March 2011 Blog Posts (26)

Check out this video about a school within a school, where the curriculum, goals, projects, etc are set up by the students.

Here is an article about this program, via the NY Times.

Questions:

What do you think about this?

Does this have any application within our…

If you did not catch this clip from the Daily show last week or find it being passed around your friends facebook page or twitter account, here it is. It is a very funny and engaging clip that can be used to trigger a conversation, project or just enhance a classroom lesson on such topics as Eruv, Jewish observance, Rabbinic law, Haterim versus loopholes, Shabbat, Orthodoxy, Anti-Semitism, Self-Hating Jews, Ahavat Yisroel (love for fellow Jews),…

We are delighted to announce that applications for the new Darim Online Social Media Boot Camp for Educators (2011-2012) are open! Learn more... and apply!!

• Are you a creative, curious, risk-taking educator in a Jewish educational setting?
• Do you have a really great idea for using new media / educational technology that you’ve wanted to test out?
• Do you want Darim to be your personal coach and mentor as you plan and launch your project?
• Is your…

AVI CHAI and PresenTense have partnered up to offer scholarships for attending the 8th Annual Games for Change Festival in New York, June 20-22. They are putting out a call:

searching for the most innovative and dedicated educational gaming innovators involved or looking to get involved in transforming Jewish Day School education

Could that be you? More info can be found here:…

too cool for school! 4th graders at Greenfield Hebrew Academy create android app for blessing/ brachot: http://bit.ly/frIuGr Can't wait to learn more!  Anyone else working with their students on projects like this?

Description:

This is an app which lists multiple foods and will show you the correct Bracha to recite before eating each one. If you are not sure of the Bracha you have the…

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the Khan Academy, and specifically, Salman Khan's TED talk where he outlines the way his video tutorials in math can be integrated into a larger program of 'flipping' the classroom. The basic idea is that the students watch the video lecture that outlines the underlying mathematical concepts…

Parent Volunteers are Being Cultivated in a New Way in the Technological Age.  But some schools and colleges are still behind the "8" Ball.

March 22^nd’s New York Times article: Article: New York Times   Giving Literature Virtual Life by Patricia Lowen showcased the “Ivys” embracing digital technology.   One professor noted “In 10…

I just attended the 2011 Palm Beach County School District Technology Conference.  I had the opportunity to choose between hundreds of sessions that touched on just as many aspects of education technology.  There were classes on Google in education, VoiceThread, digital storytelling, ePortfolios, Edmodo and much much more.  I participated in sessions on…

Recently someone in my personal learning network e-mailed me this clip of Casey Heynes, an Australian boy, who after being bullied his entire life, finally took a stand. One day recently while he was being physically and verbally bullied, something in his mind snapped, and Casey literally picked up and body slammed his aggressor to the ground. The aggressor…

A recent blog post on YU 2.0 about viability of electronic textbooks reminded me of a series of advertisements I have seen recently, by Apple, about ipads in the classroom.  In addition to the ads, several websites have been developed that share ideas about an ipads use in secular education.  http://teacher.ocps.net/groups/ipodsintheclassroom/

Some of the education apps out there are really designed for personal use and…

The Internet doesn’t steal our humanity, it reflects it. The Internet doesn’t get inside us, it shows what’s inside us. And social media isn’t cold, it’s just complex and hard to define.

Technology is all about engagement – being connected.  The Hebrew word samuch “close by” is the verb Rashi uses when he asks this question.  The…

My school, as many others are, is looking into one-on-one computing. I looked into many possibilities, iPads, Tablet PCs, laptops or netbooks. They each have their pros and cons.

Whereas the iPad was the cheapest, it is also dependant on which apps are produced for it. Many publishers of school materials have not yet produced appropriate apps that correspond to the curriculum. The others have the ability to be loaded with software that support the curriculum already. Tablets…

I am excited to announce that YU 2.0 has procured an iPad 2 in the first wave of the product (had to stay up till 3am CST to buy online before they sold out) and will be posting about the iPad 2 and the many ways it can be used in the classroom. We will have a regular post on the best apps for…

How Do You Like Your Meat?

by Rabbi Yehuda Chanales

TABC Kol Torah Parshat Tzav / Purim 5771

    While all serious carnivores have different ways in which they like their steak cooked and spiced,  one probably would not expect God to be a picky eater. Nevertheless, when the Torah describes the laws of Korbanot in Parashat VaYikra,, it highlights the need for all meat offered on the Mizbeiach to be salted. It states, “VeChol…

This Saturday night begins another wonderful Purim and for many day schools that means a week filled with Purim party preparations, special programs and special lessons. For those of you who utilize video in your lessons, here are a few that you might enjoy.

1) This video is one that I edited for this weeks JTube on Jewlarious.com. It is from the show "No Ordinary Family" and this clip can be used to discuss the hidden aspect of G-d and the core message of…

Dear Friends,

I am shamelessly copying this blog post from a really thought=provoking post that I read on the EC Ning.

What if Kodesh Classes were taught like this? Or thought of like this?

Here is the URL, but I am not sure if it will work - one has to be a member of this Ning....

 …