Section archive - Technology & Computers

Rabbi Melissa Buyer, director of The Stephen S. Wise Temple Religious School in Los Angeles, has been implementing an innovative pilot education program in the school's fourth grade class during the present school year. The iLearn program, developed in collaboration with the Union for Reform Judaism, is a daring attempt to bring religious school into the 21st century. iLearn integrates technology into every area of the learning community, including teaching instruction, student collaboration, student work, and evaluation. One day of the two day a week iLearn program is done online in a virtual classroom, while the second day is done in the school to maintain and develop the feeling of community.

In today’s fast paced digital age, often parents feel left behind while their children seem to be easily navigating every rapid change and innovation. It is no wonder many parents are at a loss of how to assist, monitor and guide their children through the digital maze of the Web2.0 explosion. Eliezer Jones edited this guide to begin to assist parents in making informed decisions about technology, social media and the internet that are best for their children and family.

Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky of the Frisch School writes about how utilizing technology can help cure boredom in the classroom. With on-site school educational technology coordinators providing 'just on time' professional development for staff in integrating technology into their curriculum, effective pedagogy can help create a stimulating and engaging learning environment for students.

With charters having recently been granted for two online schools in NJ, the path may now be open for a creative opportunity to solve – or at least ameliorate – the Jewish day school tuition crisis. In the case of a virtual charter school, the local education agency (LEA) along with the state pays for the full cost of education for each student enrolled in the school, including the cost of the education program, books, lab materials, and computer expenses, as well. The location of the actual computer onto which the student logs-on is irrelevant to the government, thus bringing the OU’s Department of Day School & Educational Services to suggest that Jewish day schools examine the option of having students learn their general studies at the yeshiva – but through the online program, cutting tuition costs drastically.