JWIT 2005

 

Web Power for Education

The qualities and features of the WWW make it an excellent vehicle for educators in four main areas:   Communication Activities for teams and for individuated instruction Resources- both information and tools Cultivation of critical thinking  These features can be used for Judaic studies as well.

Main Ideas

Judaic teaching and learning have their unique features which impact web usability: A) Judaic Curricula differs from general curricula B) Judaic Curricula can lend itself to web based learning sooner than other learning C)  The same guidelines that direct teachers in creating general web based materials should apply to creating Judaic materials: D)  Helpful ideas about Jewish learning on the web E) Quotable quote

A) Judaic Curricula differs from general curricula	it is limited and selective in its target population scope, and at the same time deals with diverse and varied populations  it is harder to find online resources for  it relies more heavily on teacher as sage on the stage rather than on teacher as guide on the side   (constructivist approach)  it is often based on transcendental or fundamental sets of beliefs and involve reaching and impacting mind and soul at once  It often requires direct contact with primary text sources in עברית.  It often involves some form of learning through rote or learning by discipline back to top
B) Judaic Curricula can lend itself to web based learning sooner than other learning because--	It often involves active involvement in an experience that requires thinking  It involves higher order thinking and an integrative approach  It often flows from authentic problems that arise from the student’s own experiences and questions  It often involves inquiry-based learning relating to complex situation and involving ethical and moral issues  Web-based format is not foreign to Jewish learning; Traditional Judaic sources such as the DAF- a Talmudic page, the Mishnah, or the  'Mikra'ot Gedolot' (Rabbinic Bible)  are good examples of ancient hyper textual learning  It values and emphasizes debate and conversation  The nature of the conversation of Torah she'b'al peh--"Oral Law"-- demonstrates that we must foster and encourage risk-taking, diverse & divergent opinions; In the Talmud even erroneous opinions are given voice   LISHMA לימוד תורה לשמה  In Jewish learning more important than the conclusion is the process
C)  The same guidelines that direct teachers in creating general web based materials should apply to creating Judaic materials:	• Teachers must review and select appropriate content in advance of sending students to each resource. • Students need to be taught how to distinguish valuable material from propaganda. • Effective searching skills need to be taught. • Students should be guided to pursue specific tasks rather than merely surfing. • Focus should be on content and not making things “pretty” or “cool”. • Teachers should provide evaluative rubrics to encourage a standard of quality in student work. Excerpt from The Internet as a Tool for Student Inquiry By Dr. Craig A. Cunningham
D)  Helpful ideas about Jewish learning on the web:	♥ The importance of learning directly from Jewish text:         What is Jewish Text?  How did the different genres of Jewish texts develop chronologically? ♥ There is a limited but growing amount of Judaic source text available on the web ♥ When text are not available or are hard to identify for younger learner, teacher can create their own source page using a Judaic library or data base. ♥ Some examples of Text lessons: A wonderful  complete sugya (Judaic issue, Torah story) and its investigation on the web: The story of Cain & Abel Online תנ"ך lessons   ♥ Some of other useful links for Judaic teachers on the web Current Jewish Calendar- Jewish interactive calendar Hebrew Keyboard Tutor- a Java applet that transforms your keyboard into a Hebrew keyboard. Israel Size Comparison Maps Hillel Torah Hebrew Department- our school's Ivrit online resources Virtual Mikdash Tour Hebrew English Dictionary Snopi- wonderful Hebrew tools such as nikud-automatic vowelization, rhymes to given words, gimatria, concordance, dictionary and more!- Steven Spielberg Jewish  Movie Archive- first 112 films from the over 500  at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem If you are fluent in Hebrew, there is no site for kids learning activities like Galim ♥ Searching for Judaic resources? Don't forget to do a Hebrew search as well. Compare searching in Hebrew in Google to Yahoo

back to top

♥ ♥ Quotes for educators who believe in the value of hands-on educational experiences אין חכם כבעל הניסיון -(מן המקורות) To "learn from experience" is to make a backward and forward connection between what we do to things and what we enjoy or suffer from things in consequence. Under such conditions, doing becomes a trying; an experiment with the world to find out what it is like; the undergoing becomes instruction--discovery of the connection of things. John Dewey, Democracy and Education ♥ ♥ Quotes for those who believe in the possibilities of ways which are yet to be tried איזהו חכם? הרואה את הנולד -(מן המקורות) Nothing splendid was ever accomplished except by those who believed that something inside of them was superior to circumstances. Heard from R' Avi Schulman ATT workshop for teachers, June 19, 2003 Imagination of ideal ends pertinent to actual conditions is the fruition of a disciplined mind.  John Dewey

איזהו גיבור ?

The Real JWIT Heroes

 

back to top

back to Home

    Last modified on 09/06/05  by Tamar Friedman and Miri Rubin