SMART no-charge upgrades offer

The Delhi office of the Calgary (Canada)-based Smart Technologies, the well-known provider of new technologies-driven education, business and government solutions, announced a no-charge upgrade enabling four-touch interactivity on its education line of the SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display, on January 16. For use with SMART Notebook collaborative learning software, four-touch interactivity will be available on all shipping 800 series interactive whiteboards and 8070i interactive displays. Additionally, customers with existing interactive whiteboards and displays can upgrade to this feature at no cost and with no additional hardware.According to company sources, the four-touch functionality will increase opportunities for collaboration by giving students more hands-on time at interactive whiteboards and displays. The no-charge upgrade — expected in spring 2012 — will enable simultaneous freestyle interaction and object awareness for up to four users. Adding four-touch interactivity to our education line of SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboards and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display enhances the collaborative capabilities of our products, Now, more students will be able to interact with lesson material on interactive whiteboards and displays, leading to increased student engagement and improved learning outcomes, says Linda Thomas, vice-president (products) at Smart Technologies. English teacher educators conference. The British Council, English and Foreign Languages University, English Language Teachers Association of India (ELTAI) and the International Association for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) will jointly host the Second International Conference for English Language Teacher Educators in Hyderabad on March 3-5. The conference organisers expect 1,000 private and public sector English language pre and in-service teacher educators and managers to participate in the three-day conference which will be webcast globally. There is widespread recognition in India that opportunities for high quality continuous professional development for teachers are limited, but rarely do teacher educators and trainers, or managers of teacher education programmes meet together to focus on how they can share their knowledge or improve and develop their skills. The role of the teacher educator is no less central than teachers and yet it has been greatly neglected, says Alison Barrett, head, English Language Partnerships, British Council India. For registration visit www.britishcouncil.org.in. Kidville University invites applications The Mumbai-based Kwakids Learning Pvt. Ltd, master franchisee in India of Kidville USA which operates over 20 preschool facilities around the world, launched Kidville University, its signature preschool programme, in Mumbai at the Kidville Centre, Atria Mall, Worli on January 24. Registrations are currently open for the academic year starting June. The Kidville University (KVU) programme is designed for children aged 15 months to 3.5 years and introduces toddlers to social skills within a playful setting as they transition to school. Kidville University has been promoted to provide experiential learning which is critical for children in their early formative years. The KVU programme offers curriculums that stimulate the natural curiosity of young children as they explore new ideas. Play centres such as blocks, dramatic play, a book corner, sensory and art, and small and big muscle play encourage…