Few educators will argue
that informal learning is assuming an expanding new centrality in contemporary
life. Such learning alternatives can take the form of any of numerous models including
day camps, elearning, home schooling, group activities and enrichment programs.
According to Dr. Barry Chazan in his recent
article "The Philosophy
of Informal Jewish Education, "Throughout the ages, the Jewish community
has devoted much energy to the establishment and maintenance of a rich
educational network. There is little doubt of the link between a strong
commitment to education and perpetuation of Jewish literacy, lifestyle, and
peoplehood."
Finding informal education opportunities for
young learners in the Jewish world is not always simple. Via day schools and congregational
afternoon/Sunday Schools Jewish education has, for many, become highly
regimented and regulated. Increasing numbers of Jewish schools are, however,
beginning to include experiential education in their curriculum as a vehicle
for integrating informal education into their formal school framework.
David Bryfman, founder and facilitator of the
iCenter and recognized expert on Israel education, experiential Jewish
education and technology, summarizes experiential
education as combining three elements -- recreation, socialization and
challenge. When these elements operate together students can learn, develop and
grow through their experiences.
Increasingly, Jewish online educators are examining the challenge of how
to integrate elearning tools with Jewish content to provide students with a
high quality Jewish experiential learning experience. Regardless of whether a
student is learning at home or in her classroom, experiential Jewish learning
can expand existing opportunities to provide her with numerous interactive
opportunities to explore material in ways which are new and exciting.
Internet classes can take the form of a webinar, in which the students
listen to an instructor and follow the instructor's directions as they
collaborate on projects and activities.
Even more exciting, however, are today's online learning management
systems which provide learning frameworks that match Bryfman's parameters precisely
for experiential learning. Educators can (and do) discuss their preferences for
such systems which may include WIKIspaces, Moodles, Haikus and other LMS
options.
Regardless of the LMS system used, these systems offer the facilitator the
opportunity to present material, solicit opinions, create discussion sheets,
take polls, request feedback and engage the students with a variety of online
tools that meet the definition and concept of experiential education for online
learners. In addition the online format enables students from different
locations to join together for interactive blended, synchronous or asynchronous
learning.
Some other advantages of online experiential learning via a LMS include:
·
The learning is centralized.
All content is available to students 24/7 in any location. Multiple students
can access the material, which is consistent in delivery and evaluation, at any
given point in time.
·
Delivery and evaluation are
consistent. The facilitator can easily design and deploy customized modules and
can track the students' progress. Varied learning
strategies can be managed according to each student's unique learning needs via
the LMS's power to manipulate the learning pace.
·
Content
is easily upgraded, changed, and edited as needed. Students can interact with
one another as they explore the material and complete assignments.
·
It's
easy to use a LMS which centralizes the course's documentation and
administration and records all new uploads instantly.
·
eLearning is a cost-effective alternative
for many schools which wish to expand the experiential learning components
of their frameworks in an affordable manner.
