Online Learning Center Takes Off

More than 670 teachers and 4,000 students nationwide are using the Online Learning Center for Hebrew and Jewish studies.  After such a strong lift-off, educators around the country have been reporting back about implementing this innovative new platform in their schools.

Rabbi Darren Levine, founding Rabbi of Tamid in New York City, recently wrote to us about the vast improvement he has seen in their Hebrew program after just a few months using the interactive online software available only in the OLC:

“The implementation of Alef Bet Quest and Kol Yisrael in your Online Learning Center is seamless. The children are moving from lesson to lesson with ease and love the ‘Tech Time’ aspect of learning Hebrew. The self-paced, 1-1 learning allows the child to focus uniquely on their learning and not deal with any of the social distractions in the typical classroom setting. It's been a huge cost savings to our synagogue and the few Hebrew specialists we do have are able to focus on teaching and not classroom management. Even my own 8-year-old son is a fan and is finally learning Hebrew after 2 years in a conventional environment. I've seen it with my own eyes and I am convinced this is the learning platform of the future. You've given the Jewish people a major gift! Thank you for your vision!”

With the Hebrew software, students have direct access to digital exercises and games that match the materials used in class. Teachers can track their students’ progress using the automatic assessment features in every Hebrew lesson.  It can also help extend class time by encouraging students to log on from home and by helping absent students stay on track with the rest of the class.  “I want to be where the children are [online]—and this is where they are. It's a new medium and I'm glad Temple Emanuel is part of it," said Itzik Eshel, Director of Education at Temple Emanuel of Maryland.

“I chose the OLC because I wanted cooperation and communication among parents, teachers, and students. I wanted to be able to SEE what's working in class and what's not,” said Eshel.  As the administrator of the Temple Emanuel OLC, Itzik can see what is going on in all of the school’s classes, participate in discussion topics and evaluate students’ comments, send school-wide emails, and post announcements for everyone to see.  “We insisted on getting the parents' cooperation and that insistence paid off. We now have 92% student participation. I like the platform and hope for new features like being able to select the prayers we want.”

Educators are also trying out unique new multimedia software for Jewish studies and creating their own online lessons with built-in tools and resources.  “I have been navigating through the OLC and thinking about how to use the cool computer ‘stuff’ listed under TOOLS (Animoto, Yodio, PhotoPeach) in our classrooms,” wrote Diane Zimmerman, Associate Education Director at Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C., “Here is an example: I have been thinking of having students do photo scavenger hunts, and then using that to create mini-projects using Animoto or Yodio or something similar.”  The Online Learning Center’s flexible format works for Hebrew, Jewish Studies, parent groups, tutorials, and even adult learning and teacher training, and allows for a variety of learning modes, including blended learning, distance learning, and project-based learning.

One concern that many educators have addressed is safety and privacy for students.  The OLC is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and that’s why Zimmerman feels comfortable creating such fun multimedia projects for her students: “Though it takes time to set up your students in the OLC, once in there, our classes can do so much, such as posting their work, including photos of classmates without worrying about internet safety. With pictures of students, we really have to have the safety features available on the OLC.” Learn more about COPPA and the safety features of the OLC here.

One of the main safety features of the OLC—an invitation-only system that prevents unwanted users from accessing your school’s online synagogue—has been a necessary hurdle for many educators.  “The Online Learning Center has been like a newborn baby delivery for us. A difficult delivery, but the baby is healthy and has a wonderful outlook for a great life,” said Eshel.  To help schools make the transition, Behrman House provides easy-to-use PDF tutorials, free weekly webinars, recordings of past webinars, and customizable parent letters.  Behrman House’s expert customer support staff is also available by phone, by email, and through a new support ticket system (you must be logged in to submit a support ticket).

Built by Behrman House specifically for the Jewish educational environment, the Online Learning Center went live in the spring of 2012. Behrman House, established in 1921, has a long history of educational innovation and was the first to introduce digital exercises and educational gaming for Hebrew with its groundbreaking Shalom Uvrachah primer and Hineni: The New Hebrew through Prayer series over a decade ago.

Get more information about the Online Learning Center here.

Are you an Education Director ready to get authorized and set up your school? Click here to get started.

And don’t forget to sign up for some free weekly webinars to get an in-depth look at the Online Learning Center.