How audio files or podcasts be used in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (online) classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will continue our discussion on  how audio files or podcasts can be used in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom.

Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees had access to their own laptop computers as well.

Note: It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe will form an online community of practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of Jewish educators.

Note: Audio files or podcasts can also be used as a face to face classroom learning activity without adding the online component.

Below you will find a listing of  resources explaining how audio files or podcasts can be used in the Judaic Studies classroom.

Partnership for Excellent in Jewish Education (PEJE) podcasts: http://www.peje.org/publications/podcasts/

Drisha Institute for Jewish Education Podcasts http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/drisha-institute-for-jewish/id388663101

Jewish Theological Seminary podcasts on iTunes: http://www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/JTS_Podcasts.xml

Podcasts from the Skirball Center for Adult Jeiwsh Learning at Temple Emanu-El http://adultjewishlearning.org/index.php?podcasts#

Check out this list of Jewish podcasts from A to Z: http://www.jewishwebcasting.com/complete_list.htm

On the next post we will discuss how audio files or podcasts can be included as part of a mentoring or staff development program for Judaic educators.