Skype in the classroom for game plan analysis
LESSON PLAN GOALS-
A) To get students of my 12th grade Talmud class excited about learning Gemara, through seeing famous big Yeshivot such as Mir, Ponovich, and Porat Yosef in action.
B) To get the seniors interested in spending at least one year post high school in Israel.
Lesson Plan Action- Through the use of SKYPE technology to go on a virtual field trip and see the famous Yeshivot in Israel, with a respected well known sefardic rabbi in Israel, acting as the tour guide.
Lesson Plan Monitoring- Being able to gage the students' reaction to the different Yeshivot and sights they are viewing, while monitoring the overall learning process involved.
Lesson Plan Evaluation- Evaluating the feedback from the students. This can be done through the use of a questionnaire, calls to the parents, or private meetings with the students to see how they feel about the Talmud and Israel experience.
This fantastically free and exciting world virtual field trip, is only possible thanks to the amazing technology called SKYPE!
BELOW IS A SKYPE MODEL LESSON PLAN FOR MY SENIOR TALMUD CLASS:
I teach a Senior Talmud class in which I’m trying to impress upon my students not just the necessary Gemara skills they need to acquire for success in high school, but throughout life. To that end, I, along with numerous other Rabbis in the school, am trying to get the Seniors to spend a year studying Torah in the holy land of Israel. This way they’ll be able to continue their Jewish education, specifically focusing on learning the Talmud, before they have to embark on their careers. In addition, they’ll be able to acquire a love of Eretz Yisrael with all its holiness. They need to get away from the distractions that exist in Brooklyn. Going to Israel can accomplish all of the above.
Parents are very reluctant to send their children away so far from home for various reasons, including security, and fear of too much independence for their child.
To that end, it’s important to have Volunteers such as Rabbis from Yeshivot in Israel, Alumni of our school, and Parents themselves, speak to our students about their successful time spent studying abroad that couldn’t be duplicated had they learned in a yeshivah locally. This can be done either A) In person, or through a B) Virtual technological medium such as Skype, or a Virtual Field Trip.
A- When the students see important Rabbis coming from Israel specifically to speak to their class in person , and impress upon them how beneficial a year of Torah learning will be for them, they will give the idea serious thought.
In addition, when students see their own alumni friends, who were in school with them, and had the same doubts about going to Israel, give their class a presentation about how much they loved their Israel experience, it will make a positive impression on them, and might tilt the scales in favor of going away for the year.
When Parents, who either went to Israel themselves for a year, or allowed their child to go, volunteer in person to speak to the Seniors about the success they enjoyed in Israel, it really makes an impact upon not only the students, but maybe more importantly, the students’ parents, who are the ultimate decision makers.
In this way, Rabbis , Alumni, and Parents, act as role models to help influence the Seniors, along with their parents, to go on a path that could forever help shape the student’s life for the better!
B- More often than not, the Rabbi, Alumnus, or Parent, can’t meet the students in person to deliver their powerful message. This is where technology plays such a vital role.
With Skype, the Rabbi for example, can be in Israel and still deliver a powerful message to the students sitting in their classroom in Brooklyn, N.Y.
We will need volunteers to make sure the:
1- Computers in class are working
2-Overhead projector is plugged in properly
3- Skype account is active
4-Volume is just right
5- Necessary software is in place
My students are constantly begging me to take them on an interesting trip to see a vibrant post high school Yeshivah. Obviously, time and money are two prohibitive factors preventing me taking them out of town, let alone to Israel.
The Solution can be found with Virtual Field Trips!
Virtual Field Trips help students appreciate the connection between schoolwork and potential careers, in this case Talmud study. It provides an authentic context to what they are studying and learning. My students can see what Yeshivot like Lev Aharon, Mikdash Melech, and even Mir are like from the comfort of their own classroom. This will give them an in depth visualization and understanding that they could not have gotten from audio alone. As they say, “Seeing is believing!” They can also take a virtual tour of Israeli tourist sites such as the Kotel, Mearat Hamachpela, and Machaneh Yehuda Market, to get a better feel for understanding what spending the year in Israel is all about. These virtual trips could make the ultimate difference, whether the student decides to go or stay.
II. LIST OF BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS
1- Developing maturity away from home
2- Becoming more independent
3- Gaining valuable Talmudic knowledge
4- On the road to becoming a Talmid Chacham
5- Developing a true love for Torah
6- Ahavat Eretz Yisrael
7- Possibly making Aliyah
8- Serving in the IDF
9- Becoming productive community members
10- Future role models for subsequent classes
A) To get students of my 12th grade Talmud class excited about learning Gemara, through seeing famous big Yeshivot such as Mir, Ponovich, and Porat Yosef in action.
B) To get the seniors interested in spending at least one year post high school in Israel.
Lesson Plan Action- Through the use of SKYPE technology to go on a virtual field trip and see the famous Yeshivot in Israel, with a respected well known sefardic rabbi in Israel, acting as the tour guide.
Lesson Plan Monitoring- Being able to gage the students' reaction to the different Yeshivot and sights they are viewing, while monitoring the overall learning process involved.
Lesson Plan Evaluation- Evaluating the feedback from the students. This can be done through the use of a questionnaire, calls to the parents, or private meetings with the students to see how they feel about the Talmud and Israel experience.
This fantastically free and exciting world virtual field trip, is only possible thanks to the amazing technology called SKYPE!
BELOW IS A SKYPE MODEL LESSON PLAN FOR MY SENIOR TALMUD CLASS:
I teach a Senior Talmud class in which I’m trying to impress upon my students not just the necessary Gemara skills they need to acquire for success in high school, but throughout life. To that end, I, along with numerous other Rabbis in the school, am trying to get the Seniors to spend a year studying Torah in the holy land of Israel. This way they’ll be able to continue their Jewish education, specifically focusing on learning the Talmud, before they have to embark on their careers. In addition, they’ll be able to acquire a love of Eretz Yisrael with all its holiness. They need to get away from the distractions that exist in Brooklyn. Going to Israel can accomplish all of the above.
Parents are very reluctant to send their children away so far from home for various reasons, including security, and fear of too much independence for their child.
To that end, it’s important to have Volunteers such as Rabbis from Yeshivot in Israel, Alumni of our school, and Parents themselves, speak to our students about their successful time spent studying abroad that couldn’t be duplicated had they learned in a yeshivah locally. This can be done either A) In person, or through a B) Virtual technological medium such as Skype, or a Virtual Field Trip.
A- When the students see important Rabbis coming from Israel specifically to speak to their class in person , and impress upon them how beneficial a year of Torah learning will be for them, they will give the idea serious thought.
In addition, when students see their own alumni friends, who were in school with them, and had the same doubts about going to Israel, give their class a presentation about how much they loved their Israel experience, it will make a positive impression on them, and might tilt the scales in favor of going away for the year.
When Parents, who either went to Israel themselves for a year, or allowed their child to go, volunteer in person to speak to the Seniors about the success they enjoyed in Israel, it really makes an impact upon not only the students, but maybe more importantly, the students’ parents, who are the ultimate decision makers.
In this way, Rabbis , Alumni, and Parents, act as role models to help influence the Seniors, along with their parents, to go on a path that could forever help shape the student’s life for the better!
B- More often than not, the Rabbi, Alumnus, or Parent, can’t meet the students in person to deliver their powerful message. This is where technology plays such a vital role.
With Skype, the Rabbi for example, can be in Israel and still deliver a powerful message to the students sitting in their classroom in Brooklyn, N.Y.
We will need volunteers to make sure the:
1- Computers in class are working
2-Overhead projector is plugged in properly
3- Skype account is active
4-Volume is just right
5- Necessary software is in place
My students are constantly begging me to take them on an interesting trip to see a vibrant post high school Yeshivah. Obviously, time and money are two prohibitive factors preventing me taking them out of town, let alone to Israel.
The Solution can be found with Virtual Field Trips!
Virtual Field Trips help students appreciate the connection between schoolwork and potential careers, in this case Talmud study. It provides an authentic context to what they are studying and learning. My students can see what Yeshivot like Lev Aharon, Mikdash Melech, and even Mir are like from the comfort of their own classroom. This will give them an in depth visualization and understanding that they could not have gotten from audio alone. As they say, “Seeing is believing!” They can also take a virtual tour of Israeli tourist sites such as the Kotel, Mearat Hamachpela, and Machaneh Yehuda Market, to get a better feel for understanding what spending the year in Israel is all about. These virtual trips could make the ultimate difference, whether the student decides to go or stay.
II. LIST OF BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS
1- Developing maturity away from home
2- Becoming more independent
3- Gaining valuable Talmudic knowledge
4- On the road to becoming a Talmid Chacham
5- Developing a true love for Torah
6- Ahavat Eretz Yisrael
7- Possibly making Aliyah
8- Serving in the IDF
9- Becoming productive community members
10- Future role models for subsequent classes