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High Tech from page 28

Friends" on their iPads during study
hall or even in class, which is frowned
upon.
Hillel Day School is about to
embark on a new strategic plan that
will include a task force on technol-
ogy. The school, like FJA, has tried to
stay on top of the latest innovations
in educational technology. "When it
comes to technology we're investigat-
ing what, if any, personal devices will
be best for kids and at what age said
Freedman. The latest research is really
showing that it's not about a particular
device, but what's [sic] the criteria
that's needed in the device... And is it
best for each student to have the same
device or should each student have
a device that is most comfortable for
him or her? Those are the things we're
considering."
So, what's next? Mobile device learn-
ing is certainly the wave of the future
and school administrators are predict-
ing innovations that never would have
been believed a decade ago. When cell
phone technology became inexpensive
enough for high school and middle
school students to be able to bring
their phones to school, policies were
quickly implemented to first ban the
communication devices and then
eventually place restrictions on their
use. Today, schools are looking toward
creative ways to integrate the students'
mobile devices into the classroom.
There are many more tech gadgets
available to educators today. Imagine
a classroom of fifth graders who no
longer raise their hand if they have
a question or want to give feedback
to the teacher. A hand-held clicker
now allows teachers to receive instant
feedback from students on tests and
lesson plans. Students are able to
respond to a teacher's question by
pressing a button. In the future they'll
use their cell phones to respond to the
teacher's questions or classroom polls.
So, just how soon will it be until

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schools turn the students' smart phones
into learning devices? Freedman pre-
dicts five years. With the speed of hi-
tech gadgets being integrated into the
classroom, it could even be less.
Advanced technology in the schools
doesn't only affect students' educa-
tional performance; it can also have an
effect on hiring faculty. Studies have
shown that teachers are choosing their
employment based on the level of
technology at the school. "If a teacher
has two schools to choose from and
one has the new technology and the
other doesn't, guess where that teacher
is going," said Gary Weidenhamer, a
school district director of educational
technology in Palm Beach, Fla.
One thing that has changed with
this younger generation is the innate
comfort level they have with technol-
ogy. After all, this is the generation
that has grown up with iPods, digital
cameras and smart phones. Shaindle
Braunstein-Cohen, a local technolo-
gist, underscored this when she said,
"We used to teach technology as a
subject. We would teach how to use a
device. It's no longer the 'something'
that we teach; it's the platform on
which we deliver information:'
When asked how long Shayne
expects FJA will keep the current crop
of iPads until they become stale or
even obsolete as Apple continues to
release more powerful versions each
year, she responded, "We are looking
at a three-year refresh rate. As to what
the future holds, maybe one of our
students will invent it:'

Rabbi Jason Miller is a tech expert who

writes about how information technology

and social media are transforming the

Jewish community. He writes the `Jewish

Techs" blog for NY Jewish Week and is
president of Access Computer Technology

(www.accesscomptech.com ), based in West

Bloomfield. His latest project is Torah

Daily (www.facebook.com/torandaily).

Warm
and
Welcoming

FJA Seniors Mollie Darmon from Farmington Hills and Allie Lichterman from

,,r6,1:- . :. 11111,__I Please call to register:
IIIPP
U L' 248.788 4000 I www.TheShul.net ir.70

30

Huntington Woods use their iPads in class.