A Shift in Educational Technology

A Shift in Educational Technology
Rachel Mohl Abrahams
In the last few years, many Jewish foundations have helped introduce educational technology into the classroom. The Gruss Foundation, through its support of The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education has encouraged the use of computer-based learning and assessment. They, along with the Legacy Heritage Fund have installed smartboards in day school classrooms across the US.
AVI CHAI ran a grants program for the last two years called “experiments in educational technology.” We gave out small grants to Judaic Studies educators to incorporate technology into their classes. You can read about the experiments on the ed tech blog.  We were quite pleased with the creative work of so many dedicated teachers.
As we wind down our funding of these experiments, our strategy at AVI CHAI is beginning to change.  We realize that the focus of our educational technology program should be to get Jewish day schools to think about what learning needs to look like in the 21^st century.  Many Jewish day school leaders have begun to think in these terms. (Some are active on Twitter, follow the hash tag #jed21 and #jdstech.)
We believe that the learning taking place in Jewish day schools must be interactive, collaborative, project-based and most importantly, skill-based. In a world where a student can Google just about any content that can be delivered by a teacher, what is the role of the instructor?  What are the 21^st century skills students need to have when they graduate?
In the secular world, scholars such as Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Tony Wagner have written much about curriculum for today’s schools. We must listen and adapt for Judaic Studies. What does a 21^st century Jewish classroom look like?  What are the students doing during class? At the North American Jewish Day School Conference we asked school leaders for their thoughts about 21^st century schooling. Here is what they had to say:


We need to think about how technology promotes 21^st century learning. We are currently sponsoring game developers and Jewish educators to attend the Games for Change conference in New York in June. If you or someone you know has an idea for a game for day schools, encourage them to apply.
And if you have ideas about how to get more schools and school leaders involved in the conversation, let us know.