On behalf of the Verizon Foundation, guest blogger Justina Nixon-Sanitil congratulates the top 10 creative student teams that won the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. More than 470 student teams from across the country submitted app concepts that address a need or problem in their schools or communities. Winning team members get a tablet computer from Samsung, and team schools get a $10,000 grant for STEM education.

 

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Guest blogger Justina Nixon-Saintil discusses the STEM Career Panel webcast held for the 70 top-scoring Best in State winners in this year's Verizon Innovative App Challenge. The webcast provided middle- and high school students with greater exposure to the career opportunities available for graduates with a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) backgrounds.

 

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Teach For America director Aisha Gayle blogs about a Verizon-sponsored teacher training session held Wednesday in New York City that shared new approaches for using technology in the classroom.

 

The training session was conducted in partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

 

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Just one day to go until our Twitter Chat marking National Digital Learning Day, which celebrates educators and highlights their effective use of technology in classrooms. Join us via Twitter hashtag #EdTechChat from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET. Educators and learning advocates from across the country will be discussing new and innovative ways to use digital technology in schools.

 

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Educators will celebrate successful instructional practices and the effective use of technology in classrooms on the 2nd annual Digital Learning Day, Feb. 6. Justina Nixon-Saintil previews the event and outlines Verizon's role in providing tech-based resources to support digital learning and teaching.

 

 

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In 12 schools around the country, a new Verizon Foundation partnership is giving teachers advanced skills on tablet computers and netbooks to better engage their students. Verizon's Justina Nixon-Saintil was there at one Maryland middle school to see how a little technology training can make a big difference.

 

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An innovative education pilot program in Georgia celebrated a successful launch last week. Funded in part by a  $250,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, Young Readers & Early Adopters aims to improve reading and comprehension for K-2nd grade students in low-income Latino communities and incorporate technology into classroom instruction. When the first batch of kids in the pilot program graduated, Verizon's Julie Smith was on hand to meet these students and was struck by how technology in the smallest hands made a big difference.

 

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Summer is in full swing, so how can parents keep kids active and learning? Verizon Thinkfinity has a collection of free educational online games from Verizon’s educational partners that will make learning fun. From preschoolers to high schoolers, there’s something for everyone.

 

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There is a lot of buzz in San Diego about the Verizon Foundation working with the International Society for Technology in Education to provide educators at 12 underserved schools with year-long professional development that will prepare them to use mobile technologies to support digital-age learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Guest blogger Yolanda Ramos explains.

 

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We often say that we work to build long-term value for both Verizon and for society. Nowhere is this more evident than in our support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and our emphasis on helping underserved schools integrate technology into classrooms.

 

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Our guest blogger today is Sanjay Udani, who handles Internet and Technology issues for Verizon's Public Policy Development group.

I got a chance to go to meet some amazing people today at the White House Science Fair. A bunch of kids who had come up with everything from a better way to protect the heads of soldiers from explosions to detecting nuclear radiation in containers. Some very important people were there to honor them: astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson; Bill Nye the Science Guy; NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld; Craig Barrett of Intel; and oh, a non-engineer named Barack.

 

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While it’s bitter cold outside, Verizon is already looking to summer, specifically summer jobs.

 

Today I participated in the “Summer Jobs +” event at the White House to represent Verizon’s internship program for the summer of 2012. This event was hosted by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling.

 

Verizon has established many partnerships to spread the word about our summer internship positions in the hopes of attracting a diverse, dynamic group of young people. We appreciate the White House and their efforts to connect the dots between jobs, youth, and the not-for-profit community that provide the steady drumbeat of support critical to the success of this initiative.

 

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Our guest blogger today is Ian Campo, College and Career Advisor for City Poly with contributions from the following students: Stanley Paul, Tiffany Cruz, Mohammad Zilon, Shane Thomas, Nkosi Alleyne, and Christana Adeyemi

City-Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology recently had the honor of taking part in Verizon Career Day at its operations center in Basking Ridge, NJ, on November 18, 2011.

 

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Our guest blogger today is Michael Koren, the 2010 National Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year.

 

Michael Koren interviewed Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, for the launch of the Thinkfinity Education Speaker Series, the online series that will bring some of the most inspiring voices in education to teachers and parents.  The speaker series will launch on September 27, with the availability of O’Connor’s video interview.  

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I know of all the good work that’s being done by the Verizon Foundation, but it’s especially sweet when we are recognized by the community.

 

Congratulations to Verizon Foundation President Rose Kirk!  Rose was honored recently as one of the National Urban League’s 2011 Women of Power.  The awards luncheon recognized eight women for their leadership and influence in civil rights, technology, entertainment, journalism, sports and the corporate sector. 

 

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Guest post by Howard Woolley, senior vice president, strategic alliances and wireless policy for Verizon. 

 

There are times in my work here at Verizon when I have an opportunity to observe first-hand how our broadband technologies are making a difference in society.  I get to see how our company’s success is shared with the communities we serve.  Last week was such a time.

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The Verizon Foundation is funding 50 percent of classroom projects posted by teachers on a special Double Your Impact webpage at DonorsChoose.org – up to a maximum of $10,000 – as part of the foundation’s annual Tools for School collection drive of essential school supplies.

 

Read more about the program and the teachers who have posted projects on DonorsChoose.org this year in the hopes that enough people will help make 2011-2012 a successful school year for their students.

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Today our guest blogger is Al Browne, Verizon Foundation Vice President for Education & Technology. Al is responsible for advancing the use of technology in education, including bringing high-quality online resources to teachers and students via our Thinkfinity program.

 

Thanks to all the teachers and members of the WeAreTeachers online community who voted Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org as one of the top five websites for free online classroom resources.

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Today our guest blogger is Jayne Mayer, Director of Employee Engagement at Verizon. Her topic is college scholarships for children of employees. It's another way we harness the power of our employees by providing them with the flexibility and resources to be effective at home and work:

 

In all, 530 students – all children or dependants of Verizon employees – will each receive a $5,000 scholarship for the 2011-2012 school year.

 

The scholarships are for incoming freshman and students continuing their education at an accredited four-year institution in the fall. Each scholarship is renewable for a maximum of three years and has a total value of $20,000. 

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Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop is our guest blogger today. He writes about a new partnership between The Electric Company and the Verizon Foundation.  We welcome The Electric Company to our lineup of content partners on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org, which provides free educational resources online.

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This week our guest blogger is Brian Malina. Brian handles external relations and public relations for the Verizon Foundation and our award winning education website, Thinkfinity.  This week he is Tweeting and blogging about a remarkable education conference in New York.

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As the end of Hispanic Heritage Month quickly approaches, I wanted to share some information about Verizon’s ongoing partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and its “Your Words Today” media campaign.

 

Designed to inspire parents to encourage their children to pursue a college education, the campaign illustrates the positive impact higher education has for the individual, their families and communities.

 

Since 1997, Verizon has supported HSF through scholarships, awarding nearly$2 million dollars to help more than 300 students achieve their dream of pursuing a college education.

 

This year, HSF asked if we would support its efforts in a different way in hopes of spreading their message of hope and education to parents and students dents across the Hispanic Community.

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My mother spent a mind-boggling 24 years—from the age of 26 when her first child entered first grade to the age of 50 when her eighth child graduated from high school—ensuring that her children were awake, fed, dressed and at school every day ready to perform.  

 

The education debate rages on, and in its midst, new views and old philosophies abound as to true reform. . .

 

 

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First, you engage with your heart; then your mind is provoked; suddenly outrage erupts. Once the emotions subside, you ask, “how did it come to this and what can I do to help?”

 

At least that’s how I’ve felt this week as I listened to, and engaged, in debates and dialogue surrounding the buzz coming from our Nation’s Capital and elsewhere on education reform.

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Those who regularly read this blog know I often write about technology as a valuable tool to help teachers inspire and excite their students about education.

Of course, technology is only part of the equation needed to ensure children are given the best opportunity to succeed in the classroom. Great teachers and active, involved parents play the largest role.

Then, there is the more simple tactile tools needed everyday in the classroom, such as crayons, notebooks, rulers and backpacks. And I’m happy to say, thanks to the generosity of Verizon employees and the public, more than 250 schools throughout the country have received a total of $300,000 worth of supplies to start the school year.

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In a few days, summer vacation 2010 will be just a memory and my two sons will be on their way back to the classroom.

 

As my family prepares for the upcoming school year, I know that teachers throughout the country are doing the same, setting up their classrooms, developing lesson plans and working hard to find innovative ways to excite and engage their students.

 

With that in mind, Verizon Thinkfinity has launched a new back-to-school feature designed to help teachers quickly, and efficiency find a host of free, standards-based resources in one spot, http://www.thinkfinity.org/back-to-school. Read more...

As the father of two young boys, I know the challenges of finding educational activities throughout the summer months to keep children learning, while also having a little fun. From summer camps on robotics to reading books together in the evening, we try to make educational activities an everyday activity.

The National Summer Learning Association says all students experience learning loss when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. In fact, education experts say students on average lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills.

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Linda Criddle, president of the Safe Internet Alliance, is the author of “New Trends in Child Safety Monitoring Tools for Cell Phones” which offers solid advice for parents of kids with cell phones. 

 

Click below to read more about these new trends. 

 

 

 

 

 

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(This post also can be found on our policy blog)

 

My colleagues, Jackie Ruff, Leslie Martinkovics and I,  with an able assist from Lindsay McQuaid of the Verizon Foundation, have just returned from Uganda where Verizon co-sponsored with the Internet Society (ISOC), the Uganda Communications Commission and the Uganda Martyrs University, a highly successful Symposium on ICT for Higher Education in East Africa . 

 

My opening remarks are attached below.  Read more about the symposium . . .

 

 

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I'm leaving this evening for Uganda to participate in a first-ever symposium that Verizon helped organize to find ways of improving Internet access between East Africa and the rest of the world—particularly for the region's universities.

 

Why East Africa?  The arrival of undersea cables to the shores of this region presents a terrific opportunity to build out a national backbone infrastructure.

 

 

 

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