Darim Educators Meet For the First Time

Darim hosted two sessions on Monday — Web 2.0 in Education with case studies from three congregations, and the first ever meeting of the Darim Online Educators. This group includes classroom teachers and Directors of Education from middle and high school supplementary school settings. You can learn more about the program on the Darim web site.

Those who are at CAJE33 gathered to share a bit about themselves, their work, their ideas, and where they would like support from the group. An ambitious and creative bunch, we had a great time getting to know one another and our work (why did one person decide NOT to put a computer lab in his school? And how did another get computers, networking, a server, a projector and a smartboard through a $4000 grant plus donations?).

In a world where much of our work here at Darim is virtual, it’s a real treat to meet members of our community face to face, and for them to meet each other! Over the coming months these 13 educators will develop projects incorporating technologies into the curriculum — stay tuned to learn what they’re up to, how it’s going, and to contribute your ideas to their work!

Social Media Workshops – Coming to a Federation Near You

I’m going on tour. Though I won’t have a tour bus or a back-up band, I am planning to be speaking at many local professional development events in the coming months. These events range from a hour workshop to a full day seminar. The goal is to answer this question: What Is Social Media, and How Can It Help Me?

The first of the series is part of the Wiener Educational Center’s series at the UJA Federation of New York on September 19, 2008. You can learn more about the event and register on their site.

Watch here for announcements of similar events in other cities which are currently being schedule. Interested in hosting a very valuable professional development event in your community? Give me a holler!

Darim @ CAJE 33: Meet Us in Burlington

The 33rd Annual Conference on Alternatives in Jewish is fast approaching! 1500 Jewish educators are convening at the University of Vermont August 10-14 for a week of learning, sharing, connecting, and schmoozing. Will you be there? We will! Look for Darim staff Lisa Colton, President of Darim, Caren Levine, Director of the Learning Network, and Eve Eichenholtz, our super Darim Graduate Intern.

This years conference includes an extensive track on educational technology, co-chaired by Caren and Debbie Harris. Sessions will focus on helping educators integrate new media into the curriculum to facilitate learning. Blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, software, web-based Judaic text, online professional development, Internet ethics these are just some of the topics on the menu! Also check out the open lab time and the Bloggers Caf, informal opportunities to play and gain hands-on experience.

Darim is excited to sponsor two sessions at this years conference. Come join us on Monday, August 11 at 10:15am for Exploring Effective and Creative Uses for Web 2.0 Tools in Congregational Education Middle and High School Focus and be prepared to share ideas, projects, visions, challenges. Later that day we will be welcoming our first cohort of the Darim Online Learning Network for Educators at a private kick-off. We cant wait to meet representatives of this incredibly talented group of middle school and high school congregational educators!

Lisa and Caren are also involved with JESNAs Lippman Kanfer Institutes new initiative, JEd3.0, which will be hosting a working reception on Tuesday, August 12, 4:45pm all are welcome to come by to learn about this project and participate in its development. Caren and Lisa will also be presenting sessions at CAJE highlighting their work and issues related to educational technology.

More information about CAJE, including a link to the conference program, can be found here.