A technology implementation plan in the municipality of Helsingor, Denmark is helping public school students experience the benefits of interactive and collaborative learning.

The three-year, approximate US$8 million plan started in 2009. The goal was to create technology-rich classrooms that would encourage teachers to use the images, video sound and interactivity in lessons and increase the learning potential for students.  A working group of school leaders and municipal officials chose SMART as the interactive whiteboard provider for the project because of SMART’s high-quality products, intuitive software and support for distance learning.

In 2009 and 2010, officials in Helsingor purchased approximately 700 SMART Board® interactive whiteboard systems and developed a detailed training and professional development plan that included training on the SMART Board, SMART Notebook^™ collaborative learning software and the SMART Exchange website. In 2011, the municipality purchased 7,000 computers for students, enabling them to use the SMART Notebook Express web application to work with lesson material.

Training helps teachers get the most from technology

To encourage effective use of the technology, they invested heavily in training and professional development for teachers. All 570 public school teachers received one week of hands-on training that focused on integrating technology into their teaching. In professional development sessions, teachers explored the full potential of the SMART Board and the interactive lesson-creation features of SMART Notebook software.

A group of teachers were selected to become super users, who received additional training so they could provide ongoing support and training to their colleagues throughout the school district.

“From the beginning, it was our goal to ensure teachers were comfortable with the interactive whiteboards as they created lessons that improved the overall learning potential and integrated pictures and sound media in teaching,” says Anders Pilgaard, Head of Department, Nordvestskolen School.

The municipality continues to support teachers by offering professional development and encouraging teachers to share best practices with each other.

To learn more about the Municipality of Helsingor’s technology plan, visit SMART’s website.