Verizon Innovative Learning brings esports to classrooms for back to school

What you need to know:

BASKING RIDGE, NJ – As teachers and students prepare to return to classrooms this Fall, Verizon is furthering its commitment to powering tomorrow’s leaders and ensuring all students have an opportunity to succeed through its award-winning initiative, Verizon Innovative Learning. And this year, the program is unveiling brand-new learning resources that will connect students closer than ever to one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. – esports and gaming – and give teachers the tools to incorporate it in their classrooms.

Today, through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, Verizon is announcing its first-ever, FREE, scholastic high school esports league. The esports league opens for registration today (August 8) and the league runs from September 23 to December 13. In partnership with nonprofit Games for Change, participating schools will receive free coaching guidance from esports professionals to help prepare teams across areas ranging from technical skills to health and wellness for gamers.

In addition to our new esports league, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ users have access to esports and gaming professional development, lesson plans, and other resources to bring this exciting content into K-12 classrooms:

• Professional development collections for teachers, school leaders, and district leaders focused on how to integrate esports, gaming, and game design into K-12 classrooms.
• Ready to use toolkits and lessons to bring hackathons, game design challenges, and gaming clubs to schools.
• Immersive content and video resources showcasing esports careers including Voices from the Field, a collection of video interviews with esports and gaming professionals. Also, from our partners at Arizona State University, CareerXRcade, a gamified, XR learning experience that brings to life for students various careers in esports and cybersecurity, as well as Professional Pathways: Esports, a complementary curriculum providing project-based learning for students to explore the esports industry.

Beyond esports and gaming, we continue to expand our Verizon Innovative Learning HQ offerings for back to school, thanks to our partners:

• Discovery Education: The latest episode of the TimePod Adventures augmented reality (AR) app as well as 4 new lesson plans are now available on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. App users can go back in time to return a dinosaur egg to its home before it hatches.
• McGraw Hill: The global education leader is rolling out Spanish-language versions of all 30 McGraw Hill AR activities on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. All 30 activities across math, science and social studies subject areas are now available via app and web.
• PhET Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado Boulder: The PhET project at the University of Colorado Boulder is unveiling four new courses on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ that will empower math and science educators to leverage free PhET simulations in their classrooms to support students to engage in the exploration of mathematical and natural principles.
• Museum Initiative: Verizon Innovative Learning, in partnership with NYU Tandon School of Engineering, will continue to develop professional development modules and ready-to-teach lesson plans from various museum and cultural institution partners, including The Franklin Institute, Liberty Science Center, Children’s Creativity Museum, Providence Children’s Museum, and Belle Isle Conservancy.

“For over a decade, Verizon’s steadfast commitment to educators and students has made a lasting impact on nearly eight million students nationwide. We are continuing to augment and advance our technology-centric curriculum – adding new programs, partners and content – to ensure more and more students can unlock new opportunities, said Donna Epps, Chief Responsible Business Officer at Verizon. “As technology and innovation advances, so does our support. Our new, free offerings continue to meet demands and interests across today’s students, from gaming to e-sports to immersive learning, and ensure teachers have the tools to integrate technology in the classroom.”

Verizon Innovative Learning

Verizon Innovative Learning has committed over $1 billion in market value to support digital equity and inclusion within education across the country. Focused on helping students develop the skills, knowledge and capabilities for success, the award-winning initiative has now reached nearly 8 million students across the U.S. and provided hundreds of Title I schools with connectivity and next-gen technologies that bring innovative lesson plans to life.

In partnership with the nonprofit Digital Promise, Verizon is expanding the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program by welcoming 34 new Title I schools. This brings the program’s total reach to 626 schools nationwide. Students and teachers of this new cohort will be equipped with devices including tablets and laptops as well as up to four years of data—empowering 24/7 learning in and out of the classroom.

In addition, Verizon is opening 18 new Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in Title I schools this school year, bringing the total to 161 labs across the country. In collaboration with nonprofit partner Heart of America and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab program provides students with access to robust, hands-on learning tools such as VR equipment, 3D printing stations, AR apps and more in a custom-designed, state-of-the-art experiential learning environment.

These efforts are part of the company’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement with the goal to provide 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030.

Verizon delivers back-to-school savings

Verizon is offering teachers, students and families best in class products for back-to-school. Whether it’s a Gizmo watch or protection plans for all your important devices, Verizon has you covered. Plus, stay connected after school with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for $10/mo – and get up to $540 when you bring your phone and switch (with select Unlimited plans).¹ Also, teachers get the best out of myPlan for as low as $25 a line.²

¹ 3rd party entertainment offers require a line subscribed to Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate. Must be 18 yrs or older. Cancel anytime. One offer per eligible Verizon line. Add’l terms apply. Disney Bundle incl. Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (With Ads), and ESPN+ (With Ads). EXISTING DISNEY+, HULU OR ESPN+ subscribers: Offer will not automatically replace existing subscription(s). Managing subscriptions may be required to avoid multiple subscriptions and corresponding charges. $8.99/mo perk savings based on the current $18.99/mo that Verizon Disney Bundle Subscribers pay for the bundle less the $10/mo Disney perk added to myPlan. Terms apply. © 2024 Disney and its related entities.

$540 via promo credit when you add a new smartphone line with your own 4G/5G smartphone on Unlimited Ultimate plan req’d. Promo credit applied over 36 months; promo credits end if eligibility requirements are no longer met. Offer may not be combined with other offers.

² $25/line per month with 4 lines on Unlimited Welcome. With Auto Pay. Plus taxes and fees. For personal lines only