Verizon Thinkfinity roles out in Rhode Island

After the event a room full of Rhode Island public school teachers were trained on how to use Thinkfinity.org in the classroom. From left are Kathleen Theriault, social studies teacher at Gorton Junior High School in Warwick, R.I.,; Gorton principal Mary Caporelli; Verizon New England President Donna Cupelo; Sherry Silven, head of the guidance department at Gorton; and Dr. Peter Horoschak, superintendent of the Warwick public schools.

The Verizon Foundation awarded $50,000 in grants to help educators in Rhode Island use Verizon Thinkfinity.org to improve student achievement.

The Rhode Island Network for Educational Technology (RINET) and the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education each received $25,000. The two organizations will collaborate as the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity state education partner, to provide professional-development opportunities to classroom teachers statewide through onsite and online training sessions. "Through this partnership and the use of Thinkfinity, some of the best ideas in education have been married in such a way that many of those long sought-after images of a transformed and modernized teaching and learning experience will truly happen in Rhode Island's classrooms," said Sharon Hussey, executive director of RINET.

In addition, five public schools and districts also received grants of $5,000 each to implement Thinkfinity.org. Ashton School, Cumberland; Frances Varieur Elementary, Pawtucket; Narragansett public schools; Ponaganset Middle School, Glocester; and Warwick public schools will all be using Thinkfinity.org to complement lessons this coming school year.

"Thinkfinity.org is a great educational tool that helps educators prepare students for the 21st century and helps the students reach their full potential," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon Region president of New England. "We want to encourage public school educators to use Thinkfinity.org in the classroom so that children gain the skills needed to be successful in a global economy."

Verizon Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive Web site containing more than 55,000 educational resources, including standards-based, grade-specific, k-12 lesson plans, online educational games, videos and other materials all provided in partnership with many of the nation's leading educational organizations.