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Verizon Launches Free Scholastic High School Esports League

Through its Verizon Innovative Learning HQ suite of free learning content and resources, Verizon has launched its first-ever scholastic high school esports league. The league opened for registration on Aug. 8 and will run from Sept. 23 to Dec. 13.

Verizon partnered with nonprofit Games for Change on the initiative, which will provide participating schools with free coaching guidance from esports professionals to help prepare teams across areas ranging from technical skills to health and wellness for gamers, the company explained in a news announcement.

In addition, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ users can access a variety of free esports- and gaming-related professional development, lesson plans, and other resources, including:

  • Professional development collections for teachers and administrators focused on how to integrate esports, gaming, and game design into K-12 classrooms;
  • Toolkits for bringing hackathons, game design challenges, and gaming clubs to schools;
  • A collection of video resources showcasing esports careers and gaming professionals;
  • CareerXRcade, an immersive learning experience from Arizona State University focused on careers in esports and cybersecurity; and
  • Professional Pathways: Esports, curriculum materials providing project-based learning for students to explore the esports industry.

Verizon has also expanded its other Innovative Learning HQ offerings. New resources include:

  • A new episode of the TimePod Adventures augmented reality app, along with four new lessons, developed by Discovery Education;
  • Spanish-language versions of all McGraw Hill augmented reality activities, across math, science and social studies subject areas;
  • Four new courses from the PhET project at the University of Colorado Boulder, to help math and science educators to leverage free PhET simulations in their classrooms; and
  • Professional development modules and 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 — developed in partnership with NYU's Tandon School of Engineering.

"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," commented Donna Epps, chief responsible business officer at Verizon, in a statement. "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 esports to immersive learning, and ensure teachers have the tools to integrate technology in the classroom."

For more information, visit the Verizon site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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