AVI CHAI Educational Technology

iPods for Hebrew - Gray Academy

2009-11-13T14:01:00.003-05:00

The students continue to express their support and enjoyment in working with the iPods. They like the ability to review their work and the private “stress free” environment they offer.
From the teachers’ point of view however, some challenges are starting to arise.
The iPods require work with Macs. As someone who is used to and likes working with Windows, the Mac can be very frustrating. Simple tasks like opening and deleting files can be hard to do if no “Mac expert” is available to show you. Becoming familiar with the Mac and its usage is an ongoing learning curve. Luckily we have very good tech support in our school, because we have an ICT Department Head who is also knowledgeable about Apple computers.
The iPod cart also presents challenges. When connected to the computer, sometimes not all iPods show up and then the teacher is missing files. The transfer of files from the Mac to the teachers’ flash drives (so they can take it home/to their class to listen) takes time. In a busy and hectic schedule, this is one more “chore” to do.
As for the iPods themselves, when they are used by multiple classes and teachers, you have to be very cautious when it comes to deleting files. It requires attention and coordination between teachers and classes to make sure each teacher gets his own files and nothing gets lost or mixed up.
Lastly, in this era of hygiene and H1N1 threats, the teachers need to make sure the iPods stay clean and well managed (it is helpful, for example, when students use their own headset/earbuds).
We would like to take this to the next level of creating videos that the students can see on their iPods, but first we have to take baby steps in implementing the program.

Planning is progressing -- Student VideoConference today!

2009-11-13T09:49:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone -- Jesse here for Bialik's IT Staff with a short update on our progress.

The rest of our cameras arrived last week along with two tripods/dolleys. our 10 media hard drives arrived yesterday -- and while we are still waiting for a few odds & ends, with this equipment we will be able to begin our project!

Planning for this project was difficult and intense -- finding time to carve out of our already packed dual-streamed, four-language curriculum has proven to be a challenge, but we think we've succeeded by (hopefully) integrating this project in with other lessons and offsetting some more traditional coursework requirements.

To assist us with a successful project, we invited Nikos Theodosakis, a noted Canadian filmmaker and the creator of the "Director in the Classroom" program, to provide us with some PD, oversight and assistance. A first planning meeting with Nikos, Simona and I was followed up on our last Friday PD day with a 2-hour videoconference for Hanna and Yossi (our involved Jewish Studies classroom teachers) on "Filmmaking in the classroom", and further followed up on Monday with a lively discussion about the assignment as well as some "hands-on" time with the equipment. Throughout the past week, we have been refining our assignments (which we'll post shortly) to make sure that they're inclusive of higher-order thinking skills and offer ample outlets for creativity without being too broad.

This afternoon, Nikos, who is in Vancouver, will run a one-hour videoconference with our two pilot classes (a Grade 5 and Grade 7 class) to inspire them and help get them excited about becoming Jewish Studies filmmakers. We're VERY excited to be finally unveiling the project to our students, and we hope to have a follow-up post about this conference shortly!

American Hebrew Academy: AVI CHAI GRANT - Pocket Video Cameras Project

2009-11-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, November 4
We have been working on the project for over a month and the two video clips are finished. The process was long and overwhelming at times, but rewarding. We have been excited, frustrated, pleased, helpless, proud, and eventually thrilled that we finished, and the result is not bad at all.
We learned a lot during the project. Hebrew is only one of the lessons learned. Patience is another. Team work is an important factor in the process, especially during the filming. Multi tasking, independent work, responsibility, efficiency and selflessness were the spices of this dish.
Being a beginners’ class (Hebrew 1.2), we used mostly English behind the scenes while shooting the clip. I hope that by next project we’ll be able to use more Hebrew.
Here are the main challenges we have experienced:
· Lack of time- much of the work was done beyond the school hours. In addition, it took more classes than allocated to complete the project.
· We started filming later than expected- correcting the scripts and teaching based on the mistakes made was an important process. However, I felt that for Hebrew 1.2 some of the material learned was above their level (for example, Smichut). Higher levels would greatly benefit from this process.
· Getting all the members on the same schedule after classes.
· Different learning pace- some students could learn/memorize faster than others. That created moments of frustration from both sides.
· Public performance- not all the students felt comfortable enough to act in front of the group. It took time until they became more relaxed and able to do it.
· Working with two teams at a time is pretty challenging for the teacher. A TA is a great asset.
· Technical issues: zoom and volume. To be able to get the whole “scene”, there is a certain distance that we needed to keep from the group because of the zooming capability of the camera. The problem was that the sound could not keep up with the distance- the microphone recorded the background noise (we filmed in a supermarket) louder than the students’ conversation. The students could have spoken louder, of course, but it would make little difference.
Overall, it was a great learning experience. Every minute spent on the project was definitely worth it. But the teacher has to take into consideration delays in schedule, changes in plans, dedication, technical skills required in editing, improvisation and creativity.
The video clips are attached. Enjoy watching them. Input will be much appreciated.
Hebrew IV students have chosen the two books that made the script and finished writing it. At this point they are practicing the dialogues and are getting ready to film Tuesday, November 10. I believe that this group will have a smoother experience as most of them have better skills to face such challenges.

*** I am having problems uploading the videos...
We'll keep you posted,
Ariella Livnat

Digital Testing of Gemara

2009-11-09T09:36:00.002-05:00

I had an opportunity last week to utilize the digital mp3 recorders as a section of my 7th grade girls first Gemara test. Throughout the first two months of school, the girls were given the assignment about every 3 weeks to record themselves reading about 15 lines of Gemara. The girls asked me if they could prepare a script for this assignment, and while I did not originally anticipate them doing that, I was fine with them putting in that extra effort. The byproduct, I found, was that, as a class, they were far more comfortable with the terminology of the Gemara and it allowed our class to be conducted primarily in Ivrit. For the test, I told them that they could choose one of the three sections of Gemara that they had previously recorded with a script, and would now be given 5 minutes of the test to record that section again without a script. As for the written section of the test, being that I would now have invaluable information regarding their understanding of the content that they recorded, I allowed the students to skip those questions that corresponded to the section of the Gemara that they had just recorded. Overall, the test environment went well, with 21 students simultaneously speaking into their headsets the Gemara, it made for quite a beautiful sound!
One thing I learned...I cannot have the students dump the recorders and headsets in a box afterwards, I just spent 25 minutes untangling all the wires, live and learn!

The Moriah School: We're Threading Now

2009-11-08T18:27:00.006-05:00

With most of the preliminary tasks out of the way, The Moriah School, located in Englewood, New Jersey, is well underway in developing and integrating our VoiceThread project. Our IT department, led by the wise and talented Mrs. Lisa Fusco, has worked hand-in-hand with me in preparing for what is bound to be a successful initiative. In fact, we have recently launched this project on two levels - on the teacher and student front.

My 7th grade Gemara students just completed their first VoiceThread assignment: to circle the first Mishna in the 10th Perek of Pesachim and then to read and translate it. With great anticipation, the students were quite enthusiastic to begin ... and did they Thread! I am looking forward to expanding the VoiceThread tool to my 8th grade Gemara students, as well. After demonstrating its features at the beginning of the year, all of my students realized the vast potential in it.

Not only are my students invigorated to continue with VoiceThreads, we began to spread this wonderful online program among the teachers. This past Tuesday, on Election Day, while the students enjoyed the day off, the entire staff was engaged in meaningful workshops throughout the building and beyond. Among the Teacher In-Service workshops presented, was a seminar on VoiceThread. The entire Middle School staff, both Judaic and Secular studies teachers, were present to experience this amazing tool hands-on. A PowerPoint presentation was created, as well as an actual VoiceThread of the presentation - one that was opened to the staff to comment in return. In fact, the link is available for anyone to view and comment, although I will moderate the incoming comments. The link is: http://voicethread.com/share/712005/.

From Gemara and Tanach rebbeim and morot to English, Mathematics, History, and Science teachers - everyone enjoyed this eye-opener of a tool. Many lively discussions emerged.

I am eager to build upon this strong foundation of interest and growth in educational technology, as well as to bring Judaic studies to a higher level of excellence and depth. Although the content may be centuries old, it is alive and thriving in the 21st century!

jing

2009-11-08T00:24:00.005-05:00

Jing was installed on my laptop. This program allows me to capture an article or a video broadcast of news from one fo the Hebrew sites and store it . Then bring it to class the next day.It took alot of practice to be able to capture, but once I did it,it is really fun and will be exciting for the studentsto see it.My next step is to hook up my laptop to the smartboard so I will be able to use them simultaneously.

Better Assessment with Technology - The Shlenker School

2009-11-02T16:07:00.004-05:00

One day last week I couldn’t teach my 5th grade class and my supervisor, Nancy Pryzant Picus, covered for me. The next day I received the following from her with the suggestion that I post it on the Avi Chai blog, as it describes her impressions of the way the students use the new technology and the changes it is making in their learning:

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed teaching your class the other day. What struck me, in particular, was how accustomed the students were to hearing and speaking Hebrew throughout the class—even talking amongst themselves. They addressed me in Hebrew (albeit, with occasional prodding) whenever they needed help, and made an effort, both orally and in writing, to communicate well in Hebrew.
I also noticed that the students were eager to use the MP3 players to record the answers to the comprehension questions you left for the story they had read. They clearly knew how to use them (evidence of your careful instruction), and were comfortable speaking. I know that you had also intended to use the MP3 players to differentiate instruction for your third and fourth grade classes, where the students are more heterogeneously mixed. As I recall, you were going to record different sets of questions for different students. I know that you were having some trouble getting the players to work properly—is that one goal that’s had to wait due to “technical difficulties?”
I know that one of the goals of your grant was to increase the children’s ability to express themselves orally in Hebrew. Although my experience is based on my memory of past years (rather than hard data), I believe you are well on your way to meeting that goal! Kol hakavod!

Nancy Pryzant Picus
Director of Jewish Learning

As for the difficulties we are having with the MP3 players – the function of listening to anything recorded is totally unreliable, so while I have plans to record assessment questions as described these plans are on hold for now. But the glass IS half full, and problems are there to be solved…

DaTefilah. Ilanit Curi-Hoory Solomon -Schechter school of Westchester

2009-10-31T14:19:00.003-04:00

Shalom. I had some technical challenges so you didn't have a chance to view my project's progress so far. I would like to share with you some highlights of my exciting project that thanks to Avi Chai it can come to "life".I am working on slides to upload on Voice Threads. Voice Threads will be my tool to share our Teffilah experience with our class community. I am writing a reading practice slide for 4 prayers. first and second pages will include decoding practice sounds and words using color codes lead by me ( teacher). third page ( with no color as it is appears in the Siddur) my classes will be singing with Morah Tova my Friend teacher and her guitar.
each child will add a picture to the Tefillah he/she are working on. I am planing to introduce the slides to my students in December after they get their Siddur

DaTefilah

2009-10-30T14:24:00.003-04:00

Shalom everyone. I have completed all the slides. We are working very hard with our first graders on decoding words.We are using Tal Am as our reading program, and we follow the same Tal Am color code for reading words in the Siddur.you will see the example in the Teffilah TORAH TORAH.

TTSP (Talmud Torah of St. Paul) Technology Update #2

2009-10-27T16:06:00.004-04:00

We LOVE our LCD projector. We use it mainly in the upper school Hebrew classes as a link to websites and presentations that we can project on the wall. Last month we used it to teach students how to record themselves speaking Hebrew via avatars on the Voki.com website. This month students had the pleasure of seeing and hearing each other's Vokis thanks to the projector.

We also use the projector for whole school assemblies. At Kabbalat Shabbat last week, in connection with parashat hashavua, we created a PowerPoint display of Noach songs that we projected onto the gym wall so that everyone could see the words of the songs . We can engage students with different learning styles by showing the lyrics along with illustrations while the students are both singing and hearing the music.

Posting lyrics has been controversial. Some faculty think that children should learn the words by listening, while others like the visual reinforcement. Also, we have many teachers and guests who might not know the songs that have been taught in a particular class, and are therefore unfamiliar with lyrics, so we want to accommodate them. We draw the line at transliteration, though, since our central goal is for our children to have Hebrew reinforced in many venues.

One great benefit of the LCD projector is that the clarity of the words is highly superior to using the old projectors. The former transparency projectors had to sit among the students near the front of the auditorium, the cords got in the way of the students, and the clarity was sub-par. This time, we worked on the files up in our classrooms, plugged in the computer in the auditorium, and pulled up our files. They were beautiful, clear, and we could project from the back of the room. Immediately after Kabbalat Shabbat, a few teachers made suggestions for improvements. We made them right there at the computer, and the file was immediately saved on the school server, accessible from anywhere in the school.

Elef todot to Avi Chai!

Wendy, Riva and Avivit

Shlenker School Project Assessment: Good Progress

2009-10-26T10:34:00.004-04:00

I’ve finished the second month of using technology to assist me in assessing students’ language proficiency overall in a happy mood. I’ve expanded the use of the technology to 3rd grade, and now all three grades (3rd-5th) who are supposed to work with the technology are doing so. The students are getting more comfortable with the technical part of operating the devices, and it improves enormously the efficiency and speed of our work. They record their answers to assessments questions without delays, no longer experimenting with the MP3 recorders controls or making mistakes in the recording process. After class it takes me little time now to retrieve their recorded answers in order to grade them. The reading comprehension assessment process which used to take up to two class periods because it took the students so much time to laboriously write down their answers now take only one. I do give the students a choice, and some choose to write down their answers, but the writers are the students who are comfortable writing, usually because they are distinctly visual learners or because they can do it fast or both. The majority of the students choose to use the MP3 recorders.
My trusted lightweight laptop tablet computer is carried around the room during class time as I listen to my students apply new vocabulary in conversational setting and grade their efforts. As I was hoping it would be - it is very easy to do. Students’ use of language in class is being more objectively graded in real time than it would be if graded several hours later. To my surprise it seems to me that this method of grading in class also works as an incentive of sort for increased participation: students who previously participated sporadically now contribute more often, though no explicit or implicit connection was made by me between improved participation and better grades. I speculate that perhaps the knowledge that their linguistic effort is being recorded and assessed, i.e. – “appreciated,” is a motivator for some. On the flip side: it is even harder to coax a certain student to participate now. It seems he is reacting the opposite way and is intimidated by the knowledge that his performance is being assessed.
Unfortunately, we found that the MP3 recorders/players are not without some technical problems. We are working with the vendor to try and work things out, but at this point the students are unable to listen to recordings through headphones. I’m looking forward to resolving the problems so I can go ahead with more creative uses in the assessment process of the MP3 devices as players, not just recorders.

2009-10-21T22:50:00.004-04:00

I have been practicing using the smart board.It is really "cool" how you can use your finger as a tool for writing and erasing. I learned to make charts to categorize the verbs, split screen, zoom in,and isolate a word or a phrase.
I can put an ink layer over a website, highlight and zoom on a word.I can save the new pages to my documents.I feel I have learned how to blog.

Bialik's Video Project - Technical Overview

2009-10-21T10:20:00.008-04:00

Hello Everyone -- Jesse Gold Here -- IT Director for Bialik Hebrew Day School. We're beginning a film project in our Jewish Studies Curriculum and we'll be piloting it with Grade 5 & 7 classes.

Our Project focuses on relating Jewish History (both Biblical and more recent) to a modern context -- students will use video to explore these themes.

We are using a framework for Video projects called "The Director in the Classroom" by filmmaker Nikos Theodakis. This framework helps keep student projects on track by following the same process a filmmaker would need to get his or her film produced in the real world. Additionally, the framework gives all students a task so no-one feels left out, problem solving skills are embedded throughout.

We will be creating 10 "multimedia bundles" to break our projects into small groups of 5 students each x 2 classes. Each bundle will consist of a camera, portable rugged hard drive and accessories and will be entrusted into the care of a group. Half the bundles will include a basic Flip Video HD "pocket" video camera for basic shots, the other half will include a more traditional video camera with optical zoom, etc. Classes will switch equipment partway through the project so all students have access to both types of equipment. Both classes will also receive one set of extra equipment such as one tripod, dolly, to share between all groups.

The pocket cameras have arrived and we are anxiously awaiting the rest of the equipment. We envision this being a fairly lengthy project, taking a good portion of the school year. Mini projects (such as a unscripted documentary-style footage) will likely be inserted along the way as part of our "feedback loop".

Two more planning and PD meetings will happen in the next couple weeks with our Principal of Jewish Studies, Simona Dayan, and the teachers involved, to ensure that the project is properly embedded and aligned with our curriculum for these grades. Students will be introduced to and begin working on their projects in early November.

More information on the project specifics, curricula-wise, will be posted by other involved staff in the next couple of weeks.

We look forward to feedback from the community and would be happy to answer any questions.

iPods for Hebrew - Gray Academy

2009-10-20T12:36:00.001-04:00

Before the iPods, we would test the students during class. That meant “one shot” for the student, and “one shot” for the teahcer to assess.
Having the tests saved as opposed to heard live benefits both the teacher and the students. The students get a chance to hear themselves and re-record if necessary before returning the iPod. From the teacher’s perspective, it allows us to listen to the recordings as many times as we need, which allows attention to details.
In addition, having the files saved gives the teacher an opportunity to sit with the students and give them feedback. The teacher can listen to the file with the student and point out areas that require attention and improvement. It serves as a great tool for enhancing progress rather than just giving a mark for the test.
The iPods are quickly becoming a popular item in our school. Teachers in our Hebrew department have already scheduled a few reading tests. Students seem to respond positively to this new experience. As a matter of fact, students who have not used them yet keep asking when is their turn.

King David High School in Vancouver Brings the Past into the Present

2009-10-08T14:22:00.002-04:00

The senior Jewish History students at King David are embarking on a project to personalize their realtionship with Jewish history. Currently the students are researching their family histories in an effort to document the stories of their ancestors. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins are all being invited to tell their stories of immigration to North America and Vancouver, British Columbia in particular.
The project we are undertaking will involve video recording these stories in order to create a permanent archive of the Jewish experience in Vancouver. Working with the Jewish historical society located at the JCC across the street from our school we are seeking to leave a record that future generations can use to understand the journey that led their families to this beautiful city and its vibrant Jewish community. The use of video technology and the ability to digitally archive the wealth and breadth of information the students are gathering will allow us to give the community an invaluable resource.
It is bound to be a project full of interesting revelations for all of us as the stories are collected and recorded for the entire community to enjoy.

American Hebrew Academy: AVI CHAI GRANT - Pocket Video Cameras Project

2009-10-01T20:54:00.006-04:00

The cameras are here! They are very user friendly and everybody is excited to start filming. But there is work to do before we get to the real fun. (Students will soon discover that one can have lots of fun in a very serious learning environment.) This is what the cameras look like:

Hebrew 1.2 students are in the process of finishing the scripts they are writing. Putting together the grocery list was relatively easy for them; now we are working on the grammatical part of the dialog: verb conjugations in present tense in the first and second person, and using the possessive pronoun “shel”. We will probably start filming no later than Friday Oct 9.

Hebrew IV students have brought their favorite books to class. They are about to finish their presentations and they will start writing the scripts next week. After the presentations the students will choose two books to write about. I plan to start filming within two weeks, no later than Tuesday Oct 13.

Hag Sukkot Sameach,

Ariella Livnat

Smart Ideas- a smart first lesson

2009-09-30T21:24:00.004-04:00

I made a SMART Ideas template of the various topics found in Devarim Chapter One. With the input of my students from each of my classes we created a 'map' of the chapter. This unit was a great way for the students to chart out the chapter. They were able to figure out which topics were the main ideas and which topics seemed (at least initially) to be tangents. They were able to appreciate the organization within Moshe's speech where they first thought it was unorganized. My students were unable on their own to figure out the theme of the chapter because of its hodgepodge of topics. However once we mapped it out together using SMART Ideas the theme of the chapter was clear and demonstrable to each student.

My classes were wowed by the program- they liked that we could change the colors, move the shapes, and easily draw connectors. Since this program is relatively easy to use in the classroom- the 'wow factor' didn't take away from the learning and didn't eat away at much time.

I was able to quickly and effectively teach a lesson that would have taken much longer then one or two class periods and would be much more confusing to teach without the use of the SMART Board. Unfortunately I was able to see this first hand- during one of my classes when I planned to use this SMART Ideas lesson- our school network was unavailable because of maintenance/repairs. I saw then how much more difficult it was to teach this unit without the visual aid of the SMART Board.

My students loved the fact that they didn't have to worry about copying one of my charts or diagrams from the board. I told them to concentrate on the pesukim, take their regular set of notes, and not to worry about copying the chart. I posted each classes' completed SMART Ideas page as a pdf on their online homework page.

2009-09-30T17:15:00.002-04:00

I have collected a list of websites which I will use to capture the latest news in Israel and I have secured six collaborators so far; most of them are alumni of the Hebrew Academy, who are studying in Israel this year.
We purchased a laptop specifically for this project and it has finally arrived! It has a webcam, a high quality microphone and built in speakers, which are needed for this project.
We have also located some of the software which we will be using.

Bialik Montreal and online real-time homework help

2009-09-30T12:27:00.006-04:00

Our project is an experiment in extending Hebrew homework help by allowing teachers to support homework in real-time using lower-tech videoconferencing and laptop tablet technology. The program is both hard/software and people-ware based:

We have two laptops with webcams and microphones that we have got in and are being set up by our school IT wizard. This entails ensuring that a few softwares are loaded - including dedicated accounts on popular VideoOIP programs: Googlechat, Skype, and Oovoo - so that students can dial in during scheduled hours and teachers communicate with them by voice and video, where students have the capability at home. The goal with the tablet technology is to enable teachers to write directly on PDFs (more on this in a second) for students to see on shared screens.

The hardware part has been pretty straightforward. We have a strong history of unionized teachers, and mandate and buy-in are firm institutions. In the people-ware part, the following pieces are finally coming together:

1) Not every teacher is comfortable with the technology, which includes the willingness to identify or commit specific homework assignments to be put up into the school intranet area as PDFs to ensure teachers' ability to access them from home (or wherever they will post themselves for this tutoring time).

1a) Participating teachers are in rotation with equal access, and will be "on call" during identified homework help hours. They will be expected to help with homework of any student who calls in, and not only their own students.

2) Not every teacher is participating. It's unclear at this point whether students in other sections will still call in for help. The homework-helping teachers have committed to making their assignments available.

3) We had some discussion about compensation in comparison to their normal teacher salary rates. What we are doing is not tutoring (this was a concern strongly voiced by the teachers, and one with which I agreed). How is this being on-call different from teaching, per se?

3a) Some of the teachers were concerned that they're going to be asked to help "do" a student's homework. I think that our students who would go that direction will simply copy their homework from a friend in the hallway before class. We are keeping it to ensuring that, at the beginning of an assignment, students have the basic methods they need to meet the exercise goals of the assignment.

4) The teachers wanted to keep some hours clustered nearer to the exams, rather than an even distribution; this will require tweaking of our scheduling of these hours this week.

Hopefully more on this during or just after Sukkot.... but the teachers are excited about using the technology and this is good for homework assignment in general and bringing our Hebrew department further forward into technology use (which has become a piece of our school's mission platform).

Digital Recording of Student's Reading Gemara

2009-09-30T11:41:00.003-04:00

Firstly, I'd like to thank Avi Chai for this wonderful opportunity to follow my long lasting interest in recording students reading from the Gemara. After experimenting with using tape recorders (different cassette sizes and speeds made that difficult), voicemail boxes (the program would hang up on them after a pause of several seconds), and computer microphones (some home computers could not save a file in an Mp3 format), I am excited to begin this year with having my 7th grade Gemara class record themselves on handheld digital voice recorders as an assessment of their understanding after completing a section of Gemara.

This week I gave it my first try...

We finished reading the first Mishna and 10 lines of Gemara from Perek Arvei Pesashim. I had the students divide into two groups, one group of about 12 were meant to record themselves, while the other group of 12 worked on an assignment, they would then swap in what I assumed would take about 6 minutes. I assumed wrong...

While the digital voice recorders I purchased are about as user friendly a device as things get, the first time around definitely required some additional guidance to remind them how to use them. The other surprise was that the students were very often not satisfied with how they recorded themselves on the first try, and wanted to do a 2nd take. This quickly became a 3rd, 4th and even 5th take. With regard to this issue, I'm torn. On the one hand, I want my students to feel more confident in their first take, on the other hand, every time they do another take, they are learning the Gemara better and better. Additionally, as an assessment tool that is meant to capture their best effort at that time, I do want them to have the opportunty to submit thier best work. I'll think more about it, and let you know how it goes next time.

Rabbi Tavi Koslowe
Yeshivat Noam

Talmud Torah of St. Paul begins using technology

2009-09-29T16:17:00.003-04:00

The Hebrew faculty at Talmud Torah of St. Paul Day School has begun using the technology bought with the generous grant money from Avi Chai. Our intentions include documenting student progress through projects.

In Tishrei, already many of our lower school children have been recorded on video reading Hebrew. The first graders read their first syllables, the second graders read a short story about Rosh Hashannah, adding their own personal details to the story.

Fifth through eighth graders began the year writing about their summer experiences. The digital cameras were used to photograph students holding the objects they brought that were related to their summer. The photographs were integrated into the final presentation of the essays, which are now hanging on bulletin boards. The photographs helped students understand each other's essays by providing a visual prompt. A side benefit: students from other classes were drawn to the photographs, and spent time reading the essays.

Kindergarten students were photographed with "Bentzi", the class mascot, and the pictures will be used throughout the year to give visual clues to the students. Thanks to the photographs, the teacher is able to explain the procedure for Bentzi's rotation through their homes during the year ENTIRELY IN HEBREW. The photographs are also used to build sentences such as, "Yoni wants a banana."

The LCD projector has already been used to show short movies from Israeli news sites. For example, when Assaf Ramon died, students viewed the news coverage in Hebrew, from an Israeli site.

Next up: Seventh and Eighth grade students will begin to create "Vokis", which are voice recordings. This assignment: Pick the face of a famous person, and record your voice inviting someone to your sukkah. Students need to explain why you are inviting that person, and explaining the holiday to that person. The projector enables teachers to demonstrate the procedures to the entire group of students before they use the technology themselves.

Thank you to Avi Chai for the resources to explore these projects and more!

Wendy, Avivit and Riva

iPods for Hebrew - Gray Academy of Jewish Education

2009-09-25T15:45:00.005-04:00

We are using 6 iPods (5 classic, 1 nano) hooked up to a Bretford Power Sync Cart, which enables us to charge all of the iPods at once, as well as access the sound files using one computer. So far a grade eight class has used the iPods for a reading test that was developed by their teacher. The reading test is connected to the NETA program that we use in our school, Gray Academy of Jewish Education. The iPods are a great tool to enhance two of the four major skills in Hebrew acquisiton: reading and speaking. The students were very keen and excited to use the iPods, which is one of the reasons why we wanted to purchase these devices. As well, the sound quality and range from the iPod is excellent, as long as the students speak clearly.

The teacher who is using the iPods is also learning the Mac OS, which has broadened her ICT skills. One thing she has learned is that the students have to identify themselves before recording their voices. She found it difficult to know for sure who was speaking, which was a real surprise. That may be a function of speaking in a different language, and the nature of testing vs. speaking "naturally".

The sound files were transferrred from the Mac computer to the teacher's flash drive. We realized a larger flash drive was necessary because the sound files are not compressed. All of these issues are easily resolved.

Next Step in Student Videography in the Judaic Classroom

2009-09-23T20:44:00.003-04:00

The New Year 5770 brings us to the next step in our Videography in the Judaic classroom.

We began our Videography journey by studying in class a paragraph on "Truth and Lies", from NETA 10. After a careful review of the paragraph the students and the teacher decided to embark on creating a movie based on this paragraph.

The students together with the assistance of the teacher composed the script. Once the script was completed, they had to audition for the parts that they felt they could portray.

The process consisted of memorizing a whole part and then acting it out. This immersed the students into studying the story as well as learning their respective parts. This first video will be in Hebrew; and as a result of the students learning their parts, they are also enhancing their knowledge of Ivrit.

The next step will be to rehearse the parts in which the students will continue to study the story and then filming it (the next Spielberg..).

Our next Blog posting will consist of the editing process.

This is only the first of four (4) videos that we will produce.

We look forward to your feedback.

Introduction

2009-09-22T17:14:00.004-04:00

I teach Hebrew language in a Jewish Day school. We look forward to enhancing our program by engaging students in authentic learning opportunities with the generous support of Avi Chai.Our
future posts will describe the project and progress.
Our project enhance language skills through technology driven global connections. We will bring current events in Israel and around the world in Hebrew to our students by way of streaming media in real time.Our students will follow up this activity through discussion about the daily living,culture and politics with our Alumni living in Israel through web/video conferencing.I will use the technology of SmartBoard and related computer generated programs to project the media and enhance the activities.

39 Melachos Video-Robert M Beren Academy Houston, TX

2009-09-22T11:55:00.009-04:00

Before I begin, I would like to give a few words of preface about my grant.

For many years now, I have been teaching the Melachos of Shabbos to my fourth grade classes. For many this is an eye opening experience on many levels. First and foremost, it is their first real exposure to the logic as to why certain actions are permitted or prohibited. On a different level, this is the first exposure to a time that has passed. The laws pertaining to Shabbos, as we learn them in the Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch, were written to be applied to everyday life in a time period that has passed. A time before the advent of electricity and modern appliances, a time when everything a person used, he grew or made.

In order to bring this to life for my students, we then head to a local historical farm to see how life was lived in the 1830’s and learn how the melachos were performed. The students get to do and see many different activities. In the end, they actually experience or hear about all 39 melachos. They have a great time and learn a tremendous amount.

After taking the local kollel, who were learning Masechta Shabbos, to view the ranch on a mature scholarly level, I saw that as adults many of us need to experience the past in order to learn hilchos Shabbos correctly. The idea for a video depicting all 39 melachos was born. It would be geared for children, but provide a learning experience to talmidei chachamim looking to find out how a particular melacha was preformed.

The months of May and June were spent on hours and hours of research as to what should be shown in the video. In the beginning of July, the first version of the script was written. I say first version, because it had to be totally overhauled. In the meantime the actors were identified: I and a seventh grader in our school. By the time the second version was ready and edited (after many hours of hard work,) it was the middle of August and school had started. We are now limited to Sundays to rehearse and film. Which brings us to our next technical problem; all the Sundays in the near future are Yomim Tovim. In the meantime, we are memorizing our lines. I feel that this might be the hardest part of the whole project. Anyone with any tips, please let me know.