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Verizon Thinkfinity Scholars

Pictured left to right: Bowie State University (BSU) Students Ashlee Thompson; Itumeleng Shadrek; Jason L. Groves (Verizon's assistant vice president of government affairs); Nakisha Yates; Traki Taylor-Webb (BSU's dean, College of Education); Ebony Tyson; Ashley Baker; Mark Connelly; and Mickey L. Burnim (BSU president).

BOWIE, Md. - Eight Bowie State University (BSU) students, selected as Verizon Thinkfinity Scholars, will continue the second phase of their year-long internship this spring by incorporating resources from Thinkfinity (http://www.thinkfinity.org/), the Verizon's Foundation's free educational website, into their teaching plans in Prince George's County public schools.  Verizon Thinkfinity provides thousands of free educational resources including K-12 lesson plans, podcasts and videos created by many of the nation's leading educational organizations.

Bowie State's College of Education partnered with Verizon to develop the Thinkfinity Scholars Program, which provided tuition assistance to the selected students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in education and want to become teachers.  The students began teaching in the county schools during the 2009 fall semester and will hone their skills this spring before graduating in May. 

"Verizon has opened a whole new world of learning for our Verizon Thinkfinity Scholars and their students," said Dr. Traki Taylor-Webb, BSU dean of the College of Education.  "Our future teachers, their mentor teachers, students and their parents have access to materials, including well-researched resources that make their daily lessons even more lively, exciting and enriching.  There are even opportunities for students from elementary through high school to insert themselves into lessons to make learning real for them. 

"We are very fortunate to have Verizon's Thinkfinity as a part of the educational experiences of our teacher interns," Taylor-Webb added.  "We appreciate the time Verizon has taken to make such a valuable investment in education."   

Linda Boyd, BSU project manager for the Thinkfinity Scholars Program, said, "While teaching in the classrooms, the students are required to incorporate Verizon's Thinkfinity online educational resource into their lesson plans during a year-long teaching internship under the supervision of a mentor teacher."

Thinkfinity scholar and Phase II intern Ashley Baker, who teaches pre-kindergarten at Marlton Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, said she uses the online resource to help students build math skills and learn the alphabet.  She finds the Thinkfinity website particularly useful because all of the resources, such as lesson plans, interactive games, homework help and ideas for parents, are easily accessible in one location.  "Other online resources require that you search multiple sites to find a variety of educational resources," Baker said.

Itumeleng Shadreck, who is also a Phase II intern working with second graders at Oaklands Elementary School in Laurel, said, "Although the curriculum and plans are laid out for teachers, I like to search the Thinkfinity site for creative ways to teach lessons and activities and reinforce certain lessons for students who need it.  The website has helped my experience as a teacher because I have access to legitimate resources that follow national guidelines."

Verizon Thinkfinity's lesson plans for teachers are aligned to national and state educational standards. The website provides resources for parents, students, teachers and afterschool programs, according to Jason L. Groves, Verizon's assistant vice president for government affairs. 

"At Verizon, we believe technology can play a tremendous role in improving educational opportunities for all students," said Groves.  "We believe the dynamic resources created by our Thinkfinity partners will help inspire students and allow them to reach their full potential."

In addition to Baker and Shadreck, other participants in the Verizon Thinkfinity Scholars Program, and the schools where they will intern, are Cheryl Braddy (Bowie High School); Mark Connelly (Northview Elementary School); Tracey Cork (Bowie High School); Ashlee Thompson (Northview Elementary School); Ebony Tyson (Chapel Forge Elementary School); and Naskisha Yates (Bowie High School).

About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds who seek a high quality and affordable public comprehensive university.  The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education.  For more information, visit www.bowiestate.edu.