Grants for Jewish Middle School Badge Learning Available
Source: Tamritz Badge Learning Network
TAMRITZ is seeking to train and coach five Jewish Day Middle Schools who are passionate about harnessing digital media for impact on student learning and engagement. These Jewish Day Schools must be willing to take risks to pilot an innovative approach to learning with new media, “digital badge learning.”
TAMRITZ (“incentive”) seeks to create a national collaborative learning network for both students and teachers in Jewish Day Schools, integrating student learning, professional development and digital badging within one connected learning community. By leveraging new media literacies and tools, Tamritz’s digital badging framework will transform teaching practices and student learning experiences.
Badge learning is an innovative approach to instructional design and learning that uses digital media; project-based and student-centered learning; teacher as coach; multiple learning pathways; and formative student feedback. “Open Badges,” more than just graphic icons and coined by the Mozilla Foundation, communicate what a student knows and can do through metadata tied to each badge. Open Badges can be shared out through a variety of web-based interfaces, serving as transparent credentials for a student’s understandings, skills and accomplishments. And different from youth scouting badges that many of us are familiar with, Open Badges are truly learner driven.
Applications are open to Middle Schools, Grades 6-8, who are willing to designate 3-5 faculty as a “digital badge learning advisory team.” We are looking for Middle School applicants who are interested in exploring digital badge learning as one approach to blended, project-based and student-directed learning.
Explore the resources on the Tamritz web site to learn more about digital badge learning and the Tamritz Badge Learning Network.