jlearn2.0

The Lippman Kanfer Institute is an action-oriented think tank for innovation in Jewish learning and engagement. It recently developed a wiki through which to disseminate its work and to elicit feedback. The Institute’s first major initiative is “Redesigning Jewish Education for the 21st Century,” an opportunity to map out an agenda and strategy for ensuring that Jewish education is maximally effective and relevant in the new century. Among the issues raised are how new media can be employed for Jewish education and change, and how the new media culture provides new perspectives on Jewish learning.

More information about this project can be found on the wiki. To participate, contact Dr. Jonathan Woocher, Director, Lippman Kanfer Institute. The Lippman Kanfer Institute is affiliated with JESNA.

Two interesting quotes from recent books:

From The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Release 2.0 by Thomas L. Friedman, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2006 (pp. 10-11):

The flat-world platform is the product of a convergence of the personal computer (which allowed every individual suddenly to become the author of his or her own content in digital form) with fiber-optic cable (which suddenly allowed all those individuals to access more and more digital content around the world for next to nothing) with the rise of work flow software (which enabled individuals all over the world to collaborate on the same digital content from anywhere, regardless of the distances between them). No one anticipated this convergence. It just happened – right around the year 2000. And when it did, people all over the world started waking up and realizing that they had more power than ever to go global as individuals, they needed more than ever to think of themselves as individuals competing against other individuals all over the planet, and they had more opportunities to work with those other individuals, not just compete with them. As a result, every person now must, and can, ask: Where do I as an individual fit into the global competition and opportunities of the day, and how can I, on my own, collaborate with others globally?”

From Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, Penguin, 2006 (p. 67):

In its purest form,[peer production]is a way of producing goods and services that relies entirely on self-organizing, egalitarian communities of individuals who come together voluntarily to produce a shared outcome. In reality, peer production mixes elements of hierarchy and self-organization and relies on meritocratic principles of organization – i.e., the most skilled and experienced members of the community provide leadership and help integrate contributions from the community.

There has been some preliminary discussion about issues of technology innovation, peer collaboration and hierarchies on the jlearn2.0 wiki.

Although the books cited above refer primarily to corporate culture, practical implications for Jewish education, particularly for peer collaboration, are intriguing. How does this mesh with Jewish educational values? What are some challenges? Do these concepts carry over into the offline world?

Ideas? Comments?

The latest report from the Pew Internet Project indicates that more than half of all online Americans ages 12-17 use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. These sites are used as public and private communications tools to maintain and manage current and new friendships. According to the report, these sites “have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users.” The report is based on a telephone survey of 935 American teenagers in 2006.

Key findings from the report include:

• 55% of online teens have created a personal profile online, and 55% have used social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.
• 66% of teens who have created a profile say that their profile is not visible to all internet users. They limit access to their profiles.
• 48% of teens visit social networking websites daily or more often; 26% visit once a day, 22% visit several times a day.
• Older girls ages 15-17 are more likely to have used social networking sites and created online profiles; 70% of older girls have used an online social network compared with 54% of older boys, and 70% of older girls have created an online profile, while only 57% of older boys have done so.

  (From: Social Networking Websites and Teens, PEW Internet & American Life Project, 2007)

The report is available at: Pew Internet & American Life Project, www.pewinternet.org.

Related reports from the Pew Internet & American Life Project include:

Teen Content Creators and Consumers (2005)
Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation (2005)

Coming of Age: An Introduction to the New Worldwide Web (2006) is edited by Terry Freedman and includes contributions from many early adopter educators, including Alan November and David Warlick. The publication offers teachers “a gentle introduction to Web2.0” tools and provides a general overview of what these tools are and how they can be applied in educational settings.

The book is designed as an easy to read introduction and reference guide. It includes a glossary of terms and describes educational uses of blogging, photo-sharing and clip-art, social bookmarking, podcasting, and wikis. The publication is intended to help readers get started in using these tools and to point them in directions for learning more.

Coming of Age is a good, no frills introduction for educators and decisions makers alike. It is available free online at: www.ictineducation.org; a direct link to the pdf can be found at: http://fordlog.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/Coming_of_age_v1-2.pdf

Below is a preliminary review of literature on Jewish education and the use of technology. Are we missing your favorites? Help us compile a list of other resources – post them below as a comment, or email us at jlearn2.0.

Read more…
Isaacs, Leora; Levine, Caren N.; and Goldwater, Rebecca. Preliminary Survey of Distance Learning in Jewish Education. New York, NY: JESNA, 2002. Available from JESNA.

A study of different models of e-learning for Jewish education, with an emphasis on programs for the professional development of Jewish educators.

Jewish Educational Leadership, 1 (1), Spring 2003, 23-28. Select articles online. Available from the Lookstein Center.

Issue devoted to the use of technology in Jewish schools, including theory, practice, and learnings from secular education that can be applied to Jewish educational settings.

“Looking in - from the Editor” by Shalom Berger
“Digest of Literature on the Impact of the Computer in Instruction” by Stanley Peerless, Esther Feldman, and Chana German
“The Internet as a Tool for Student Inquiry” by Craig A. Cunningham
“Effective Design of Computer Based Multimedia Learning” by Richard Mayer
“Teachers’ Use of Computers in the North American Jewish Day School: A Research Study” by Shalom Berger
“Kosher Quests and Other Bytes” by Miri Rubin
“As the World Turns: A Multimedia Approach to Teaching the Jewish Calendar” by Da’at website
“Distance Learning” by Zvi Grumet
“The Computer as a Research Tool” by Reuven Werber
“Jerusalem Neighborhoods - An Example of Technology Integration” by Chuck Bernstein
“Software Reviews” by Drora Arussy, Tzvi Pittinsky, Shlomo Schwartz
“Discussion - Constructionism in Jewish Studies”
“A Letter from Nechama Leibowitz”
“Review of New Educational Materials” by Eli Kohn
“From the Classics - Innovative Methodologies for Unengaged Students” by Levi Cooper
“Jewish Perspectives on Leadership - The Balancing Act of Leadership” by Yuval Sherlo
“Getting the Discussion Started - The Constructivist Approach” by Margeret McKeown and Isabel Beck

Jewish Education News, Winter 2007. “Resources.” Forthcoming
from CAJE.

JEN explores what is needed in terms of personnel, materials, technology, and money to achieve excellence in Jewish education.

Jewish Education News 23:2, Summer 2002. “Technology and Jewish Education.” Select articles available at CAJE. Contact CAJE for back issues of hard copies.

Includes articles on integrating technology, teacher training and professional development, the school setting, and special projects in Jewisheducation.

“Integrating the Internet into the Jewish Curriculum: Three Major Issues” by Scott Mandel
“Crossover Technology: What Can Jews Learn from the Educational Technology Community?” by Cheryl Weiner
“And the People See the Voices” by Alik Vatikay
“Teacher Training and Professional Development On-line, On-Video, or On-Site: Reflections on Teaching in Distance Learning” by Roberta Goodman
“Professional Development at a Distance: A Context for Understanding” by Caren N. Levine
“A Strategic Approach to Jewish Educational Technology” by Meir Fachler
“Technology and Jewish Education: A Summary” by Judith Z. Abrams
“The Jewish Technology Collaborative Inspires Fellows to Propel Technology to the Forefront of Jewish Education” by Cara S. Trager
“One Mission: One Department - The Media and Technology Center at the Epstein School” by Madeline Rothbard
“Teaching with Technology” by Lois Paradiso and A. Bernstein
“Meaningful Technology Integration in Jewish Education” by Jeffrey Ahrendt
“Using the Internet in the Jewish Supplementary Religious School” by Nancy M. Messinger
“E-mails Connect” by Debi Mishael
“Questioning and Juxtaposition: A Model for Internet Use in Jewish Education” by Nina Kujawaski Price and Jeremy F Price
“Digital Portfolios - A Powerful Assessment Tool for Jewish Education” by Jeffrey Spitzer
“JBOP: The New Online Activity Center” by Danny Paller
“Facing History and Ourselves: Developing an Online Learning Community” by Geoff Miteleman
“New Initiatives in Jewish Education and Technology” by Zvi Grumet

Levine, Caren N. “Jewish Learning in the Digital Age.” Paper presented at NECC 2006 by the BJE of Greater New York and JECC, Cleveland, in conjunction with the ATT of Chicago and the BJE of Greater Boston, with support from The Covenant Foundation. Executive Consultants to the project: Dr. Ellen Meier, Co-Director of Teachers College’s Center for Technology and School Change, and Stan Silverman, Director of The New York Institute of Technology’s Technology Based Learning Center. Published by the BJE of Greater New York(forthcoming 2006).

A call for the Jewish educational community to encourage the appropriate use of new technologies and multiple media in the creation, delivery, and support of Jewish learning.

– “Technology and Adult Jewish Learning.” In The Adult Jewish Education Handbook: Planning, Practice, and Theory, edited by Roberta Louis Goodman and Betsy Dolgin Katz. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2004.

Examination of how technologies can support adult Jewish learning and how adult learners use elearning to guide their own educational process.

– “Jewish Learning in the Digital World.” In The Ultimate Jewish Teachers Handbook, edited by Nechama Skolnik Moskowitz. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2003.

Overview of how the Internet and software can be integrated into Jewish learning settings with an emphasis on resources for Jewish education, and developing technology-enhanced materials.

Levine, Caren N., and Sara Seligson. “That Each May Learn: Educational Technology in the Inclusive Classroom.” In V’khol Banayikh: Jewish Education for All - A Jewish Special Needs Resource Guide, edited by Ellen Fishman, Linda Forrest and Sara Rubinow Simon. Los Angeles, CA: Torah Aura Productions, 2006.

Review of how educational technology and digital resources can be used in support of learning for students with special needs.

Mandel, Scott. Wired into Teaching Jewish Holidays. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2003.
– Wired into Teaching Jewish Virtues: An Internet Companion. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2002.
– Wired into Teaching Torah: An Internet Companion. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2001.
– Wired into Judaism: The Internet and Jewish Education. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2000

Series of books designed for teachers without Internet access at school, but who are online at home. Step-by-step methodology helps Internet novices, as well as those with online experience.

Matanky, Leonard A. “What We Know About . . . Computers in Jewish Education.” In What We Know About Jewish Education: A Handbook of Today’s Research for Tomorrow’s Jewish Education, edited by Stuart L. Kelman. Los Angeles, CA: Torah Aura Productions, 1992.

Overview of Jewish education and educational technology, research, and implications for Jewish settings.

Shaping the 58th Century with 21st Century Technology: Proceedings from the Conference on Media and Technology in Jewish Education for Developers and Educators, edited by Caren N. Levine. New York, NY: JESNA, 1997. Available from JESNA.

Papers and presentations on educational technology and its implications for Jewish education.

Woocher, Jonathan. “Jewish Education in the Age of Google.” Available from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The article will appear in the revised second edition of Paul Flexner and Roberta Goodman, ed., What We Know About Jewish Education (Los Angeles, Torah Aura), forthcoming in 2007.

Conceptual article on how the use of digital technologies creates a new environment for Jewish education.