Source: Tech Rav
Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky, writes about the last edtech discussion meeting held recently at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ. At this second meeting of edtech passionate Jewish educators, the topic discussed was iPads in Jewish Education. The presenters came from schools with experience in using iPads in their classes and an Apple engineer.
Dave Marra, an Apple systems administrator, began the evening by showing some of the many featuers of the new iPad and particularly iBooks author and iTunesU. He described how these tools will make it simple for a teacher to create dynamic textbooks, namely online books that include video and other media within the books, and to make them available to their students, thus optimizing the learning experience.
Two educators from Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore, Mr. Noam Davidovics, Director of Educational Technology, and Mrs. Elisheva Erlanger, 5th Grade Chumash teacher, participated via webconference and shared their experiences in going 1:1 by providing iPads for every student in 4th through 6th grades.
Mr. David Galpert & Rabbi Joey Beyda, Assistant Principal at Yeshivah of Flatbush, presented about the Yeshivah of Flatbush 1:1 initiative which has already supplied 60 students with iPads and plans to supply every 9th and 10th grader with an iPad next school year.
Rabbi Pittinsky embedded parts of the recorded presentations on his blog for viewing by the wider Jewish community of Jewish educators.
Another of the participants of the educator's meeting, Rabbi Aaron Ross of Yavneh Academy shared his impressions of the meeting on his blog.
Rabbi Pittinsky expresses his hope that these small meetings are the preliminary steps that will lead to a large NY/NJ area Jewish Education Technology Conference in the near future.