I just registered for #140 Characters Conference NYC ‘10 in April - and in return I received a discount promo to share with my friends - how cool! So, come on and join me, friends!
By now, you may have already seen the ebullient flash mob video produced by Nefesh B’Nefesh:
What is particularly compelling is a) how Nefesh B’Nefesh used the concept of a flash mob to communicate its work and underscore its message - “Make Aliyah in a ‘Flash‘: Join 23,000 Nefesh B’Nefesh Olim celebrating Hanukkah in Israel “ - which also emphasizes aspects of its mission: you are part of a larger community through Nefesh B’Nefesh; you are not alone in your aliyah adventure; individuals join together through the organization to create community; each individual is essential to the community’s success; and, b) how Nefesh B’Nefesh was able to mobilize volunteers to join in the festivities.
Did you know that invitations to participate went out on Facebook five days before the event - and the sole rehearsal with the group was held an hour and a half before the flash mob itself?
If you haven’t already seen the back story of the “The Making of the Nefesh B’Nefesh Jerusalem Flash Mob,” be sure to check out this video and enjoy the show:
On the star-studded line up: Alan November of November Learning and a frequent speaker at ed tech conferences; Erica Brown, Director for Adult Education at The Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning; Lee Shulman, president emeritus of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (and an educator’s educator); and, Jonah Lehrer, contributing editor at Wired and author. And of course, the hundreds of other participants who make up the heart and soul of such conferences.
Session topics include technology in the classroom, social media, and lots, lots more!
Early bird registration is available until December 18, 2009. Give a holler if you’ll be there - let’s meet up!
Years ago, at one point in my tenure at JESNA, I was the director of the National Educational Resource Center (yes, NERC), a forerunner of today’s Sosland Resource Center at JESNA. NERC housed published and teacher-made curricular resources which we made available or provided citations for, as appropriate. We regularly received requests from central organizations of Jewish education and others for resources. One of the most popular topics was “Jews Around the World.”
Inspired by Alan November, Silvia designed a collaborative “Jewish Communities Around the World” project with her sixth graders, their social studies and Hebrew teachers. Instead of using the Internet to collect information, they are taking advantage of the social value of global online opportunities to connect with other Jews in more personal ways, sharing stories, making connections, and becoming connoisseurs of new media as they learn and create together.
Rather than go to a centralized resource center, Silvia took advantage of her personal learning network (PLN) to tap into partners and resources. Personal learning networks and understanding the culture around them are key to how we function as learners and professionals today. PLNs serve as our own customized resource centers … and they are so much more. I, for one, am thankful for my PLN. Stay tuned for more thoughts on PLNs…! Meanwhile, be sure to read Silvia’s post. But why stop there?
Crowdsourcing is a way of collecting knowledge by leveraging the expertise of networks of individuals. Tom Barrett uses it to great effect in his “Interesting Ways” series - definitely a must see resource for educators. As we mentioned in an earlier post, Tom taps into his extensive and generous professional learning network of educators to solicit tips and techniques on using social media for learning.
The Lookstein Center is compiling fun and creative Chanukah resources for the classroom. As of now, they have gathered together 27 ideas that represent different aspects of the festival. What are some of your favorite activities? Let’s see how many our collective wisdom can share - submit them to Chana at Lookstein for possible inclusion!
Got a Big Idea for Jewish learning and new media? Are you an educator in a North American congregational / complementary Jewish setting? What are you waiting for? Apply now to the Darim Educator Fellows program!
Darim will work with up to 3 individuals through coaching and mentoring over a six month Fellowship. Check out details and the link to the application form here: http://bit.ly/defspring.
Meet our current Fellows:
Joshua Altman, Temple Sholom, Greenwich, CT – Josh is creating an online collaborative newspaper / blog with his religious school students.
Lynne Lieberman, Friedman Commission for Jewish Education, West Palm Beach, FL – Lynne is developing an online professional development course on differentiated learning for synagogue educators.
Rachel Sesser, Temple Sholom of West Essex, Cedar Grove, NJ – Rachel is creating an online community resource for students and their families to engage in classroom and extracurricular activities.
Viki Shayna, Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI – Viki is developing an extension of a community collaborative project that will bring together American and Israeli families online.
Get your creative juices flowing this holiday weekend! Applications are due Friday, December 4, 2009. Questions? Give us a shout at learningnetwork@darimonline.org.
Helpful hint: we posted a preview of the application on the Fellows information page so you can prepare your longer responses in advance and cut and paste them into the online application form.
The Darim Educator Fellows program is made possible by a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation.
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