Sunday, June 21, 2015

"Prayeraoke"






For years I have enjoyed my Hebrew teaching but found it to be challenging.   As you well know, those of us who teach in after school programs have very little  going for us.  With only an hour a week per class, students arrive to us tired, hungry, stressed and certainly not at their best.  On top of all of this, they have no incentive to do a great job or study at home,  since no one has given students the sense that we are giving them a skill that will be useful to them, outside of classic Bar Mitzvah preparation fear.


So naturally, teachers like us quickly realize that one way of motivating students to learn some Hebrew in the classroom is to make it fun.  There are lots of kitschy Hebrew games to play in the classroom, however the mileage varies with such games and usually we sacrifice content or leave someone behind as we give in to the feel-good.  We acquiescence to the begging for games.  In essence, we water down our efficacy by avoiding what really works for mastering Tefila skills.  Repetition, repetition, put it away, then repetition.  Did I mention repetition?


As a long time bar mitzvah tutor and Hebrew teacher, it has been proven to me time and time again that this is the simple formula for learning prayers and melodies.  Repetition scientifically contributes to short term memory,  and returning to it often contributes to moving knowledge to our long-term memory.


My final project started out with the intent to create a Hebrew prayer version of karaoke, called Prayeraoke. I have had this idea for years, but have never found software or a person that could create it for me. This remains in my list of things to do.  (Please feel free to use my idea, in return for free rights to use it!)


Quickly realizing that I wasn't going to fulfill my dream of creating real Prayeraoke, I started to think about my use of music in the classroom and out.


In many places that I go, I consider my guitar and my song leading skills to be tools that not too many other people have. So when GarageBand was introduced to me in TTF, I naturally gravitated to it.  I layed down a few tracks, using only a quiet room, the iPad and my musical ability (which is mediocre) as tools.  Very quickly and gratifyingly, I produced something that sounded decent and could be used in order to tell a digital story.


Once the audio was complete,  I was able to export it to iMovie and smash it with a little bit of ExplainEverything and Drawing Pad.  iMovie seems like an appropriate app to bring it all together because it is versatile and accepts virtually any media as an import.


I ended up using the final product to tell a digital story (visual and audio) with key values intertwined in the text and subtext.  Students were asked to sing  along with the intermittent prompts on the screen to snap them back to attention, if needed.

Below, I'm including the 5W's and an H as to why one might use this combination. While it lacks refinement that I would want to use it for REAL humans, here is the link to the beginnings of the project:  http://youtu.be/_TKSYYDpbRc



Stop reading here or read on to learn why this might be an interesting medium:



Using Music and Digital Story Telling to Teach Values 5 W's and H


Why?  
  • Digital story telling may be a medium that better catches attention of our kids, due to conditioning and maybe wiring?
  • It is a way to combat students' desensitization to the teacher talking all the time
  • It may allow for greater creativity and encourage students to take on similar projects of their own
  • May appeal to different learning styles due to use of visual and auditory sensory input
  • Can be repeated more than once to reinforce, if needed
Who?
  • Teachers or students can create edit, embellish, or just be receivers of media
  • Parents can receive exactly what the kids saw via electronic media or email, blogs, etc.


How?
  • Can be used in a flipped classroom, PBL, Philosophical inquiry, or other modalities
  • Knowledge of the medium and software/apps can be part of the discovery process or part of a prerequisite
  • Assumes that materials are available for presentation:  ie internet access, projector, smart-board, iPad, etc.
  • Work toward goals and check in frequently on progress toward goal.  Don't use it if it will not help.
When?
  • When you need a change of pace in your classroom
  • When the goals of the lesson support using it
  • When you can create or find appropriate materials
  • The technology will not work against you
  • You need to reach more or different students than you might usually
  • Someone in contact with your material  (students, educators, parent) will  appreciate  the work
Where?
  • This sort of materials can be used in informal settings, home, school, etc.  Important to use in appropriate setting.  (Example:  video around a campfire may not be the mood we are looking for)
What?
  • We can create a digital version of almost any lesson.  Content can be anything
  • Engagement is key - ask how often in your presentation people are asked to do something. Is it appropriate for your goals?


Values planned for this lesson:  Shalom and g'milut chasadim.


Shalom:  Lo Yisa Goi - Nation shall not lift up sword against nation  (Isaiah 2:4, Michah 4:3)
G'milut Chasadim:  Story of Two Brothers


Thanks for reading!

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