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Over the past two decades, SMART products have continued to evolve, changing the way people in organizations learn and collaborate. Today, SMART offers a comprehensive range of products used by military and government agencies throughout the United States and around the world. SMART products include the award-winning family of SMART Board(TM) interactive whiteboards, Sympodium(TM) interactive pen displays, Bridgit(TM) conferencing software. SynchronEyes(TM) classroom management software and a wide range of accessories. Durability and security go hand-in-hand with every SMART product used in a strategic environment. SMART'S ongoing success with military organizations and agencies is built on innovation, research and the development of customer-focused products.

The U.S. Army has integrated SMART Board interactive whiteboards and other SMART collaboration tools into its day-to-day operations. SMART products enable users to access and share real-time information regardless of location for training, briefings and debriefings and distance collaboration in order to disseminate and respond to information quickly and effectively.

When SMART Board interactive whiteboards are used in tandem with Bridgit conferencing software, military personnel from across the office or around the world can share voice, video and data over the Internet.

Voice-over Internet Protocol enables videoconference participants to access and share maps, view diagrams, photos, satellite imagery and video footage. The technology allows participants to write over any image and save annotations, make and record decisions (crucial for geographic information systems), update digital information and forward it to relevant users, brief a group using visual information and collaborate with others from various command posts or operational centers in real time.

At the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Fort Leavenworth. Kan., almost 100 classrooms are equipped with SMART Board interactive whiteboards. Instructors use them to train military officers in the areas of command preparation, combat studies and leadership doctrine. Simply by touching the SMART Board interactive whiteboard's display, instructors can call up simulation software and Army battle command systems that are used for tactical training. This year, the college will open a new state-of-the-art classroom facility; SMART Board interactive whiteboards will eventually be installed in every classroom.

Dr. Jack Franke, 2005 Campus Technology Innovator and SMART Exemplary Educator, teaches at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif. He has been a leader in integrating technology into the language labs. Operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, the institute is the largest language center in the world, training more than 3,000 students from the armed forces in as many as 75 languages and dialects each year. With more than 500 SMART Board interactive whiteboards in use, the technology has revolutionized the way the military approaches teaching a new language, enabling users to digitize textbooks, access web pages, play video clips and listen to sound files.

Dr. Franke also integrates podcasting with SMART Board interactive whiteboards to enhance foreign language instruction. In his class, the interactive whiteboard is used continuously to engage students with visual content and sound. For example. Russian language textbooks-including more than 4,000 sound files-are digitized and presented on the SMART Board. News feeds from around the world are also broadcast on the board. Students can download these audio files onto mobile digital devices to listen to spoken language and to learn pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, effectively extending their language instruction to learning beyond the classroom.

Using technology in a network-centric environment is a key component in ensuring that the U.S. Army is a more responsive and competent force. From base operations to field operations and military learning centers, SMART'S interactive whiteboards and collaboration tools are changing and revolutionizing the way military personnel train and communicate.

SMART Technologies Inc. is GSA-authorized and registered with the Standards Council of Canada for ISO 9001:2001 quality standards. SMART products are sold through dealers across North America and distributors worldwide.

SMART's new rear projection SMART Board(TM) 4000i interactive whiteboard has a touchsensitive display and the highest resolution and largest screen in its class, making it ideal for simulations, briefings and debriefings, satellite imagery, geographic information systems and programs that require highly detailed and true-to-life visuals.