Links You’ll Love
Design thinking, the “formal method for practical, creative resolution of problems and creation of solutions, with the intent of an improved future result” (Wikipedia) is something that’s been intriguing me for some time. If you’re interested in a 90-minute crash course on this method, check out Stanford University’s site.
Put some Zing! into your classroom! Zing is a new free eBook site that you can use with your students. You can browse by category, language or reading level and monitor student progress. Sign up for a free account and let me know if you want to strategize about Zinging with your students.
Looking for some Jewish educators’ blogs to follow? Here’s a list of some, as crowdsourced by the Schechter network’s Jon Mitzmacher.
Well, this is interesting…here’s an interesting article about how a synagogue used technology to answer “every question it had.” I wonder if this solution could be applied to other institutions!
I’m a big fan of Kiva – the microfinance site that allows you to make small loans to individuals in generally underdeveloped areas. Every year my religious school students take part of their tzedakah collection and make a Kiva loan, which gets paid back so we can loan it out again! If you’d like to explore using Kiva with your students, check out the resources at Kiva U.
H.S.I.: Historical Scene Investigation is a pretty intriguing site. It was “designed for social studies teachers who need a strong pedagogical mechanism for bringing primary sources into their classroom,” but what intrigues me is the modality it uses to encourage inquiry among students. I’d love to know what you think!
Speaking of primary source docs, the LOC (Library of Congress) is hosting a free online conference about that very topic. The conference will be October 27-28, and the sessions will be recorded for later viewing. More information can be found here.
What exactly does a teacher do in a blended classroom? Khan Academy and the Clayton Christensen Institute teamed up to provide a series of videos that explore that very topic. If you’ve got some viewing time, check out their videos here.
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About
Debbie Harris is the director of educational technology at the Sager Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook, IL. Involved in Jewish education for over thirty years, she has an education degree from Northwestern University with a concentration in instructional media and a master’s degree in professional Jewish studies from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. She is skilled in using and teaching desktop publishing, video editing, presentation and animation software; and consults and presents regularly on integrating technology into Judaic studies. Her students podcast, blog, edit video and create claymations. She co-chaired the technology track for CAJE 33 in Vermont, is a SMART Certified Trainer for SMART Notebook, and a 2011 recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
When not learning, teaching or writing about technology, Debbie likes to sketchnote and craft. She likes to knit, do calligraphy, sew, watercolor, paint fabric and just generally play with fun toys like scrapbooking supplies and anything with texture. Debbie travels to California every summer to paint tallitot with high school aged campers. Finally, she is incredibly proud of her two daughters; Lori, who teaches English at a community college; and Allie, who is the director of the URJ’s Camp Newman in California.
Look for her at:
Debbie Does Desktop
Flickr
Twitter
Diigo
YouTube
Ravelry
Email Debbie here
MuseForJews 
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