- HOME
- Table of Contents
- Resume
- Philosophy Statement
- 1. History of Jewish/General Education
- 2. Assessment
- 3. Curriculum
- 4. Language Development/Hebrew
- 5. Personal Development of Teachers
- 6. Collaboration/Community
- 7. Technology
- 8. Learning and Cognition
- 9. Evidence-Based Practice
- 10. Child Development
- 11. Content Knowledge
- 12. Ethics and Values
- 13. Instructional Methods
- Inspiration/Chizuk
- Post-Observation Reflections
7. Technology
Each day I have various opportunities to facilitate student interface with technology which assists instruction:
-Our 5th grade Hebrew classes are via video-conference with Israel- I supervise the television screen and microphones; manage the adjacent SmartBoard with presentations prepared by the Israeli teacher; after grading the quizzes, I scan/email the grades to her.
Reflection: Students are almost 100% engaged in “The Saffah Show”- a unique classroom experience! The teacher maneuvers the camera so she has full control inside our classroom, and students know they can not evade her sight or earshot. She engages them in conversation and directs their attention both to her home and family in Israel, and to materials displayed on the SmartBoard which the children manipulate. The teacher also bring special guests, such as her children and neighbors, to see us and for us to see them, facilitating real-time international interactions. Through our school’s partnership with the Israeli town Nahariya, we also have occasional “get-togethers” with an entire class of the same grade; the American and Israeli students ask each other questions about themselves, their schools, their hobbies. Our students benefit from “meeting” these Israeli children, different in many ways but essentially their like-minded peers. While I usually do not condone surrounding children with screens, in this case, the video-conference television screen actually enables human interface.
-I use Davka to creatively and efficiently produce worksheets and tests in Hebrew.
-Reflection: Students tell me they like the format and style of typed tests better than those hand-written by the teacher. It also allows more creativity to present the Hebrew and Biblical texts in designs that are interesting, varied, appealing, and student-friendly.
-I access online resources such as www.Mechon-Mamre.org and www.daat.co.il to display Biblical texts on the SmartBoard and highlight key words/letters, write/type translations, etc. I have also used the Bar-Ilan database to do research and create source-sheets for shiurim I've delivered to peers/adults.
Reflection: In 1 class in which I work, the head-teacher teaches the pesukim-text of the Chumash, in a rather frontal and static way, and the students write the translations of the words inside their Chumashim. Many student have trouble following along without movement and visualization; in addition to walking around and ensuring they have the words, I initiated copy-pasting the pesukim into Microsoft Word, dividing them into smaller segments, and typing the translations that the head-teacher explains. Students follow MUCH better when they hear AND see the Hebrew AND English. I feel gratified that if I forget to begin typing the translations, the students will kindly ask me to, demonstrating that they like and appreciate this tool. I am able to discreetly facilitate their comprehension while they stay focused on the head-teacher’s voice.
-Using the SmartBoard, I use various websites to access photos and videos, including a live camera of the Kotel during Tefila time,, which enable students to visualize, hear, and/or watch what we are learning about, a multi-sensory experience which is more engaging and memorable.
Reflection: I strongly believe that the SmartBoard is a tool of the teacher, and not the teacher itself. It does, however, easily attract the attention of most students, and create a focused space and atmosphere. It expands learning from the four walls of the classroom into the world-wide-web and beyond; there are infinite possibilities for its use. At first, I was wary of the SmartBoard being the next new-fangled trend, but it seems it is here to stay, and for good reason. I am happily surprised that even students who have used it for many years, are still excited to use it.
-We have a school-wide program called EdLine, onto which teachers post homework assignments and test announcements. Parents have personalized accounts for their children’s classes s they are consistently well-informed. No longer can students use the excuse, “I didn’t know we had homework”.
Reflection: While it takes an extra few precious minutes away from teachers’ prep time, hopefully it averts complaints and confusion, and facilitates better school-home partnership and student accountability.
Each day I have various opportunities to facilitate student interface with technology which assists instruction:
-Our 5th grade Hebrew classes are via video-conference with Israel- I supervise the television screen and microphones; manage the adjacent SmartBoard with presentations prepared by the Israeli teacher; after grading the quizzes, I scan/email the grades to her.
Reflection: Students are almost 100% engaged in “The Saffah Show”- a unique classroom experience! The teacher maneuvers the camera so she has full control inside our classroom, and students know they can not evade her sight or earshot. She engages them in conversation and directs their attention both to her home and family in Israel, and to materials displayed on the SmartBoard which the children manipulate. The teacher also bring special guests, such as her children and neighbors, to see us and for us to see them, facilitating real-time international interactions. Through our school’s partnership with the Israeli town Nahariya, we also have occasional “get-togethers” with an entire class of the same grade; the American and Israeli students ask each other questions about themselves, their schools, their hobbies. Our students benefit from “meeting” these Israeli children, different in many ways but essentially their like-minded peers. While I usually do not condone surrounding children with screens, in this case, the video-conference television screen actually enables human interface.
-I use Davka to creatively and efficiently produce worksheets and tests in Hebrew.
-Reflection: Students tell me they like the format and style of typed tests better than those hand-written by the teacher. It also allows more creativity to present the Hebrew and Biblical texts in designs that are interesting, varied, appealing, and student-friendly.
-I access online resources such as www.Mechon-Mamre.org and www.daat.co.il to display Biblical texts on the SmartBoard and highlight key words/letters, write/type translations, etc. I have also used the Bar-Ilan database to do research and create source-sheets for shiurim I've delivered to peers/adults.
Reflection: In 1 class in which I work, the head-teacher teaches the pesukim-text of the Chumash, in a rather frontal and static way, and the students write the translations of the words inside their Chumashim. Many student have trouble following along without movement and visualization; in addition to walking around and ensuring they have the words, I initiated copy-pasting the pesukim into Microsoft Word, dividing them into smaller segments, and typing the translations that the head-teacher explains. Students follow MUCH better when they hear AND see the Hebrew AND English. I feel gratified that if I forget to begin typing the translations, the students will kindly ask me to, demonstrating that they like and appreciate this tool. I am able to discreetly facilitate their comprehension while they stay focused on the head-teacher’s voice.
-Using the SmartBoard, I use various websites to access photos and videos, including a live camera of the Kotel during Tefila time,, which enable students to visualize, hear, and/or watch what we are learning about, a multi-sensory experience which is more engaging and memorable.
Reflection: I strongly believe that the SmartBoard is a tool of the teacher, and not the teacher itself. It does, however, easily attract the attention of most students, and create a focused space and atmosphere. It expands learning from the four walls of the classroom into the world-wide-web and beyond; there are infinite possibilities for its use. At first, I was wary of the SmartBoard being the next new-fangled trend, but it seems it is here to stay, and for good reason. I am happily surprised that even students who have used it for many years, are still excited to use it.
-We have a school-wide program called EdLine, onto which teachers post homework assignments and test announcements. Parents have personalized accounts for their children’s classes s they are consistently well-informed. No longer can students use the excuse, “I didn’t know we had homework”.
Reflection: While it takes an extra few precious minutes away from teachers’ prep time, hopefully it averts complaints and confusion, and facilitates better school-home partnership and student accountability.