OLC

Planning for Fall: Part Two

Previously we introduced two simple steps to get you started in preparing your Online Learning Center for Fall. Now it's time to purchase your learning materials and organize your individual online classes.

Will You Be at NewCAJE?

Are you coming to the NewCAJE conference in West Hartford, CT August 2nd? We’d love to see you. Let us know if you’d like to schedule an appointment. We’d be happy to:

Why the OLC is Perfect for Our Learning Needs

By Michele Rosenfield When our in-school learning time was reduced from three days a week to two we needed a way for our students to do more work at home. That’s why we use the OLC.

Planning for Fall: Part One - Why Start Now?

Yes, summer has barely begun, but now is the time to get your Online Learning Center classes ready for Fall. Two simple steps will get you started.

Testers Take on Hineni for the OLC

The Hineni series has been a long time favorite for teaching prayers with meaning and will soon be available for the Online Learning Center! This week our testers will begin testing one of the seven modules that will be available for the OLC.  The full seven modules will feature 35 prayers and blessings, including:

Flipped Learning—Experiment Free in the Online Learning Center

Reinforce Hebrew in 5 Minutes a Day

Hebrew reading is a skill, and brain-based research tells us that skills develop best when they are practiced in many short sessions rather than one long one. How does that work in the Jewish congregational school setting? Educator Dina Maiben, author of Alef Bet Quest and Ready, Set  . . .Go Alef Bet and some of our educator colleagues have some ideas.

How Can We Better Meet Your Virtual Classroom Needs?

Behrman House has previously hosted three different usability tests to see our website and digital materials at work from an outside view from various users like you. In June we will be conducting our fourth test and we need YOUR help! Thanks to our series of testers we have been able to sort out problem areas, get great feedback, and even test out some new products. 

Experiment with Flipped Learning in the OLC

Been hearing a lot about blended and flipped learning recently? Confused about the difference? Join us for a short (less than 30 minutes) webinar on Thursday, May 21, at 1:00 pm Eastern , in which Terry Kaye and Vicki Weber will show you easy ways to experiment with flipped learning using the Online Learning Center—for free.

Teachers Closely Involved in Curriculum Decisions

This month Terry Kaye, Shirly Benatar, Education Director, and twenty of her teachers at Congregation Tifereth Israel, Columbus, OH met by webinar to review Behrman House Hebrew materials. The Tifereth Israel teachers had a variety of texts in front of them: Hineni, Hineni Prayer Booklets, Kol Yisrael and a couple of primers.

New OLC Feature Grants Directors More Control

We've all experienced the forgotten password dilemma. Thanks to a new feature in the Online Learning Center, educators now have the power to reset passwords! Now when Educational Directors select the view all option in the members tab a new 'Reset Password' option is available. 

Your One Stop Shop for Hot Topics Resources

Love Hot Topics easy to use lesson plans? Now there is a simple way to get for all 14 individual lessons.  The Hot Topics series presents a balanced investigation of some of today's thorniest issues and provides opportunities for teens to develop personal responses to them.  Each Hot Topics resource library item includes an article describing the issue, a lesson plan geared towards teens, and a source sheet that can be distributed to students to enhance discussions. 

Hot Topics: Cyberbullying

Jokes at another's expense are harmful and hurtful - regardless of a cyberbully's excuses - and are never okay. A 2013 study found that about 2.2 million students were bullied via technology in 2011 and 88% of teens who use social media platforms have witnessed mean behavior online. 

Are Your Students Getting the Clarity They Need?

Success is built around clear communication and understanding. How can we make sure we are providing clarity to better our students' Hebrew learning? In a recent article by eJewish Philanthropy, writer Avrum Lapin stresses the importance of clarity in his field of non-profit work.

Hot Topics: The Vaccine Debate

The recent measles outbreak has renewed the debate about whether parents should be required to vaccinate their children.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles is the "most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses." While infection is preventable with a common childhood vaccine, increasing numbers of parents are opting out of having their children immunized. 

Purim Planning Made Easy

Be happy - it's Purim! Take more time to celebrate by following our Purim Pinterest page for quick and easy ideas.  Celebrate in your classroom or at home with games, videos, and featured resources from our website and more. (note: to view resources you must log into your account or create a new account.)

We Need YOUR Help to Improve Our Site

We are always at work making our website work better for you.  Behrman House recently hosted two different usability tests to see our website and digital materials at work from an outside view - and did we learn a lot! Thanks to our testers we have been able to sort out problem areas, get great feedback, and even test out some new products. 

Hot Topics: What's a French Jew to Do?

The recent terror attack in a Parisian kosher supermarket and the rising anti-Semitism throughout the country raise the question of whether France's Jews belong in Israel. This, in turn, leads to the bigger question: What is a Jew's place in the Diaspora? The newest Hot Topic: What's a French Jew to Do? helps students independently discuss whether French Jews should make aliyah or remain in France and why.

The 5 Apps Your Students Should be Using NOW

Today's students are digital geniuses. Expand their learning beyond Trivia Crack and Candy Crush with these five fun and educational Behrman House Apps. Augmented Reality

Hot Topics: Teen Drinking

The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. However, according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 24 percent of teens aged 12 to 20 drink. Jews traditionally have a glass of wine on Shabbat and drink four glasses of wine at the Passover seder. What should our attitude be towards alcohol and underage drinking? Help your students consider why some teens drink and write an anti-drinking TV commercial with the newest Hot Topics: Teen Drinking lesson plan.

Teach Israel

 Experience Modern Israel

New from Behrman House. Fly to Israel without a plane ticket.

Discover Israel

 Let's Discover Israel

Offer younger children an exciting and age-appropriate introduction to the Jewish homeland