Thinkfinity

= Thinkfinity =

Thinkfinity is an initiative sponsored by the Verizon Foundation. The website can be found by clicking on the Thinkfinity logo at the top of this page. Thinkfinity is considered the "cornerstone" of the Verizon Foundation's literacy, education and technology initiatives. Their goal is "to improve student achievement in traditional classroom settings and beyond by providing high-quality content and extensive professional development training". The Verizon Foundation has partnered with various educational organizations to make this a quality website for all involved.

The Thinkfinity website is a storehouse for lesson plans for all educational stages and subjects. These lesson plans help educators in making their classroom experience valuable to the students by utilizing various technological tools. The Thinkfinity assignment for EDT6010 required that the student evaluate two lesson plans found on the website. I explored the Thinkfinity website for quite some time before coming across two lesson plan that I found intriguing and challenging. The evaluations were specific and we were required to explain the intent of the lesson and how we would utilize it in the classroom environement. The lesson plans I chose were of personal interest to me and they were something I would use for teaching these lessons if given the opportunity.

The first lesson plan that caught my eye was something I hope I will have the opportunity to use in the future. I am staying with a more classical literature / history theme throughout my projects here and the "Tragic Love: Introducing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" lesson plan was a perfect fit. My evaluation of this Thinkfinity project reveals how to incorporate this into a unit entitled "Shakespeare's Tragedies". Shakespeare is a passion of mine and I believe it is important to remove the stigma of the bard's plays as being dry, complicated, and uninteresting. This is the reason many young people miss out of the interesting, exciting, and colorful world of Shakespeare. This Thinkfinity lesson plan requires the students to investigate the play before they read it word for word. It is asking them to see the similarities between the young characters in the play and the young people of today. It also touches on the idea of "tragedy" and how that is viewed by teenagers in modern time. When presented in the right way, this lesson will assist the students in having a more open view of the story as a whole. They will most likely become more sympathetic to the characters; therefore, they will be more willing to read the play and enjoy it with a critical mindset.

The second lesson plan can be applied in a similar way to the first, but it delves into the subject of classical literature in a much deeper, more philosophical way. This lesson could be taught in a unit called "The Human Condition in Literature". This lesson plan may be better utilized in a higher education environment. The lesson plan entitled "Ancient Greek Theater: Live from Antiquity!" is using the theatrical environment and the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, in particular. This play is used as a tool to study the history of literature as well as the social and political mores of the ancient Greek people.

My evaluation of this Thinkfinity lesson plan concentrates on aiding the student in understanding ancient Greek society through the reading of the play "Antigone" rather than encouraging the student to understand the play alone. There are many facets here in this lesson plan such as learning about Sophocles, details about ancient Greek society and philosophy. There is also room to study the relationships between man and society, women and men, rich and poor, young and old, etc. I found this lesson plan intensely intriguing and it would be a great way to initiate an lively discussion concerning all the themes mentioned here.

To better understand Thinkfinity and its initiatives, I am very interested in pursuing the Thinkfinity Teacher Training and Professional Development training to better understand and better utilize the vast amount of information found in this website. I am a professional development trainer for educators where I am currently employed and this would be something I would enjoy sharing with the teachers at the college. I would also enjoy delving into the Thinkfinity Literacy Network. Because I teach Pre-Tech Writing (this is a developmental class), I strive to encourage my students to read to help them understand the nuances of proper grammer and writing techniques. This Thinkfinity program is not just for K-12 students, but adult learners as well.

I found this exercise wonderfully enlightening regarding both the mechanics and the content of lesson plans. Before enrolling in my Master's program, I thought lesson plans were something created by serious, dry academics sitting in their musty offices contemplating ways to make students' classroom experiences incredibly boring in the name of education. I can say that I no longer think in that way as I have had the opportunity view what really takes place during the lesson plan process. I have been so impressed by the creativity and the "out of the box" thought processes I have witnessed perusing the Thinkfinity website. The website created a renewed excitement in me regarding lesson plans and teaching in general.