Virtual Backpack is Bursting at the Seams


School is back in session, and Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation's portal for innovative learning and literacy tools, is helping teachers, parents and school librarians dust the cobwebs from their students' brains.

Almost 50 million students headed back to public elementary and secondary schools this fall, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

While they bought school supplies and packed lunches, Thinkfinity.org launched its Back-to-School Campaign.

"The purpose of this campaign is to bring the importance of education front and center by featuring the introduction of more than 300 new free resources on Thinkfinity.org to stimulate learning in the classroom, after school and at home," said Albert Browne, Verizon Foundation program director - Thinkfinity.org.

"Since the site's launch in March 2007, the Verizon Foundation has committed more than $32 million to update and expand Thinkfinity.org and provide training to teachers. We are leveraging one of our company's greatest strengths - our expertise in broadband technology - to support innovative, technology-based approaches to lifelong learning."

The newest online back-to-school resources include new lesson plans and professional development materials for teachers, new learning tools for tutors and parents and creative new interactives for students. For example:

  • Funny Money or Phony Money The National Council on Economic Education's EconEd Link helps students learn about the importance of having a standard monetary system, the value of a good or service and its cost. It also teaches the difference between authentic currency and counterfeit money.
  • Greater Than, Less Than and Equal To Young children have fun learning about these important math concepts from lesson plans developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Children maneuver opened-mouth fish and clams to food.
  • Searching for Oil Older students explore how geoscientists use technology and computer modeling to find oil and natural gas, with help from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"Learning is important - whether inside or outside the classroom," said Browne. "This campaign is an opportunity to highlight the resources we offer and build interest in the many exciting ways there are to learn."

The Back-to-School Campaign ends in October, but the new resources will continue to be available at http://thinkfinity.org/backtoschool.