FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Monique Cuvelier, Project Manager, at 617-581-6847

August 24, 2004

RAVSAK Teacher Benefits from Online Education

NEWTON, MA--August 24, 2004

As a new teacher, Ilisa Schaffer was struggling to figure out what she wanted to teach her students. Enticed by a training opportunity offered through RAVSAK, she discovered JSkyway (www.jskyway.com) – an online professional development program for educators in Jewish schools.

Feeling it would be a great opportunity to meet other Jewish educators, network, and to share approaches to Israel education, she signed on. For Ilisa, now Assistant Director of the El Paso (TX) Jewish Academy, this was the beginning of a great educational adventure.

“JSkyway is a wonderful resource for educators who want to be part of a learning community and create a flexible learning schedule for themselves. It is especially helpful for those of us in small Jewish communities without access to major Jewish learning centers and resources. JSkyway’s virtual community helped me feel a part of a larger network of Jewish educators,” says Ilisa.

Much like RAVSAK, JSkyway seeks to improve the quality of Jewish day school education by providing a wealth of resources and opportunities for educators. The JSkyway program offered Ilisa a professional, high quality environment in which to grow.

By starting with a one week orientation to the online classroom, Ilisa felt immediately comfortable in the program. She comments, “The staff at JSkyway was warm, helpful, enthusiastic and excited about their new venture into web-based educational classes and committed to reaching out to formerly isolated Jewish educators like me. I really appreciated the many follow-up calls from JSkyway staff members and felt they were working hard to constantly improve their offerings.”

Ilisa has since successfully integrated her JSkyway learning into planning for the upcoming school year. She is excited to incorporate the ideas, practical suggestions and applications she received from the discussion boards and assignments.

“The constructivist approach to Israel education enabled me to think more abstractly about why and what perspective I am bringing to the classroom in teaching about Israel. Connecting with other Jewish educators has been inspiring in planning my curriculum and sharing ideas on the importance of teaching Israel.”

JSkyway has recently expanded its strategic partnership with RAVSAK as a new associate member. JSkyway and RAVSAK are committed to working together to reach a greater number of Jewish educators and improving the quality of day school education across North America.

October 8, 2003

Students benefit when teachers take classes

JSkyway’s online professional development courses for educators at Jewish schools begin October 23 - 20% discount prior to start of classes

NEWTON, MA--October 8, 2003

Long-time educator Alan Weisner now gives almost no regular tests and quizzes in his bible classes at Cohen-Hillel Academy, and the results have been nothing short of astounding.

“There are no more disputes with kids about how they got a grade, and almost no phone calls from parents about grades,” he says. And his students are learning more and retaining their knowledge.

His secret? Better ways to gauge student learning that are taught in Assessment Strategies, one of several online classes offered by JSkyway (www.jskyway.com), a premier source for professional development geared for educators at Jewish schools.

The courses combine education theory with tools immediately applicable in the classroom. “Other courses I’ve taken have looked at theory, theory and more theory,” says Shira Raviv Schwartz, a Judaic studies and Hebrew teacher at a RAVSAK-affiliated Jewish day school in Chicago. “The JSkyway course I took not only taught theory, but also how to apply that theory in the classroom. It really hit the mark.”

As a result, she has shifted to a yearlong spiraling curriculum that builds on the knowledge gained by her students.

After taking the JSkyway classes herself, an administrator at a Miami, Florida day school began recommending them to teachers at all levels of experience. “I encourage all my teachers to take them, especially Effective Classroom Strategy. I thought the syllabus was brilliant. It was practical, personalized yet academic,” she says.

Fall semester classes begin Oct. 21, 2004 JSkyway’s fall semester courses, taught by master educators and accredited by Hebrew College and the National Board of License, run from October 21 - December 23, 2004:

• Effective Classroom Strategy: From Skills to Succes
• Teaching with Technology: Enhancing and Embracing New Practices
• Assessment Strategies: Beyond Grades and Quizzes
• Teaching Jewish Values Using BabagaNewz

Courses, which are subsidized in part by a grant from the AVI CHAI Foundation and private donations, are low cost. The fee for each class is $100. Group discounts are available.

Convenience a major factor

Teachers nationally cite the convenience of being able to put in the requisite two to four hours a week on their own schedule. “I love the incredible flexibility of being able to work and participate in discussions any time my schedule allows, whether during a break at school, at 11:00 pm or overseas in Israel,” says Weisner.

The only requirement is a computer with an Internet connection. No technological expertise is needed.