Section archive - Technology & Computers

I first attended the International Society for Technology in Education Conference (better known as ISTE) in Philadelphia in 2011 as a part of a cohort from the Avi Chai Foundation. The conference with over 15,000 educators all dedicated to meaningful integration of technology into their classrooms was overwhelming - but in a good way. For this year’s Jewish Educators Network Meetup at ISTE, the planning committee which consisted of myself, Michael Cohen, Seth Dimbert, Stew Greenberg, and Benny Gross, wanted to give Jewish educators the opportunity to present to the group as well as have ample time for follow-up discussion, and give away and raffle off some serious swag. We made a call for presentations, received many worthy respondents, and came up with the following program of 5-minute Ignite Style presentations.

In this Educator Spotlight, Meirav Kravetz shares what she learned in our JBlend Miami program and how blended learning, personalization, and data are helping students succeed in Hebrew at all levels. I use Bishvil Ha-Ivrit, an online platform that expands and enriches the learning from the physical materials. For example, the platform enhances and supports the learning with audio recordings, interactive technology, documentary films, and more. The students can speak, read, write, and listen to spoken Hebrew, and learn about daily life in Israel, Jewish tradition and history, and general world knowledge.

Nearly 700 Israeli teens studying in science and technology schools in Israel are teaching Holocaust survivors to use computers and the internet. The students meet weekly in pairs with survivors in 22 cities across Israel through a program called Mechubarim, which means connected.

In the near future, Israeli students will receive a matriculation certificate without a matriculation test. Presently this applies to three subjects - history, Bible and literature - the revolutionary process is designed to encourage deep experiential learning rather than memorization of material. Instead of taking matriculation exams, students will perform various tasks throughout the year on the computer, at home and in class with close supervision of their teachers. The final grade will be made up of the grades given to the various assignments and will appear on the matriculation certificate.