How Weebly can be used to promote learning

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will share resources explaining how Weebly can be used to promote learning.

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Weebly can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Weebly?

Weebly is a website creation tool.

Note: Weebly can be used in the Judaic Studies physical and virtual classroom.

Where is  Weebly  located on the web?

http://www.weebly.com/ and http://education.weebly.com/

How Weebly can be used to promote learning (e.g. classroom websites and student blogs)

Click on the links below and find resources which explain how Weebly can be used to promote learning.

• http://education.weebly.com/?session-expired=1&redirect=userHome.php
• http://ripplingpond.weebly.com/
• http://jasonweaver.weebly.com/designing-classroom-websites-with-weebly.html
• http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/using-weebly-to-build-your-classroom-website/
• http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/59509.aspx
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP_z25TmPPg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbX-KbjsB5I
• http://vimeo.com/7061272
• http://live.classroom20.com/1/post/2009/10/using-weebly-to-design-classroom-websites-special-guest-dan-veltri.html
• http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/tech-for-teachers/23819
• http://web20edu.com/2010/02/23/weebly-for-easy-student-websites-in-the-classroom/
• http://www.slideshare.net/cbarletta/building-your-own-website-for-the-classroom-5314769

On the next post we will share sample Weebly websites that have Judaic themes.

Introduction to Weebly, a free website creation tool on the internet

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will begin our discussion on how  to make your own website by using Weebly. 

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Weebly can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Weebly?

Weebly is a website creation tool.


Note: Weebly can be used in the Judaic Studies physical and virtual classroom.

Where is  Weebly  located on the web?

• http://www.weebly.com/ and 
• http://education.weebly.com/

Where can you find helpful  tutorials on how to use Weebly to create your own website?

Click on the links below for tutorials on how to use Weebly to create a website for yourself or your school:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBknOSR0CA
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18JiQn_FWBU
• http://voiceoutbox.weebly.com/weebly-tutorials.html
• http://members.takeonthenet.com/demo/weebly/01-introduction.html
• http://www.weeblytemplate.com/weebly-tutorials.html
• http://elearning-certificate.blogspot.com/2011/03/weebly-video-tutorials.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0mHlwcnIN4

On the next post we will share resources describing how Weebly can be used to promote learning.

Google Sites that have Judaic themes

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will share Google Sites that have Judaic themes.

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Google websites can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Google Sites?

Google Sites is a website creation tool.

Note: Google Sites can be used in both the physical and virtual Judaic Studies classroom.

Where is  Google Sites  located on the web?

https://sites.google.com/?pli=1

Google Sites that have Judaic themes

Click on the links below  and find two Google Sites that have Judaic themes:

• https://sites.google.com/site/traditionaldoor/
• https://sites.google.com/a/colgate.edu/jphilfwill/

On the next post we will introduce another free website creation tool, Weebly.

How Google Sites can be used to promote learning

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will continue our discussion on how  to make your own website by using Google Sites. In particular, we will share resources explaining how Google Sites can promote learning.

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Google websites can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Google Sites?

Google websites is a website creation tool.

Where is  Google Sites  located on the web?

https://sites.google.com/?pli=1

Note: Google Sites can be used in both the physical and virtual Judaic Studies classroom.

How can Google Sites promote learning (e.g. classroom/school websites and student blogs) ?

Click on the links below  and find resources on how Google Sites can promote learning:

• http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/04/11/google-sites-as-a-classroom-learning-portal/
• http://edtechvision.org/?p=644
• http://sites.google.com/site/googclass/
• http://www.google.com/educators/tools.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVa1ba4-AGU
• http://vimeo.com/5545888
• http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/best-google-sites-gadgets-for
• http://www.mrwylie.com/
• http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/2008/08/23/10-google-forms-for-the-classroom/
• http://sites.google.com/site/cliotech/
• http://edte.ch/blog/2008/08/23/10-google-forms-for-the-classroom/
• http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/689

On the next post we will share examples of Google Sites that have Judaic themes.

Introduction to Google Sites, a free website creation tool on the internet

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will begin our discussion on how  to make your own website by using Google Sites. 

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Google websites can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Google Sites?

Google websites is a website creation tool.


Note: Google Sites can be used in both the physical and virtual Judaic Studies classroom.

Where is  Google Sites  located on the web?

https://sites.google.com/?pli=1

Where can you find helpful  tutorials on how to use Google Sites to create your own website?

Click on the links below for tutorials on how to use Google Sites to create a website for yourself or your school:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD-4FRTzxkI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1B_q_EiVHI
• http://sites.google.com/site/paulmaunders/
• http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/tutorials.html
• http://www.scribd.com/doc/12740926/Google-Sites-Tutorial
• http://www.2createawebsite.com/

On the next post we will share resources describing how Google Sites can be used to promote learning.

A demonstration explaining how Ultimate Research Assistant can be used to promote learning in the Judaic Studies blended classroom and for the mentoring/training of pre-service and in-service Judaic educators.

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will continue our discussion on how  students in a Judaic Studies blended learning classroom can use Ultimate Research Assistant an inquiry tool. 

What are inquiry web tools?

Inquiry based web tools are ones that empower the user to use the internet as the primary vehicle to investigate essential questions.

What are essential questions?

Essential questions are ones that provide insight and add meaning  into life’s enduring inquiries.

For a more detailed explanation of essential questions click here.

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be used to enhance instruction as well.

Note: Although Ultimate Research Assistant can be applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators. For example, here is a CoP you might want to join. 

What is Ultimate Research Assistant?

Ultimate Research Assistant is a web-based inquiry tool.

Where is  Ultimate Research Assistant  located on the web?

http://ultimate-research-assistant.com/

A demonstration explaining  how Ultimate Research Assistant can be used to promote learning in the Judaic Studies blended classroom and for the mentoring/training of pre-service and in-service Judaic educators.

Click here a see a tutorial on how to use Ultimate Research Assistant for inquiring about a Judaic topic. This tutorial demonstrates how this inquiry web tool, Ultimate Research Assistant,  can be used for Judaic instruction or the mentoring/training of pre-service and in-service Judaic educators.

On the next post we will begin a new category for discussion, free websites for personal, classroom and professional use. The first website we will explore is Google Sites.

The construct, Jewish Integrated Experiential Education, has recently received the support of the USCJ

Chevre,

I thought you might like to read this email sent to Rabbi Shalom Berger, Lookstein Center for Jewish Education and signed by Amy Dorsch, Maxine Handelman, Wendy Light and Susan Wyner of the USCJ.

Rabbi Berger and friends,

We apologize for the delayed response to Dr. Richard Solomon’s publication, however wish to applaud and strongly support his work on Jewish Integrated Experiential Education. We hope that it will be widely read and incorporated into on-going education programs throughout North America.

The basic concept of integrated learning is one that we have fostered and promoted for many years. As members of the education consultation team of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, we consult daily with formal and informal educators over issues of early childhood, elementary, middle school and high school education. It only makes sense that the strongest educational offering is one that combines both formal and informal/experiential educational opportunities in a very deliberate and meaningful way. We believe that integrated experiential education (JIEE) is the future of Jewish education.

United Synagogue Youth (USY), as the youth arm of the Conservative Movement has prided itself on the implementation of experiential education techniques in its synagogue youth programming, summer travel experiences and International Convention, the largest annual gathering of Conservative Jews in North America. Studies have shown the powerful positive nature of our deliberate efforts towards engagement. Our participants make strong, lasting Jewish connections by living the values that we teach, by learning through action, and making this involvement their own, rather than simply by text book theory. The active learning techniques and transformative Jewish educational experiences we employ through our educational programming leave life-altering impressions with every contact and association. From utilizing the vast pathways to prayer and engagement through creative formats such as Web 2.0 technology, Youtube and art minyanim, to practicing mitzvot of Chesed and Tikun Olam on our USY on Wheels Mission Mitzvah North American summer tour (to name just a few), USYers learn Judaism by living it. Integrating this endeavor seamlessly into the academic classroom is key to our future successes.

From the earliest engagements that we have with our students and their families during early childhood classes and Mommy and Me programs we are mindful of the blending of experiential programming in a very deliberate way. In the arena of congregational school education, USCJ is heading into an era of transformation as the implementation process of a new organizational strategic plan develops. Education Task Forces and Think Tanks are meeting regularly to discuss this very issue. A major focus of the strategic plan is a new vision for integrating formal and experiential education for the next generation in USCJ Kehillot (sacred communities) which coincides with Dr. Solomon's thesis. We applaud him for his foresight and his ability to synthesize this information into such a clean understandable paper. His work will be a tool for us to use in guiding our teachers and educators through the integration process of Jewish experiential education with more formal, academic learning structures.

May all of our combined efforts continue to guide Jewish education for the 21st century toward success.

B’shalom,



Amy Dorsch- Education Coordinator, USCJ Department of Youth and Young Adult Services



Maxine Handelman- USCJ Consultant for Early Childhood Education



Wendy Light- USCJ Director of Integrated Education



Susan Wyner- USCJ Education Consultant for Congregational Education









Amy Dorsch

Education Coordinator

USCJ Department of Youth Activities

820 Second Ave.

10th floor

New York, NY

10017

212-533-7800 x 1115