Thoughts and Musings

CJP's Teaching and Technology Fellowship has opened the door to many possibilities to integrate technology in my classroom.  I came into the fellowship feeling confident in my understanding of iPad's and technology both inside the classroom and not.  I was already attempting to to include technology into the learning process before even hearing about the fellowship.  I am impressed by the tools and strategies we were introduced to and am coming out of the fellowship with a strong feeling that I am prepared to add technology into my classroom.

This fellowship further reinforced my belief that technology in the classroom is the future.  Our society is developing into a technology driven culture and the best way to prepare our student's to be empowered Jewish adults is through embracing the benefits of this change.  It is essential that Jewish schools embrace technology in the classroom.

The fellowship also introduced me to some incredible apps that I am looking forward to using in the future.  I was particularly drawn to the possibility of integrating Blogger, iMovie, and Book Creator into my curriculum.   Apps like this have the possibility to enhance the learning, while also creating excitement among  the students.  After learning about iMovie, I experimented with it in my classroom and was impressed by how serious and creatively my student's took the assignment.  To add to that, the students have been talking about it frequently and have been asking to use it again.  These apps have the possibility of students not only learning from them, but also allow the student to gain ownership over the material by encouraging creativity and self expression.

Moving forward, I plan to integrate technology into all of the classes that I teach.  As I explained in a previous blog post, I plan on using technology in my 7th grade Holocaust curriculum.  I strongly believe that technology will benefit the student's ability to understand subject matter and to reflect on what we are studying.  I plan to have students work on a long term project throughout the semester, focusing on an individual community that was destroyed in the Holocaust and preserve the story of their community using Book Creator and other apps.

I also plan on continuing to use online learning (both in class and at home) via a class website.  Check out my 5th grade class website by clicking here.

I have been very impressed with all that I have learned from CJP's Teaching and Technology Fellowship and am grateful for have been given this incredible opportunity to improve my teaching.

Technology and Holocaust Education

Temple Emunah's Kitah Zayin (7th Grade) spends the first half of the year learning the history of the Holocaust.  I found myself asking if technology could be used in the teaching of the Holocaust, and if so, in what capacity?  It was after thinking about this question that I came up with a resounding yes.  

I remember being in 8th grade and our Holocaust teacher would enter the classroom every evening with a thick stack of xeroxed packets.  We would spend each class session popcorn reading the text.  Completely non-engaging, but then again, how else could we have learned it?  Technology in the classroom can help us to transform the way that we teach the Holocaust, as well as the way that students process and reflect on the information.   Below are the five big benefits that I see from technology in Holocaust education.  

• Increased Use of Outside Resources
• Self Expression & Outlet of Reflection
• Peer Collaboration and Support
• Create Connections & "Real" Moments to Engage
• Vehicle of Remembrance

I created the following project that will be implemented next Fall in the 7th grade Holocaust curriculum.  The assignment will be given towards the beginning of the semester and will be ongoing as we progress through the material.  I will give them opportunities throughout the semester to work on the project.  The work that they do on the project will coincide with what we are covering in class. At the end of the semester they will have time to put the finishing touches on their projects and present to the class.

Virtual Yizkor Bikher

“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.” - Elie Weisel

Overview:

Yizkor Bikher are memorial books that were written in Hebrew and Yiddish by survivors after the Shoah to serve as a testament to their destroyed communities.  Each book  focused on a Jewish community’s history before, during, and after World War II.  Details included what life was like in the ghettos and camps, resistance activities, acts of rescue, the destruction of their community, and accounts of survival.  Many books also included personal diaries, poems, and other documents written by Jews during the Holocaust.  

Assignment:  

In small groups (2-3 individuals) you will create a virtual Yizkor Bikher, a memorial book, for a Jewish community that was destroyed in the Shoah.  Your virtual Yizkor Bikher will be created on your iPad with the app Book Creator.  Other apps may also be used.  The books will be shared at the Synagogue's Yom haShoah Ceremony.  Your book must do all of the following:

1. Your book must serve as tool for remembrance.  This means honoring the lives that were lost in the community by creating a thoughtful and sincere project.  Please make sure to include a section with a meditation or prayer to remember the lives that were lost.  
2. Your book must describe the Jewish life of your community before World War II.
3. Your book must describe the Jewish life of your community in the ghetto or camps.
4. Your book must describe an act of resistance in your community.  
5. Your book must describe an act of rescue in your community, either by a righteous gentile or Jewish.  
6. Your book must include audio.  (Either your voice, or music)  
7. Your book must include the video or story of a survivor from your community.  
8. Your book must include pictures from your community.
9. Your book must include a separate reflections by each group member.

Resources:

www.holocaustexplained.org

www.ushmm.org

www.facinghistory.org

Printed material given by teacher

Technology Ideas for a Bible Unit

Studying the Tanakh is an integral part of the curriculum at Kehillath Israel Religious School. In the 4th and 5th grade class, which I teach, the students study the books of Judges and Samuel. While these are interesting books with multi-dimenstional characters and exciting events, there are some challenges to studying them. Most fundamentally, it is difficult for students to imagine living in a world so different from our own. This extends beyond imagining a world with no computers or cars--the students must put themselves in the minds of characters whose worldview, thought processes, goals, and priorities differ vastly from our own. It is for this reason that I developed an introductory unit for Bible study, which can be adapted and used for almost any age group. 

The unit centers around a WebQuest I created called "Discovering the World of the Bible." Its goal is to introduce the students to the ancient world in which our ancestors lived through the study of artifacts from that time period. The students' task is to create a museum exhibit featuring five artifacts from ancient times that they find compelling.  

The WebQuest incorporates the following technologies:

• It is built on a Wikispace platform
• Tellagami is used to introduce the project
• Websites such as that of the Jewish Museum in New York are the main resources the students use to find artifacts
• The students have a variety of options for presenting their final exhibits: Book Creator, Explain Everything, Tellagami, and Popplet. All of these apps can be accessed via the iPad.

The unit is designed to take several class periods. The exact amount of time will likely depend on the students' familiarity with the various technologies that are involved. Before each step, I will need to model the use of various technologies and allow the students ample time to practice with them. The most fundamental skills the students will need in order to complete the project successfully are as follows:

• searching and browsing on the Internet
• saving images to Camera Roll
• recording and playing back voice and other audio
• other app-specific skills

I am very excited about using this WebQuest with my class. I hope that it will be both engaging and educational for them. Please try it out and let me know what you think!

Sample lesson plan for the beginning of the unit:

Context:

This lesson is designed to take 1-2 class periods. It is the first in a 5-10 class series, of which the ultimate goal is to complete the webquest “Discovering the World of the Bible.” Ideally, it would be done at the beginning of the school year, in order to engage and ground students in the historical context of the biblical stories they will study.

Objective:

SWBAT articulate goals of webquest “Discovering the World of the Bible”

SWBAT collect information about historical artifacts for their presentation

Introduction to New Material/I Do:

Teacher	Student
Ask: What do you already know about the world of the Bible? Teacher records answers as students share them.	Students share answers in whole-group discussion.
Distribute iPads and direct students to http://cjpttfipad.wikispaces.com/Discovering+the+World+of+the+Bible	Watch “Introduction” Tellagami video Read “Task” and “Process” sections
Lead discussion	Explain in their own words the goals of the webquest

Guided Practice/Activity/We Do:

Teacher	Student
Direct students to visit “Resources” section to explore various websites containing information about different ancient artifacts. Instruct them to complete “Artifact Graphic Organizer,” found in the same section. Keep time, circulate, and give feedback to students.	Explore websites provided in “Resources” section. Complete “Artifact Graphic Organizer” on 5 artifacts of their choice. These will become the artifacts about which they will create a “museum exhibit.”

Independent Practice/You Do/Assessment/Closure:

Teacher	Student
Ask students to share out what they have found and lead discussion.	Share out the different artifacts that they have chosen for their “museum exhibits.”

Course Reflections - Teaching and Technology Fellowship

I went into this class looking for ways to reach students; to differentiate the way information is presented, excite students about learning and grow as an educator.  Nearly three months later, I can look back at the work I have done and reflect that I really have accomplished those goals. 

The moment you even say the word iPad students change their body language in class, begin to pay attention to the instructions and start creating new ideas.  It's like giving students freedom to be themselves while learning. In only the few classes we held after getting the iPads, I could see the difference in the students.  They were eager to know what we were doing and how it would include the iPads. This excitement was rare previously but was refreshing to witness.

There is also a distinct value in exploration that the use of the iPad easily allows in the classroom.  Connect to the internet and you can find information about anything.  Students are great at using Google but not always so great at deciding which information is accurate and reliable.  Being able to research on your own helps to harbor interest in the subject and ownership of your own learning. Being able to create something interesting to you and appropriate for your level of understanding and abilities is invaluable and bringing technology into the classroom helps to make that goal a reality.

I find myself browsing through apps in the AppStore often, looking for new things and thinking about how they can be used in improve my teaching.  Not take the place of teaching as many would have you believe.  I often ask myself what purpose the app would serve; would it be for my own organization of materials, for a class presentation, to send home to families or for a student project?  Each use has its own value and there are many apps that fall into the categories I have devised. I even bought extra Cloud storage just so that I wouldn't have to get rid of anything! 

Technology in the classroom is really about so much more though.  Through this experience I have decided that a significant advantage to technology in the classroom is the way it helps to communicate what learning took place.  Technology can often provide evidence of learning which can be sent or posted to share with families.  Students who are excited about the learning opportunities they experienced are more likely to share with the adults they live with about what they learned than just report that their day was "OK".  The community can be better involved with the education of our students by witnessing student ability through these products.

To me this course was really a catalyst, a jumping off point, for changing the way I teach and the way I hope students will learn. Five classes and some CloudWork certainly does not make me an expert on anything but it points me in the right direction to improve as an educator and provide opportunities to students that are engaging and informative.  I know where to look for new ideas and how to change my thinking about topics.  For students, it is less about what you know at the end of a course and more about how you learned it.  

Big Ideas from the TTF Seminars--Sari Fein

I have taken away three primary ideas about using technology for learning. One, technology is adaptable for almost any age, ability level, and topic. In particular, apps that are used for presentation, such as "Explain Everything," are extremely versatile. Two, there is a wealth of resources provided by other educators, even Jewish educators, who are using technology in the classroom. Through sites such as Pinterest, Diigo, and the "blogosphere," I am easily able to connect to educators from across the world and learn from both their successes and their challenges in using technology. Three, technology makes differentiated and individualized learning easy. Activities can be easily tailored to meet a student's individual learning needs and style, and group work with technology brings out students' various skills in art, language, and technology.

My new insights will change my approach to teaching. I have long been a believer in collaborative, project-based learning. Yet, it is sometimes a struggle to design units and lessons that lend themselves to that type of activity. Project based learning and group work are made much easier by the use of technology. With iPads, students can research, create, and share their work using a variety of apps and other tools. The ability to share is perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of a technology-integrated classroom. Student work can be easily shared with a variety of communities--the class, the synagogue, even the larger Jewish world. Students can easily connect, share ideas, and receive feedback thanks to the power of the internet. 

My main goal for applying what I learned in the Fellowship to my teaching in the future is to more thoroughly and naturally integrate technology into my curriculum. Due to limited resources and knowledge, in the past I have used technology in only certain capacities (for research, word processing, showing videos, and working one-on-one with struggling students). I can now envision a classroom in which technology is an integral part of our learning process. For example, I plan to begin my curriculum next year with a "Discovering the World of the Bible" webquest, which will serve not only to orient my students with the iPads, but also to engage them in the content and bring it to life. This will be the foundation of what I hope will be an exciting and enriching 21st-century classroom.

My reflections on the TTF class

I'm so excited about the possibilities of integrating more technology into the classroom.  As both a teacher and education director, I have an interest in constantly changing and improving the curriculum to keep students engaged.  This past week I experimented with the ipads and the students were so excited. 

We've been studying the Amidah and we used the ipads to view different ways different children around the world sing the prayers.  They were amazed that Jews everywhere sing the same prayer, and this made the experience of learning more meaningful.  The music and visual imagery added excitement and interest.  Even the students' expressions showed their renewed energy and curiosity.

They were later asked to use Tellagami to make a presentation on a geographic location they studied in Israel. They were able to watch videos, see pictures and gain access to new information.   They loved the control of this self-directed learning.

Technology changes the way we teach, giving us ways to reach all types of learners and assess student understanding. It also changes the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is used effectively, teachers grow into an advisory role--students are more in control of their learning. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.

My goal is to become more familiar with the ipad platform. The possibilities for creativity and integration into the daily lessons are seemingly endless. I appreciate all the guidance and resources we've been given on this site and look forward to exploring it further.

Please click below to see my wikispaces page.
http://cjpttfipad.wikispaces.com/Temple+Shir+Tikvah+4th+Grade+Caring+Corps



I've also created some fun projects in tellagami:
https://tellagami.com/gami/2A068H/