Canby Educator Jennifer Gingerich Receives 2004 National Inspired Teacher Scholarship for Visual Learning From Inspiration Software®, Inc.

Canby School District Educator Awarded Scholarship for Professional Development

PORTLAND, OR — March 15, 2004
Inspiration Software®, Inc., the Portland-based developer of visual learning software, today announced that Jennifer Gingerich, a technology trainer for the Canby School District, is a recipient of a 2004 Inspired Teacher Scholarship for Visual Learning.

In its sixth year, the Inspired Teacher Scholarship program supports professional development activities for K-12 educators who champion the integration of graphic organizers and technology into the curriculum. Gingerich joins 29 other award recipients worldwide who will use the $750 scholarships for a wide range of professional development activities, including attendance at a conference, training event or professional education course where visual learning is a key topic.

Gingerich developed a district wide professional development program to ensure that visual project based learning is an integral part of every K-5 classroom in Canby, resulting in an online archive of more than 300 lesson plans with visual learning activities. In addition to presenting workshops, she coaches teachers on instructional strategies that use technology by visiting their classrooms and presenting model lessons. Her creative visual learning activities range from working with kindergarten students to build graphic organizers so that they can better "read" and comprehend books to using concept maps to teach social studies to English Language Learning students.

"Each year, we look forward to reviewing Inspired Teacher Scholarship applications and the opportunity to learn more about the innovative ways that teachers are using visual learning methodologies," said Mona Westhaver, President and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "We are pleased to support education leaders, like Jennifer Gingerich, with scholarships for their professional development."

The 2005 Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning program will be announced in July and applications will be available in September.

About Inspiration Software, Inc.
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 10 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.