How Verizon Is Integrating Technology Into Classrooms With Advocacy Support From America Ferrera
As school districts across the country rebound from one of the most challenging years in history and prepare to re-open for in-person learning, many educators are looking for additional resources to help students succeed following 18 months of disrupted schooling. It would seem that integrating technology into classrooms has become crucial to children, both neurotypical and neurodivergent, as we continue to navigate this new normal.
In addition, studies have shown that low-income students are approximately seven months behind in their education due to the pandemic. Verizon wants to help ensure no student is left behind by providing education resources to support digital inclusion with several initiatives to integrate immersive STEM technology into classrooms and communities. These efforts are part of the company's investment to help vulnerable communities.
This mission is something Actress and activist America Ferrera also feels strongly about. "My mother wanted us to have every opportunity with education," Ferrera said. "While we didn't have all of the financial resources and the know-how to navigate the public school system, we had a parent at home that was deeply invested in our education, and that set us up to have a chance. It's devastating in homes where kids don't have the resources or the luxury to be focused on their education because they are scraping by or just working to have food on the table."
Therefore, Verizon, with the advocacy support of America Ferrera, is launching Verizon's new education portal, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, which will, for the first time, scale the resources of Verizon Innovative Learning - the company's education initiative addressing barriers to digital inclusion - and its proven approach to integrating technology into the classroom.
"Digital inclusion was an important objective before the pandemic and an area we've been investing in for years, but we've all learned now just how important it is to achieve," said Rose Stuckey Kirk, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Verizon. "We're continuing to provide tech-fueled strategies to empower educators to help build the next generation of innovators who will continue to move our world forward."
Even before the pandemic happened, there has been an inequity in education. Children living in poverty have higher absenteeism or leave school altogether because they are more likely to work or care for family members. Dropout rates of 16 to 24-years-old students from low-income families are seven times more likely to drop out than those with higher incomes. A higher percentage of young adults (31%) without a high school diploma live in poverty, compared to the 24% of young people who finished high school and 40% of children living in poverty aren't prepared for primary schooling.
These statistics are nothing new to Ms. Ferrera. "I've seen this play out in my own life and domestically in the US and abroad, listening and learning about how children fall behind in extreme poverty. Part of the solution is making education flexible - the way we think about it. While I'm sure technology has its limits, I've seen with my own eyes that the more access to resources meets you where you actually are and are flexible to be a part of your life, opportunity follows."
Verizon hopes to accomplish precisely this by creating access to more students by expanding the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program, equipping students and teachers at select Title I schools across the country with technology, access, innovative learning programs, and professional development. The program, through Digital Promise, will welcome 246 new schools from 50 districts across the country this fall, nearly doubling the program's reach to 511 schools nationwide and providing almost 183,000 new students with technology resources.
"Verizon is scaling the company's efforts in support of digital inclusion to help ensure no student is left behind," Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer of Verizon, said. "Combining access, the power of next-gen technology, and the mission of Citizen Verizon to move the world forward for all, we're helping to create equity in the classroom at a moment when it has never been more crucial."
"I went to public school my whole life," Ferrera shared. "My opportunity to explore my own talents was limited to what was available to me. I didn't have a mother who could pay or drive me to after school drama program. If I wanted to do something outside of the regular school day - it was a massive task to figure out just how to get there! 'How can I get to tutoring? Who can pick me up?' It's often those mundane concerns that limit access to opportunities. In those instances, technology being present in a young person's home is a company game-changer."
The portal includes content curated by Columbia University, New York University, Arizona State University, and other academic institutions that provides immersive AR and VR experiences paired with lesson plans. In addition, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ is making next-gen tech available to everyone, including all K-12 teachers nationwide.
"We hope teachers utilize Verizon Innovative Learning HQ to help children re-engage with STEM topics after a year and a half of remote learning," said Alex Servello, the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Verizon. "For instance, a 2020 study by McKinsey & Company estimated that US students might lose nine months of learning gains in math, on average as a result of the pandemic. With apps/modules that focus heavily on creating immersive STEM experiences, including exploring space or underwater environments in VR, our goal is to make these topics more accessible for students overall."
Fostering STEM Skill Development
Verizon's continued efforts to foster digital inclusion also include launching a new initiative: Verizon Community Forward. This new program will reinvigorate community spaces, providing under-resourced populations with the skills they need to be prepared for the digital workforce and 5G economy.
The program will give K-12 students with STEM education, adults with digital literacy training, high school students, and adults with workforce development and entrepreneurship learning opportunities through advanced technology and educational resources.
Each innovation center space will be a reconstructed room housed within an existing community space, such as a library, recreation center, or community college, and will offer exploratory digital learning opportunities for STEM-related career pathways with a focus on job skills. The Verizon Community Forward initiative will launch in September with ten community centers across Portland, Pittsburgh, Houston, and Cleveland opening through 2022.
Supporting Children With Special Needs
As the parent of an autistic child, I asked about the platform's capability for neurodiverse students. "Many of the applications and experiences that will be available to students and educators, such as Verizon Innovative Learning Lab Online application, have voice-to-text and text-to-voice accommodations to support a diverse student population in terms of accessibility," explained Servello. "We also provide educators with credentialed professional development on technology integration for diverse learners. Educators can earn micro-credentials in Learner Variability and Creating Digitally Inclusive and Accessible Learning Environments.
Servello stresses that the app or learning tool alone can not always create that inclusive environment; it needs to be supported by effective instruction and facilitation by a teacher. That's why all of their apps are paired with customizable lesson plans that allow educators to augment our tools to meet their students' individual needs.
Citizen Verizon In Action
These efforts are part of Citizen Verizon's responsible business plan for economic, environmental, and social advancement. Through Citizen Verizon, the company is committed to providing 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030, preparing 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030, supporting 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy by 2030, and achieving net-zero operational emissions by 2035.