November 2011 Blog Posts (24)

Chevre,



I wonder if you have seen this example of Problem Based Jewish Education.



http://jewishedd.blogspot.com/2011/11/project-based-learning-and-big-flip.html?spref=tw Note this YouTube on Mishna Zevachim 14:6 :…

Reading chapter 9 sparked my interest in virtual field trips.  At Sinai Akiba our gesher class always visits the local fire station as part of their unit on community.  Quite often our children arrive at the fire station and the fire fighters are either away on a call or have to leave soon after the children arrive at the fire station.  A virtual trip like this one on You Tube …

In preparation for this course-assigned post, I undertook to learn about Inspiration, something I have never tried before.  I went through the entire tutorial to the point that I have a working knowledge of the very basics of the program.  It is evident that much flexibility is built into it and I am certain that with a few more hours of time and experimentation I will learn more about how to utilize the program to conform to my needs.

My concern with Inspiration—and, again, I’m a…

Still reading Technology Integration For Meaningful Classroom Use, and here are some interesting questions from pg. 203: “When you select the ‘I agree’ button, do you actually know what you are agreeing to? Do you know whether you can have multiple copies of the program? Can you share it with other teachers? Is there a limit to how long you can use it? What if it’s just for educational purposes?” I find I have similar discussions…

Often, when speaking to friends or relatives who work in the

public school system, I will be asked how our school’s test scores were this

past year.  Thank Gd, our students do

beautifully on the standardized tests we administer each year for grades 2 – 7.  In their public school world, the scores on

the state tests often drive much of their instruction.  We in private school are able to focus on

using multiple means of assessment that gives us…

After a month of paperless classes, learning was going strong. Here are 5 of my most meaningful observations:



1- Students with organizational issues were excelling using their 'digital backpacks' and were championing their time management. (Ironically those same students weren't necessarily excelling in their other subjects.) Two students who I spoke with mentioned they enjoyed learning with a computer and they felt good about themselves because they were staying organized with…

This is one my favorite talks on the use of technology in education. I don't want to spoil the fun of watching it but, in a nutshell, Meyer, a weblogging high school math teacher, talks about how he approaches the challenge of motivating his students to think about math in a fresh, new way, and how he transforms them into "patient problem-solvers." In his introduciton, he says:

I teach high school math. I sell a…

The topic of the effectiveness of technology in education is one that has gotten a lot of attention, anywhere from this site to the publicity it received nationally due to the recent NY Times article. My recent parent teacher conference day led me to share my own thoughts on the matter.

In completion of my YU Partnership Ed Tech Course of 2011, I undertook to create a wiki for my 6th grade Gemara classes. The wiki contained handouts that we did in class or that were assigned…

After recently finishing a most fabulous program on Ed. Tech. through Yeshiva University-IUSP and the generosity of the Jim Joseph Foundation I was ready to roll up my sleeves and showcase some of my new found abilities; I wanted to teach a paperless digital class. To a lot of people the idea of a paperless digital class is not realistic. Not all students have laptops or mobile…

Legacy Heritage Fund is proud to share with you its newest effort to integrate technology into Jewish education: Dah Bear, a Hebrew language tool which will encourage higher levels of Hebrew vocabulary mastery by students. This dynamic new educational online tool is free of charge and intended for use by teachers and students in school and at home.

Teachers may easily submit…

Dear Friends and YU YUsers,

I recently came across something that looks very interesting.

Present.me

http://present.me

Anyone out there know about this?

Anyone out there using this?

Anyone?

I look forward to your replies...

All the best

Fr@nk S

In this Wall Street Journal article from Nov 12, 2011, My Teacher Is an App, homeschoolers offer their opinions on home schooling. An increased number of children today are homeschooling. The educational benefits have long been acclaimed, but social concerns are high. How do these homeschoolers learn to cope in social experiences and deal with conflict resolution? The  homeschoolers…

I saw the below article as I finished reading this week’s chapter which focused on the importance of using student data to set goals and creating a universal design for learning. 

Khan Academy Snags $5 Million To Blow Up Education

 …

This week we focused on the various models for computer use within the classroom.  Much of the way in which computers are used focuses on the actual availability of computers in the classroom.  Is a classroom equipped with one computer, a few computers or are enough computers available for each student in the class?

I started to think about our school and the fact that we have one computer in each classroom, thus limiting a teachers’ ability to plan in-class group project…

You can read, here, all about the history and reasons for the #NoOfficeDay I took this week at our school.

So...how was it?

It was super fun!

So much fun that I was telling someone that evening that I didn't want to go back to work the next day because I knew I'd have to make it Jon's #OfficeDayToMakeUpForNoOfficeDay!

But it was well worth it!  It was so great to spend the day…

DahBear

A new  customised Hebrew Teaching Tool that teachers can submit their volcabulary  lists and can give their students to study the words in many different formats flashcards, games, lists and tests.