Shalom and Chag Sameach!

Dr. Sarah B. Steinberg

With the holidays behind us, the academic year is well underway. This month I would like to focus your attention on educational innovation.

As I mentioned in the September newsletter: at ShalomLearning “…we are regularly surveying the new products and services on the market, looking for improvements in the functionality of these systems.” I suppose this could have sounded like a throwaway line, but it is quite the opposite. 

Under the visionary leadership of ShalomLearning’s Founder, Devin Schain, the National Education Initiative (NEI) was formed last year. NEI is laser-focused on the improvement of our educational systems – at all levels and for all learners of all ages.

The premier event of NEI is the Thought Leader Summit on November 12 and 13 in Washington, DC (http://www.nationaleducationweek.com). Please consider joining us at the Summit.

Entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers, and educational thought leaders will Convene, Challenge, and Collaborate on issues related to education in the US. The agenda of keynote talks, spotlight presentations and panels packed with visionaries from education, industry and government will provide a group of 600 leaders with ample opportunity for networking and small-group discussions. 

As a part of the conference, ShalomLearning and NEI will be co-hosting a Jewish and Secular Thought Leader dialogue consisting of a moderated panel of three distinguished members of the Jewish community: Rabbi Danielle Eskow, Co-Founder and CEO of Online Jewish Learning; Michael Horn, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Education Programs at the Clayton Christensen Institute; and John Katzman, Educational Entrepreneur and Founder of 2U, Noodle, and the Princeton Review.

I am very proud of this leadership commitment at ShalomLearning to being on the bleeding edge of education and educational technology. Stay tuned for highlights from the Thought Leader Summit in future issues.

I wish each of you a healthy, happy, and peaceful New Year.

All the best,

Sarah

Dr. Sarah B. Steinberg

CEO, ShalomLearning

Strategic Services

Have you heard about our Strategic Services? ShalomLearning’s service offerings have expanded to help organizations, day schools and synagogues integrate smart technology for education and outreach. Examples of recent and ongoing projects include:

• Self-Paced Professional Development: An Israel 101 course designed and implemented in partnership with Hillel: The Foundation of Jewish Campus Life.
• Blended Learning for College Engagement: A post-Taglit Birthright Trip follow-up program designed to engage students at their local campus Hillel organization upon returning from Israel.
• Online Learning for Teens: Currently in development in partnership with BBYO, the live, instructor/advisor led course will engage teens in various Jewish topics.
• Online Adult Hebrew Classes: In partnership with the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, ShalomLearning provides teacher training, curriculum, and the technology to teach Hebrew in live video classrooms for adults.

Of course, we still offer our 3rd-7th grade education program which continues to grow.  We have heard feedback from both our synagogues partners as well as from unaffiliated families enrolled in our online Hebrew school that the students are enjoying classes. The values based curriculum designed to work with technology has increased the students’ participation and even increase the families’ involvement in their Jewish life.

Going to the GA?

#JFNAGA

ShalomLearning will have a booth at the Federation’s GA conference

November 9-11 at the National Harbor in MD. Make sure to stop by and say hi.  Follow us on Twitter and

Facebook for updates.

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D'var Torah

Jill Allenberg Stepak

Each year at Simchat Torah we “begin again.” During Yom Kippur, we’ve acknowledged our mistakes from the previous year and made a commitment to do better in the coming year; during Sukkot we’ve celebrated the fragility of our history and the beauty of environment; and during Simchat Torah we’ve started the Torah over again from the beginning! What a whirlwind all of these holidays can be. Yet the cycle and nature of them couldn't be more timely.

Starting the school year again means a lot of activities – purchasing school supplies, attending back to school nights, taking care of “first day jitters,” etc.  This list goes on and on making the Jewish holidays feel like “one more thing” in our already very busy lives.   However, the start of the school is exactly what makes this the best time for personal reflection.  As our children start their academic years, they are thinking about how they can be better this year.

Although we may have holiday fatigue by the time Simchat Torah rolls around, it’s equally important because it truly signifies a beginning.   Simchat Torah gives us that moment after the start of school craziness and the Jewish holidays to say “Wow!  We did it and now we should celebrate and create joy that can be spread into our new year.“

As ShalomLearning continues to improve and expand, we also go through all of these steps the holidays teach us to take.  We are looking at where we can improve; we make a point to look at what the Jewish community is already doing well and celebrate that, and each fall we start afresh. 

So even if you missed Simchat Torah this year, take a night to celebrate with your family about where you all are.  Take a breath, spread joy and make sure to notice that you’ve started again—a new beginning.