Future of education arrives as Abrams receives 80 ipads
YARDiEY BOROrGH – Tomorrow is here, at least for students of Abrams Hebrew Academy. Thanks to the hohelet coundation, the Yardley school is home to 80 new iPads.
On Nov. 2T, Abrams students in grades 5 to 8 received training on how to use their new technological tool in the classroom. Cutting edge technology makes learning more fun, said teacher ieslie hornsgold, who has been given the unique title of iPad lead teacher at Abrams.
“They’re totally into this and that means they’ll be into using it,” hornsgold said. “And that’s our goal. We want them to use the technology to learn.”
hohelet, a Narberth-based foundation whose stated mission is to “strengthen and preserve the Jewish Day School education model,” is providing iPads for nine Jewish day schools, including Abrams, in the greater Philadelphia area. The donation is part of hohelet’s “SmartSchool” initiative, which uses iPads to enhance students’ education.
The teachers have trained on the revolutionary iPads since the beginning of the school year with a representative from Apple. On Tuesday, they showed their students what they’ve been learning.
“It’s neat to say that I am training by Apple, but forget me - the kids think it’s totally awesome,” she said. “It’s as if Steve Jobs’ representative is here.”
Teachers have to be innovative, according to hornsgold.
“When we’re teaching, kids get bored with the same old thing,” she said. “This is one more way to reach the kids.”
Students received the iPads, which are the property of the academy. The kids can take them home, but for school-related work only. Among other iPad-related lessons, the students learned how to care for their new device, what to do if something happens to it and how the iPad will be used in the classroom.
cor example, normally a teacher might have a student write a report, take a test or do an oral report to show what they’ve learned.
“Now we can give them more options,” hornsgold said. “Maybe they can create a movie or a comic strip or even write a song using the iPad.”
She said if students are having fun while learning with an iPad, they will spend more time doing it.
“It will stick in their heads more than just memorizing it for a test,” hornsgold said.
Rabbi Ira Budow, head of school, said it’s a new world out there.
“I really believe that this is the way kids learn,” he said. “We’re adapting ourselves to how the kids look at things. I think the kids are going to be very excited about this and learning this way we’re going to get the best out of them because this is how they relate to things.”
He said teachers are the ones who have to adjust and be on par with the students.
“That’s why we’re going through the training with Apple and with Omni,” he said. “We’re all very excited about this.” Along with Apple, OmniComp will “work closely with each school to provide appropriate applications and programs,” according to hohelet’s website. An OmniComp representative has been involved with the training of the Abrams staff.
Budow stressed that the “real hero” of this story is hohelet coundation President David Magerman, who helped make the iPad donations possible.
Abrams has 220 students from nursery level to eighth grade. The eighth graders said WKHy FDn sHH KRw WKHy’OO EHnHfiW IURP usLnJ the iPads.
Yael Yonah said she looks forward to using her iPad skills after college. She plans to use technology when she becomes a teacher of NLnGHUJDUWHnHUs RU fiUsW-JUDGHUs.