djln march 2014: spring into purim
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Spring Into Purim!March 2014
It's hard to believe that the first day of spring is this month, but the upcoming equinox on March 20thmakes it undeniable. Spring is a favorite season of many children and adults alike, but with it oftencomes Spring Fever! Use the resources, articles, events, and contests in this newsletter to keep yourstudents engaged even as the outdoors beckons them through your classroom windows.
This month also brings one of the most festive holidays on the Jewish calendar - Purim! Every studentdreams of the fun they'll have at home and in school, so we've gathered some fun online resources tomake sure school doesn't disappoint.
And finally, it seems the changing of the seasons has brought with it a tide of contest just for K-12students, so we tell you about them all in a dedicated section below. Make sure your students knowabout them, and encourage them to apply. Hey, you never know, maybe one of your students will winsomething great! And they'll have you to thank :)
Sincerely,The DJLN TeamGary, Margery, and Faigy
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In This Newsletter:Our Latest Blog PostsFind Us at iJED 2014!All About PurimNational Day of UnpluggingAwesome Contests for Students K-12Resources From Around the Web
Connect With Us:
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Our Latest Blog Posts
Using Blended Learning to Maximize Classroom TimeBy Idit Bendavid, Hebrew and Bible Teacher, The Epstein School, Atlanta, GA
Among the different challenges I face as a teacher, thechallenge of maximizing learning and teaching isamong the most crucial. I usually feel that I do not haveenough time with my students and I have so much thatI want to achieve (sound familiar?). Therefore, I turned toblended learning to maximize the time of learning andteaching in my classroom. In a blended setting, my roleas the holder of knowledge needs to shift to facilitator oflearning. I asked myself, what steps do I need to taketo give students more control and autonomy? Whattools are out there which would allow me to maximizeand enrich student learning? Read more...
Blended Learning vs. Tech Integration Beautifully ExplainedA good deal of the conversations we have witheducators who are discovering blended learning involvesdistinguishing between simply using technology andactually blending the learning. This short and engagingvideo from Jen Johnson does a beautiful job of clearlyand concisely explaining the difference in very practicallanguage. Check it out and share it with anyone whoasks "What is blended learning?" To watch it, clickhere.
To stay up to date on our latest blog posts, subscribe to our RSS feed: bit.ly/DJLNrss
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Find Us at iJED 2014!
We're proud to be participating in the iJED Conference this coming March, and we hope to see youthere! Come find us at the vendor fair to connect with us, ask your questions about online and blendedlearning, and find out how you can participate in the DigitalJLearning Network.
And if you're new to the world of online and blended learning, join DJLN Director Gary Hartstein and Dr.Eliezer Jones of the YU School Partnership on Sunday evening for our 5:30pm session titled "Getting
Started with Blended Learning." Looking forward to seeing you there!
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All About Purim We've collected some resources from around the web that can help you teach your class about Purimand engage them in fun activities:
MyJewishLearning has a treasure-trove oftransdenominational online resources for Purim, includingan overview of the basics, common holiday foods, theholiday's history, some common traditions and rituals,and much more.
Watch this really cute video on Kveller with youngstudents; they'll love the adorable puppets explaining thisjoyous holiday in an accessible way.
Chabad.org provides many amazing Pruim-orientedgames, songs, videos, stories, recipes, and coloring pages all on a special portal for kids.
Are your students stumped for costume ideas? Suggest to them some of these creative ideas fromthe Union for Reform Judaism.
Photo by Nate Steiner
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National Day of Unplugging: March 7-8As you may have surmised, we're among the biggestfans of technology out there. We can't get enough of it.
Until, that is, it begins to feel overwhelming.
Enter the National Day of Unplugging, a project ofReboot. This year' it's March 7th through 8th for a full14 hour cycle.
Challenge your students to reconnect to friends, family,and their own mind offline for one full day. Use this dayto teach them about proper balance when it comes totechnology in their lives/
Learn more, sign the pledge, and upload a photoabout why you unplug at the official website.
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Check Out These Awesome Contests for Students K-12 Jewish Futures Youth Competition (Ages 13-18)The Jewish Education Project is looking for young adults, ages 13through 18, to address the upcoming Jewish Futures
Conference! One to two winners will present at the conference on May 21st at the New YorkAcademy of Medicine in NYC, and will receive a prize of $1000 + travel to NYC and 1 nightaccommodation along with a chaperone. Apply by March 31st: conta.cc/1aSe6vT
Doodle 4 Google (Students K-12)Encourage your artistic students to enter this awesome Doodle 4 Google contest! One talented
young artist (grades K-12) will see his or her artwork on theGoogle homepage and receive a $30,000 college scholarship anda $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for his or herschool. Apply by March 20th: bit.ly/N6OG2K
Google Science Fair (Ages13-18)Have some students who lovescience? Tell them about theGoogle Science Fair! Thewebsite has easy-to-followguidelines forstudents along with ideas,
experiment guidelines, and the judging criteria. Apply by May 12th: bit.ly/1eX41xk
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Resources From Around the Web Here are some great articles and tools you might enjoy:
The Frisch School, DJLN member, shares some of the resources they use to implementProject-Based Learning (PBL) on their Real School blog. They use PBL expertly, so if your oryour school is interested in potentially employing this method, you should read this. The AVI CHAI Foundation recently announced their new JDS Social Media & VideoAcademy! Take the assessment for tips on how to focus your school's social media energies.Can online and blended learning end the 'Snow Day' as we know it? Writers in both The NewYork Times and USA Today think so. Watch Sal Khan explain how he went from an online learning skeptic to the creator of KhanAcademy in this amazing keynote address at a Hoover Institute Symposium on BlendedLearning. Have you heard about the educational potential of a game called Minecraft, but aren't quite surewhat it is or why it's special? Read this post by Cool Cat Teacher where she tries to clear itall up for you. Read these 10 Common Misconceptions About The Flipped Classroom to get a better ideaof what flipping means...and what it doesn't. Use Smithsonian's History Explorer to find free history lesson plans and interactive media.Create rich digital learning content in minutes with Blendspace.Check out these 20 Awesome BYOD and Mobile Learning Apps on Edutopia.
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The DigitalJLearning Network is an initiative of The Jewish Education Project
supported by funding from the AVI CHAI Foundation.
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