Copyright © 2010 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. What is Verizon Thinkfinity? Catherine Giddens South Carolina Department of Education

2 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 nation’s leading educational organizations FREE professional development What is Verizon Thinkfinity?

3 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

4 Verizon Thinkfinity Content Partners:

5 How did you become aware of energy issues? Blah, blah, blah, fossil fuels, blah, blah, blah, oil reserves ….. Zzzzz…?!?!?! Huh?

6  Can you generate enough energy for your town without running out of money?  How does the use of an energy source impact the quality of life for the people in the community? Power Issues – Environment and Economics Lesson Plan

7 Learning Objects  For students  For teachers  Online (to be used on the computer)  Offline (Print-ready) Verizon Thinkfinity Educational Resources

8 Ready to Use Lesson Plans (Learning Objects are embedded!) Verizon Thinkfinity Content Partners

9 Partner-Reviewed Web Links (These are Learning Objects, too!) Verizon Thinkfinity Content Partners

10 Worksheets Interactives E-Sheets Podcasts Printable Maps Primary Source Documents Rubrics Web sites Virtual Museums Graphic Organizers Photographs Video Clips Online Manipulatives Quizzes Audio Clips Learning Objects

11 Navigating the Thinkfinity.org Homepage (go to live site)site

12 Resources to Demo: --MS>>Highlight these: Read Write Think— Resume lesson htmlhttp:// 295.html Interactive: EdSitement—monthly features and related lessons--poetry keyword search Illuminations—home improvement—The Cost of a Great Looking Floor” Patch Tool Interactive Science Net Links—featured PowerUp in PPT-intro. wow EconEdlink—keyword search careers –“To Be or Not to Be” AND “Wages and Me” Arts Edge—keyword search Myths Xpeditions—Atlas and sample search off Thinkfinity search “US geography” grades 6-8th—note yellow star for SC standards for “Migration:Why People Move” Smithsonian—search term “Civil rights” grades 6 th -8th—also note “How to Use this Site” at bottom of home page

13 Resources to Demo: --HS>>Highlight these: Read Write Think— Resume lesson htmlhttp:// 295.html Interactive: EdSitement—monthly features and related lessons--poetry keyword search Illuminations—demo search off home page> Compound Interest Calculator— Science Net Links—featured PowerUp in PPT-intro. Wow EconEdlink—keyword search careers –“To Be or Not to Be” AND “Wages and Me” Arts Edge— Xpeditions—Atlas and sample search off Thinkfinity search “geography” grades 9-12—note yellow star for SC standards Smithsonian—search term “Brown vs Board of Education” grades 9-12—also note “How to Use this Site” at bottom of home page

14 Librarians Teaching Research: ml question-answer-books-353.html through-teaching-internet-983.html comprehension-action-teaching-1028.html Partner Reviewed Sites:

15 Thinkfinity.org Homepage

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20 Thinkfinity.org Homepage Begin search here with keyword…

21 Contact Information for Free PD: Catherine Giddens, SCDE Office of eLearning Cgiddens on Skype Online course – Thinkfinity for SC Teachers 40 renewal credits $60 Falll