Thinkfinity.org Selected as a Top Website for Free Educational Resources

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Thinkfinity.org has been selected as one of the top five websites for free online classroom resources by members of the WeAreTeachers online community.

Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation's free educational platform, received the Teachers Select award in EdNET's Best for 2011, a new recognition program developed by education research company MDR, with the support of Educational Systemics, a strategic planning and product development company. The program recognizes leaders and innovators in the education marketplace.

"As a 2011 Teachers Select recipient, Thinkfinity.org is one of the most recommended free online resources by educators in the WeAreTeachers online community," said Dr. Nelson Heller, president of EdNET, MDR. "Being named among the EdNET's Best top five puts you on the shortlist of exemplary offerings in the education industry."

Thinkfinity.org provides thousands of free educational resources to teachers, parents and students to use in and out of the classroom.  

In addition to providing standards-based resources from the nation's leading educational organizations, Thinkfinity.org also offers a comprehensive professional-development program that allows teachers to sign up for free online or face-to-face training to learn how to make the most of Thinkfinity tools.  It also includes the Thinkfinity Community, an online spot for teachers, administrators and parents to ask questions, share ideas and discussion education topics of today.

Content for Thinkfinity.org is provided through a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and 10 of the nation's leading organizations in the fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Council for Economic Education, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

The Verizon Foundation uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

EdNET, the education business network, brings recognized industry experts, education business executives, and school leaders together to share insight, explore trends, find opportunities, and build partnerships. The EdNET offerings include EdNET Insight, the decision support service; the EdNET Conference, the "must-attend" education event for leaders in the education market; and the EdNET News Alert, the free weekly e-newsletter, all owned and operated by MDR.

MDR, for more than 40 years, MDR has been the market's first choice for marketing information and services for the K-12, higher education, library, early childhood, and related education markets. Powered by the most complete, current, and accurate education databases available in the industry, MDR provides email contacts and deployment, direct mail lists, sales contact and lead solutions, along with social media marketing services and the EdNET community. For more information, call 800-333-8802 or visit http://www.schooldata.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 104 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon