"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!

Technology Ideas for Teaching the Alef Bet (by Jessica)

My final project is focused on teaching the Alef Bet. 

My goal is to have my first graders end the year being able to do the following:

— be able to recognize the shape of each letter, and say the letter’s name and sound

— explain that Hebrew is read from right to left

— be able to match simple Hebrew words (no vowels) to words in English by sounding out the letters.

— be able to recall the Marion Green mnemonics for each letter

I will use technology in three ways:

 At the beginning of class, I introduce a Letter of the Day and invite students to explore the letter’s shape. In the past, I set up stations for students arriving in class. Students might build a letter out of play dough or Lego. Next year, I will have students use the iPad to record short videos sharing their Lego/playdough creations and explaining the letter’s sound and mnemonic.

During class, students practice writing the letter of the day (in workbooks) and play games to review previous letters. Next year, I will use iPad apps to customize these experiences for students at different levels. For example, I will have different Quizlet practice games (basic = recognizing letters, advanced = reading simple words) or vocabulary apps or block-letter-writing apps so that students can practice material at their own level.

After class (at home), students practice what they’ve learned. Next year, I will create a website where students can review the Letter of the Day (even if he/she missed class), practice Quizlet flashcards/games,  and maybe even take quizzes. My hope is that kids will be doing more practicing at home, which should free up more time at school. My website will also include short videos that I create to bring the Marion Green mnemonics to life. (These will be made using Explain Everything, Tellagami, PuppetPals, Green Screen, iMovie, etc.) In addition, I’ll showcase videos and drawings that they students made during class. 

Here’s a link to my prototype:  http://jakuznick.wix.com/alef-bet-grade-1

Reflections on Teaching and Learning with Technology (by Jessica)

I’ve worked as an educational technology designer for 15+ years, so I’ve spent lots of time thinking about using technology for learning. On the other hand, using iPads for learning is something I’ve just started exploring! This CJP Technology fellowship was a great way to dive in. 

What ideas have you taken away about using technology for learning?

The biggest idea I’ve taken away is the power of putting creativity and control in students’ hands. In my early years in the Ed Tech field, a team of experts (designers, programmers, teachers) created software; kids used it.  Now, kids can be directly involved in the creation — creating blogs, movies, animations, web sites, flashcards, etc.  

This has many advantages!  Above all, it’s extremely motivating for kids. I discovered this a few years ago when I had a student who never wanted to participate in lessons. One day he brought in a Noah’s ark toy and I lent him my digital camera to photograph it. Pretty soon, he and another boy were building a whole “stage set” to dramatize the Noah’s ark story, and taking movies with my camera. He was engaged like never before!  This is the kind of thing kids can do easily now with the iPad apps. They get to be the designers/creators/teachers instead of passive recipients. Another benefit is that teachers don’t always have to spend hours creating materials (like flashcards, just say) because the kids can do it for them! 

Of course, a challenge, as a teacher, is that you need to learn to let go and give the kids room to take off in their own directions (esp. if, like me, you love doing the creative stuff yourself)! I think another challenge is learning how to construct a really good activity/prompt, so that kids use the technology in a focused way that promotes learning and don’t just play around with it.  

How will your new insights change your approach to teaching?

In the past, many of my lessons involved imparting information. I might teach the kids about the different objects used to celebrate Shabbat (kiddush cup, challah cover, candlesticks, etc.).  Then we would do a craft —for example, making our own challah covers.  Kids used their creativity to make a beautiful challah cover, but not to think deeply about the meaning of Shabbat or to internalize the information we’d learned/discussed.

I believe that some of these technologies will make it easier to create a more integrated experience — one where students use their creativity to make the educational content their own. This year, a central question in my class will be  “How do we make Shabbat special?”  The class will create an online book together, exploring this question throughout the year.  When students make challah covers, they can also make videos/photos of their creations, and include text, audio explaining how these ritual objects make Shabbat feel special or different from the rest of the week, and why this is valuable. Throughout the year, we can build on this idea in discussions and projects, and our class book will be a creative and collaborative record of our learning together. 

What are your goals for applying what you learned in the Fellowship to your teaching in the future?

My goal for this year is to use technology to improve lessons that didn’t work so well in the past (or need improvement). Below are some of my plans for integrating technology, and my reasons for doing so.

 Jerusalem. 

I will create a web quest in which students can watch videos of people walking through different landmarks in the old and new city. They will answer questions about the places they visit (a sort of “scavenger hunt”). At the end, each will create a Tellagami or Explain Everything travelogue, in which they describe one or two places they visited and share what they learned, noticed, liked, were curious about (or perhaps they will pretend to be a tour guide and create a Tellagami introducing the site to others).

Benefit:  Students will get a better sense of Jerusalem by watching videos (vs. reading a pamphlet or book). They will feel more like they are actually there.

2)  Alef Bet

I will use Quizlet (and maybe Quia) to make it easy for students to practice the letters they’ve learned at home. I will also have them make their own animations/videos to teach the mnemonics for the letters.

Benefit: More of the learning will take place at home, so we can make the most of school hours! (Plus if I use Quia, this at-home practice will also give me data on each student’s progress.) Making and sharing their own animations should help them learn the mnemonics.

3) Shabbat

Every year, I have kids create a Shabbat Box full of special items for Shabbat. This year, I will also have them create an online book or blog exploring the question “How is Shabbat special/different from other days? What can we do to make it special/different?” (See above for more information.)

Benefit:  The online book will allow students both to share their own personal experiences (including home experiences), and also to build a collaborative, shared document. I believe it will invite deeper discussion and sharing. I also think it will enhance home-school connections, since parents can view the book as it evolves.