Social Innovation: The Verizon Foundation Brings the 21st Century to U.S. Classrooms
It will soon be back to school time, and when classes start again in the U.S., some classrooms will be able to embrace social innovation, thanks to the Verizon Foundation. The Foundation is helping to change how teachers teach and how students learn in the 21st century. There will be teachers who will be able to enhance their students' learning experience because they have attended a three-day professional training program organised by the Foundation, showing them how to use mobile technology in their classrooms.
Eighth-grade science teacher Manjot Choudary at Charles Carroll Middle School in New Carrollton, Maryland was not convinced at first about the training when she signed up for professional development to learn how to better use iPads as a learning tool. However, her view quickly changed after one day into the workshop, and Ms Choudary and her colleagues now cannot wait to take what they've learned back to the classroom. Ms. Choudary's school is part of the Verizon Innovative Learning School (VILS) program; there are 12 schools located in underserved areas across America that will receive ongoing year long training fromInternational Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which is working with the Verizon Foundation.
ISTE is a prestigious global organisation dedicated to helping educators use social innovation and technology effectively to support students learning science, technology, engineering and math. Together, the Verizon Foundation and ISTE have developed a year-long program that includes not just the on-site workshops, but virtual training with webinars and coaching.
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Sangeeta Haindl is a staff writer for Justmeans on Social Enterprise. When not writing for Justmeans, Sangeeta wears her other hat as a PR professional. Over the years, she has worked with high-profile organizations within the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors; and won awards from her industry. She now runs her own UK consultancy: Serendipity PR & Media.
