Lighting the way to digital Jewishstudies

IT IS often felt that Jewish studies teachers lack the resources enjoyed by their secular colleagues to enliven lessons. But London-based Jewish Interactive is determined that Kodesh does not lag behind in the digital era.

Its founder, Chana Kanzen, has recently been joined by Sammy Morhaim, who headed Jewish studies at King David Primary School in Manchester for eight years . “Our organisation doesn’t just want to use technology for the sake of it,” she says. “It’s about using technology to do something that couldn’t be done without using it.”

Here are three programmes that can produce dividends in the classroom. HEBREW READING: they should be, even within Jewish schools. It can be a struggle getting children to put in the practice.

“We have generations of children that have not been able to do reading homework for one reason or another,” says Mrs Kanzen. “Either the parent can’t read Hebrew or the child doesn’t go to a Jewish school.”

But Mr Morhaim has found one way of improving it. By using the Seesaw app, he has been able to set individual reading tasks for children to do in their own time on an iPad or smartphone. “I’ve sent children reading sheets where I model the reading myself,” he explains. “I can record my voice over a screenshot of some reading. They can listen and then they can read back. I can edit and correct. I will hear their reading and let them know how they are doing.”

For children who are inhibited about reading in front of their peers, this allows them to practise on their own. “They feel more secure, they are not going to be embarrassed. If kids read more frequently, they are going to improve,” he says. “This way we can guarantee they are doing it. I can track their progress and send them a message to say ‘You haven’t done your