DigitalJLearning Network: Online Learning and Jewish Day High Schools

Is your day school high school/ yeshiva integrating online learning in general studies as part of its formal course catalogue? Is your school gearing up to launch such a program during the 2011-2012 academic year? If so, check out the new DigitalJLearning Network, a partnership of The Jewish Education Project, JESNA, and the AVI CHAI Foundation. This new initiative provides the opportunity for up to 15 North American day school and yeshiva high schools to work collaboratively to document their work, share resources, and tap into expertise regarding the adoption and integration of online courses. Participating schools will be eligible to apply for a grant of up to $5000 from the AVI CHAI Foundation to advance their work in this area. Details, including Network structures, school eligibility and expectations, and a link to the application can be found here. The deadline for applications is June 17, 2011 and recipients will be announced on or around June 30. What are you waiting for? Apply now to be part of the national vanguard of Jewish day high schools integrating online curriculum into general studies! Not quite ready but want to learn more about online learning? Check out the DigitalJLearning website.

Crowdsourcing the Jewish Future: What’s Your Vision?

[crossposted from jlearn2.0] Passionate about Jewish learning? Have Big Ideas about what 21st Century Jewish learning might look like? Share your vision … and you just might win an all expense trip to the upcoming Jewish Futures Conference – not to mention a world-wide audience!

BJENY-SAJES and JESNAs Lippman-Kanfer Institute invite you to submit a short video that communicates your response to the following question:

As we move toward a world where learning happens anywhere and everywhere, authored by anyone, what could Jewish learning and life look like in the future?

Those submitting the top three responses will be flown to New Orleans on November 7-8, 2010 (all expenses paid) to present their thinking at the Jewish Futures Conference. The Conference will be held on Monday, November 8, 2010 as part of the General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America.

High profile presenters, combined with up and coming innovators from the Jewish and general world, will each be given 10-18 minutes to describe their vision for the future of Jewish learning in the context of emerging new digital and social technologies.

Submissions will be accepted in the form of 4 minute videos by August 27, 2010 and should be sent to: [email protected]

Questions? Contact Rabbi Arnold D. Samlan: [email protected]

What are you waiting for? Come on over and check out submission and event details here now!

What’s your vision? Share a preview in the comments below!

Jewish Supplementary Schools That Work:ADCA Webinar Hosted by JESNA

What do we know about the makings of good Jewish supplementary education? What are noteworthy characteristics of schools that work? What factors enable successful learning communities? What are emerging policy recommendations toward creating and sustaining effective, vibrant complementary education?

These questions are addressed in the report, Schools That Work: What We Can Learn From Good Jewish Supplementary Schools, authored by Dr. Jack Wertheimer on behalf of the AVI CHAI Foundation, March 2009. In conjunction with the release of the report, JESNA recently hosted an ADCA webinar with Jack Wertheimer to discuss the report and the role of central agencies for Jewish education. The webinar is available at JESNAs Sosland Resource Center. ADCA is the Association of Directors of Central Agencies for Jewish Education.

We wrote about other resources on complementary and congregational education published by JESNA – be sure to take a look at them as well.

What are some of the most powerful characteristics of success in your school? What would you add to the report’s list of policy recommendations? What else do you want to know about successful complementary education?

Hot off the Griddle Tasty New Publications from JESNA on Complementary and Congregational Education

[cross-posted on jlearn2.0] Looking for some good reading to round out 2008 or start off 2009?

Take a look at JESNAs Compendium of Complementary School Alternative Models/ Programs.

See whats happening with in-home learning programs, family education, camps, tutoring, choose your own courses, art-focused initiatives, complementary education programs with online components, and more. Each entry includes background about the program and contact information for follow up.

The Compendium is published by JESNAs Center for Excellence in Education. Also be sure to check out the companion volume, Compendium of Complementary School Change Initiatives (Summer 2008).

And to further whet your appetite for the new year, download your copy of Transforming Congregational Education: Lessons Learned and Questions for the Future published by JESNAs Lippman Kanfer Institute (December 2008). The paper is organized around three questions:

  1. What are the goals of congregational educational change? What can and should we hope to achieve through these efforts and for whom? What visions are guiding these endeavors?
  2. What is the content of congregational education change? What is it that needs to be changed? What are the primary drivers of success in this endeavor?
  3. What is the process for congregational educational change? What needs to be done, by whom, to make congregational educational change efforts succeed?

The paper reflects a synthesis of experiences and observations by key players in Jewish congregational learning. It concludes with ten questions that outline a learning and planning agenda for next steps in congregational educational change.

Dig in Btayavon!