CALGARY, Alberta --- May 1, 2007 --- The SMARTer Kids™ Foundation of Canada is now accepting applications for the 2007−2008 round of ImagiNations, an international collaborative learning program for elementary and primary school children. Selected schools receive a box containing a teddy bear, journal and photo album for a one-month period. During this time, students are encouraged to take the teddy bear home and document its adventures in the journal. Teachers and students are also expected to add memorabilia to the box such as maps, postcards, photographs and souvenirs. The teddy bear is then sent to the next school, where its accompanying journal and memorabilia are shared with a new class. In the 2007−2008 school year, at least 40 teddy bears will visit approximately 200 schools. Each teddy bear will travel to five schools that are grouped to ensure geographical diversity. Since the program's inception in 2003, ImagiNations teddy bears have visited more than 600 classrooms and over 15,000 students around the world.

The idea for the ImagiNations program originated with a teacher who participated in the 2001–2002 Connections program, another collaborative learning program offered through the SMARTer Kids Foundation. The teacher used a traveling teddy bear as a way for her students to learn about other Connections students located throughout North America. Inspired by the success of this concept, the Foundation developed the ImagiNations program. The ImagiNations program fosters a shared learning experience in which children develop their writing skills and are exposed to the cultures, perspectives and experiences of their peers around the world. Teachers are encouraged to continue building relationships with participating schools worldwide by undertaking other collaborative learning projects.

“An appreciation for cultural diversity is an important lesson for children in today’s global society,” says Nancy Knowlton, executive director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. “ImagiNations is a way for schools worldwide to provide students with the opportunity to explore other cultures and new perspectives.”

The ImagiNations website contains a curriculum area to help teachers integrate the ImagiNations program into their curriculum. The travels of the ImagiNations teddy bears will be documented through journal entries and photos posted at www.smarterkids.org/ImagiNations.

Testimonials
“My language arts program came alive because students wanted to impress our bear Bloom and the other students in Missouri, Texas, Oregon and Massachusetts,” says Michelle Poisson, a grade six teacher at St. Pius X School in Ontario, Canada, who is a current participant in ImagiNations 2006−2007. “This program was also a wonderful way to communicate with my autistic, visually impaired students who responded to Bloom with love and affection. For six weeks, our goal was to constantly think of ways to share our part of Canada with so many students from the United States and we can’t wait to learn more about our new friends when Bloom returns to us in June. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity and I hope to be a participant again in the future.”

“My students wanted to hear about Curly’s adventures from his last school.… I was impressed that the kids were volunteering to write in his journal or read a bedtime story to him (their least favorite activities) and return Curly with the completed entry the very next day!” says Lynn Huber, a teacher at Collins Elementary School in Florence, KY, who is a current participant in ImagiNations 2006−2007. “The ImagiNations program provided excitement about reading and writing to my students. Therefore, I will continue to apply each year that it is available. Thank you for providing such a wonderful learning experience.”

“It's amazing how one little bear can impact an entire school, and there were more than 200 students directly involved in his day-to-day adventures,” says Deb Fox, Vero Beach, Florida, who participated in ImagiNations 2004−2005. “For [the bear's] farewell tour, we paraded him around the school in a little blue wagon. It was a very emotional experience for everyone, and some of the kindergarteners were even convinced that I would be leaving for Arkansas with him! Thanks for including us in this so-cool program.”

How to apply
Apply online at www.smarterkids.org/ImagiNations/apply.asp.
Applications must be submitted by midnight (mountain time) on August 13, 2007. Applicants will be notified of their application status by August 20, 2007. Full program details and eligibility criteria are available online.
Teachers applying to the program must teach students in kindergarten through sixth-grade who are able to correspond in English. Teachers and students are expected to contribute journal entries, photographs and memorabilia to the teddy bear's box before shipping the bear to its next destination. The Foundation will cover costs for shipping, journals and photo albums.

Supporting sponsors
The ImagiNations program is made possible through the generosity of the SMARTer Kids Foundation's supporting sponsors:

• SMART Technologies Inc., as the  founding sponsor, provides much of the vision and funding for ImagiNations
• Ty Canada Inc. provides Beanie Buddies® teddy bears that act as ImagiNations ambassadors
• Federal Express Canada Ltd. provides worldwide transportation for the teddy bears and accompanying memorabilia

About Federal Express Canada Ltd.
Federal Express Canada Ltd. is a global logistics and transportation company offering domestic and international shipping and electronic commerce solutions. The company uses real-time package status tracking systems, automated customs clearance services and a dedicated air and ground transportation network to serve Canadian and global markets. FedEx is dedicated to being the nation's “employer, neighbour and shipper of choice”. FedEx employs approximately 5,000 people in over 60 facilities coast-to-coast. For more information, visit http://www.fedex.ca/.

About SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada
The SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada is a private, not-for-profit organization that offers grants and programs for K–12 and higher education institutions. Its mission is to increase opportunities for teachers and schools to access education technology and use it effectively, to provide programs to help students appreciate cultural diversity, and to support research on the impact and effectiveness of technology used in the classroom. Its vision is to make a difference in education by helping establish a 21st-century learning environment for schools across North America and around the world.

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For more information, contact
Public Relations
SMARTer Kids Foundation
1207–11 Avenue SW, Suite 300
Calgary, AB  T3C 0M5
CANADA
Phone +1.403.802.2519 Fax +1.403.228.2500
Toll Free 1.888.42.SMART (Canada/U.S.)
pr@smarterkids.org
www.smarterkids.org

Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.