Verizon Expands the Use of Classroom Mobile Technology

The Verizon (News - Alert) logo, a big red check mark, has become something of an icon over the years. And with the company’s recent foray into education, another item has been checked off its list of accomplishments: progressive teaching of technology.

The Verizon Foundation and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) are expanding their professional-development program for teachers working in schools of underserved areas. The program will build upon Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS).

The Verizon Foundation seeks to accelerate social change by using technology to solve problems in education, healthcare and energy management. It has invested more than half a billion dollars and logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a difference in the communities of Verizon employees. ISTE is a premier membership association for educators seeking to advance excellence in learning and teaching through the innovative use of technology in student and teacher education.

Through this new endeavor, teachers will receive two years of professional development to learn methods of implementing mobile technology in the classroom, especially surrounding the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Eighty percent of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States require proficiency in these STEM areas, and yet three million jobs in those positions remain unfilled; the US simply isn’t graduating enough students with adequate STEM experience. The Verizon Foundation and ISTE program would work to increase the appeal of those subjects for students, with the aid of technology to improve their performance.

The program funding has been increased to $1.6 million to cover 12 more schools, making for 24 schools and over 12,000 students benefitting across 18 states. With the VILS program, teachers reported 37 percent of students were improving in their learning of STEM subjects; a similar show of progress is expected with the expansion of the Verizon Foundation and ISTE endeavor.

"For schools to realize the potential of mobile devices as powerful learning tools, teachers must be supported with the professional development necessary to integrate these tools into teaching and learning," said ISTE CEO Brian Lewis. “Educators at all levels can use technology to personalize learning, engage students and help them navigate the path to success in our digital world."  

 Verizon’s efforts certainly look posed to pay off for students and teachers alike, and hopefully with the company’s influence, more educators will be checking “technology education” off their lists of future achievements.