Copyright © 2011 Verizon Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document may be reproduced and distributed solely for uses that are both (a) educational and (b) non-commercial. Any reproduction or distribution of this document for any other purpose, including commercial gain, is strictly prohibited. Middlesex County ETTC presents Bringing Social Studies to Life With the Verizon Foundations Thinkfinity NJEA Convention November 10 th 2011 John Kline NJSTOY08

2 An angry board member upset with daughters lack of understanding about September 11th confronted your principal last night. Your principal asked that you correct those misconceptions prior to the memorial service next week. An exciting chance to teach a valuable lesson, but it is late notice.

3 September 11 th Last Minute Lesson September 11 th Last Minute Lesson 1.September 11 th sort for = 88 results 2. unchpad-guided- exploration-events-911http://edsitement.neh.gov/la unchpad-guided- exploration-events-911 Results 1 of about 11,000,000 sites for September 11th September

4 The website ( contains thousands of free lesson plans and student materials for every core subject, designed by the leading educational organizations in the United States. Tens of thousands of FREE educational resources Accessible from school or home! A partnership between the Verizon Foundation and the nations leading educational organizations FREE professional development What is Verizon Thinkfinity ?

5 Verizon Foundations Core Initiatives: Promoting 21 st Century Skills Demonstrating a Commitment to Corporate Responsibility

6 Verizon Thinkfinity Search Engine

7 Verizon Thinkfinity Community

8 The Browse All option on the menu bar provides access to a variety of activities within the community: Find popular resources; save favorites Start or join discussions Locate or create documents Follow a community or group from the list that interests you. Search for other members (use the search filters to find them, then invite them to connect as friends.

9 Verizon Thinkfinity Professional Development Space 1.Log in to the Verizon Thinkfinity Community and click on the Home tab on the gold navigation bar. 2.Click on Professional Development under Places.

10 Verizon Thinkfinity is affiliated with these organizations: ISTE 100 Alliance Partnership for 21 st Century Skills State Educational Technology Directors Association National Education Association Council of Chief State School Officers

11 Thinkfinity Content Partners

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13 ISTE Alignment The International Society for Technology in Education has reviewed the Verizon Thinkfinity Integration Framework and we are pleased to report that they have determined that the framework clearly supportsInternational Society for Technology in Education the implementation of the 2008 National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) in a specific, carefully reviewed and documented manner, and prepares participants to substantially meet the following standards: 1a and 2a.National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T)

14 ISTE Alignment Standards 1A and 2A: I. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. A. Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. II. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETSS. A. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

15 Verizon Thinkfinity Integration Framework Process for IntegrationOutcomeGuiding Questions I. Motivation and Selection Educator identifies an instructional need, then selects a Verizon Thinkfinity resource to integrate that is related to identified need Appropriate resource identified, based on Instructional Need Instructional Need - The underlying purpose driving the selection and use of the Verizon Thinkfinity resource What standards and skills are to be addressed? What are the needs of the students regarding learning styles, working strategies, and ability levels? II. Consideration Educator thinks critically about the selected resource and develops a plan for the learning activity using the resource Well thought-out learning activity using the selected resource, with focus on Integration, Pedagogy and Logistics Integration - The purpose and placement of the Verizon Thinkfinity resource and the associated learning activity Within the specific learning activity, where and how will the VTF resource be used? How does the learning activity fit within the larger lesson or unit plan? Pedagogy - Teaching strategies and methods What teaching strategies will be used in this learning activity? How will this activity promote students development of 21st century skills (creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration)? How will this activity promote students acquisition of core content? Logistics - Materials, scheduling, etc. What classroom configuration will be used during this learning activity? What other materials does the activity require? What elements of classroom management need to be considered? III. Preparation Educator prepares materials and other logistical elements Availability of materials and arrangement of logistics What technology needs to be reserved/acquired? What resources need to be prepared? IV. Implementation and Observation Educator implements the learning activity and monitors student behaviors and outcomes Learning activity execution based on prior planning and immediate student response Is the learning activity going as I had envisioned? If not, is that okay? How are students responding to the learning activity? Do I need to adjust the activity based on student response? V. Reflection Educator reflects on the learning activity, recognizes areas of success and considers ideas for improvement Meaningful assessment of learning activity How successful was the learning activity overall? What expected and unexpected student outcomes occurred? What prior planning helped the success of the learning activity? What additional considerations would help this learning activity be even more successful?

16 How will I use this learning object? How much time do you have? HHHoo

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18 Whole group instruction with projection device One-to-one in rotating stations Whole group activity with small groups and mobile laptops Small groups in rotating stations One-to-one in computer lab One-to-one with individual laptops

19 ErrorIncorrect ResponseCorrect Response Instructional Objectives rather than Learning Objects The student will write…. The student will arrange… Interactive Persuasion Map ls/persuasion_map/ Too Many Learning Objects Interactive Persuasion Map Persuasive Speech Checklist SpeechWriting – Write It! Persuasive Speech Rubric American Rhetoric, Top Speeches Interactive Persuasion Map ls/persuasion_map/ Lack of detail as to what students should do with the learning object Students will understand that speeches may impact various groups of people. Students will work independently to enter title into Persuasion Map, listing main idea and supporting details… The Verizon Thinkfinity Integration Plan provides a comprehensive format for organizing all of the details that you should think about when designing an instructional activity that integrates a learning object.

20 Think about the questions asked in the four parts of the Considerations Worksheet Jot down some informal notes for each question. Circle Tool -

21 Synthesize information from the Considerations Worksheet as you prepare your Integration Plan

22 Brainstorm a topic / concept of interest Think about something that you will be teaching in the near future (next grading period) that you would like to supplement with some resources that you find in todays session.

23 Five Thinkfinity learning objects I have used in my classroom this year. 1. September 11 th Launchpad September 11 th 2.Viking Quest VikingsQuesthttp:// dfhttp:// df 3.Growing divide between North and South south antebellum-america-house-dividing antebellum-america-house-dividing 4.Start Spangled Banner/War of What was Columbus thinkinghttp://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/what-was- columbus-thinking#sect-thelessonhttp://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/what-was- columbus-thinking#sect-thelesson