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Verizon ThinkfinityTraining Manual, Teacher's Guide, Online Trainer Resources and Thinkfinity Online Course
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By Verizon Thinkfinity
Certification: July 2003–2007
Category of Alignment / Partnership:
ISTE NETS Aligned for Development
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Description
The Verizon Thinkfinity program is a non–profit consortium of eight of the nation’s premier education organizations and the Verizon Foundation, each dedicated to providing the highest quality, standards-based, online educational resources for teachers and students nationwide. Thinkfinity content partners are: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Council on Economic Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Geographic Society, International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Thinkfinity's goal is to provide the best online educational resources and to help educators learn to use technology effectively within their instruction.
Thinkfinity provides trainers and classroom teachers with both the training and resources necessary to successfully integrate online educational resources into the K–12 classroom. Through an extensive train-the-trainer model and teacher training workshops, which feature multiple course offerings, on-site and Web-based sessions, and comprehensive measurement, Thinkfinity has trained more than 228,000 teachers to date. Our training paradigm is structured to provide teachers with basic and advanced skills to integrate online educational resources into their classrooms. At the core of the training paradigm are seven components. The seven components include: 1. Defining online content. 2. Training teachers to navigate and effectively use the Internet. 3. Identifying, evaluating, and selecting online content to meet the needs of students. 4. Developing standards-based lessons and activities that infuse other software applications as well as defining and exploring the five types of online content. 5. Examining the factors that impact effective integration such as alignment to local standards, classroom management techniques, and equity and accessibility issues. 6. Providing ongoing professional development sessions and resources via distance learning, Thinkfinity’s Teacher Resources, and Thinkfinity’s Trainer Resource Center. 7. Tracking a teacher’s professional development growth through 10-week surveys, one-year surveys, and follow-up reports. Our courses are delivered on-site and online. There are six on-site course offerings as well as five online training courses. All courses are listed on the Thinkfinity Web Site at http://www.thinkfinity.org/pd/course_descriptions.aspx. In addition, Thinkfinity training sessions are supported by the highest quality training materials. Materials include a comprehensive Teacher Training Kit and Teacher’s Guide that provides an overview of all the Partner sites, as well as sample lessons, activities, and template for successfully integrating online educational resources.
Review Summary and Statement of Alignment
The International Society for Technology in Education completed its review of Thinkfinity Training Manual, Teacher’s Guide, Online Trainer Resources and B>Thinkfinity Online Course on June 30, 2003, and determined that they clearly support implementation of the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) in a specific, carefully reviewed and documented manner and prepare participants to substantially meet the following standards:
Thinkfinity Training Manual, Teacher’s Guide and Online Trainer Resources
| NETS•T ALIGNMENT |
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Supports significant growth for: I.A., II.A., II.B., II.C., II.D., II.E., III.A., III.D. |
Thinkfinity TCH-1 Online Course
| NETS•T ALIGNMENT |
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Meets: I.A., II.A., V.C., V.D. |
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