UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH (from Mobile Beacon) for live streaming events…

Thanks for all the feedback on my last blog/email about the live streaming of sporting events.  If you can, please go to the blog page (technorebbe.blogspot.com) and post your comments and questions there – for the whole world to see.  Don't be shy!!  :-)

The question that everyone seems to be asking is how to set up for live streaming WITHOUT using the bandwidth on the iPhone/iPad?  As many of you pointed out – this costs big $$ on your ATT smartphone plan!!

Not a problem…. Have I got a solution for you!

Mobile Beacon (http://www.mobilebeacon.org/) is THE PLACE to go to get this resolved.  Rick Lindholm (rick@mobilebeacon.org) and crew have a fantastic offer for schools:  UNIMITED 4G BANDWIDTH FOR $120.00 PER YEAR.  Yes, you read it right…. $120.00 for a whole year of UNLIMITED – No Restrictions – Bandwidth!!!  I have one for Shalhevet that we use as a 5th line for our load balancer and one that travels with me in my backpack where ever I go.

So, when I live stream (last post about live streaming sports, etc…) I just put my iPad/'Droid phone onto the 4G device and away I go!!

Here is how it works…. 

Goto TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) and register your school.  TechSoup has all sorts of "goodies" at super low prices for schools and charities. (I buy my Symantec Anti-virus Server Edition from them at $5.00 instead of the usual the usual retail of OVER $100.00.)

Once you are authorized, then you purchase the ClearCom 4G Voyager for only $5.00 and the MobileBeacon for $120.00

All done!  

As always, your feedback is solicited.  Please feel free to repost/retweet/print-and-turn-into-paper-airplanes-and-throw-in-the-sky this email/blog entry!!

Regards…

Yossie

Yossie Frankel
Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to consortium-for-information-and-academic-technologies+unsubscribe@shalhevet.org.

Live Stream sports (and other things) so easy that your coaches (and parents) will bless you!

Do you want your coaches to be able to live stream sports EASILY so that the school, parents and community can watch their kids compete? How about those especially hard to attend "away" games in the middle of the day?  Have you tried other streaming services like Google Hangouts, Adobe Connect, UStream, etc.?  (I don't have a problem setting up these streaming services – but then again, I have a degree in Computer Science!!)

Well, don't fear – here comes High School Cube! (www.highschoolcube.com)

It is available world-wide, super easy to use AND FREE!  And…. When I say SUPER EASY to use, I mean SUPER EASY!!! (Oui, disponible au Canada et en France and כן, זמין גם בישראל)

Here is what you do.....

1. Subscribe to setup a "cube" for your school. (You don't HAVE to be a high school.  I have set up a Cube for Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy Middle School as well as for Shalhevet High School.  It did require that I "authenticate" myself as an authorized member of the school)
2. Set up a broadcast day/time
3. Broadcast from an iPad/iPhone/'Droid device or PC or Mac.

That's it! Done!

Now here is the secret thing… you can also use the platform to live stream graduations and other special events!!  If you are industrious, you can also sell advertising to local businesses for your live stream (there is a sharing arrangement with High School Cube for this.)

What I find very cool is that not only does the platform live stream, but you can set up highlight reels, an interactive scoreboard, upload videos and pictures – it is just jammed packed with good stuff.

But you say…. "An iPad?  Come on Yossie, the video from that is not going to be very good, is it?"

Well, if you spend about $100.00 then you can turn your iPad into a FANTASTIC video camera with optical zoom and wide angle lenses!

Using attachments from IOgrapher (www.iographer.com/), you can turn your iPad into a lean, mean, production video camera machine!  Add the IOgrapher base, lenses and if you want Boom microphone (that is about $130 extra for the professional quality mic – but well worth it) and a wonderful little$4.99 iOS app called FiLMiC Pro) and you have a near production quality system!!!  Use that with High School Cube and you are off to the races!!  What is cool is that with the IOgrapher add-ons, you can make quality movies in the school as well.  Bye bye expensive video cameras…. It turns our school iPads into truly versatile all in one units!! (Oh yes, Dave from IOgrapher offers Educational Pricing!!)

(Special note: If you set up your High School Cube and live stream BEFORE the end of June, then Jim Leo from HSCube will send you a full IOgrapher production kit for FREE!!!!  The ones for Shalhevet and Harkham Hillel are already on the way!!)

Here are the links:

Highshool Cube  http://www.highschoolcube.com  Jim Leo jleo@highschoolcube.com

IOgrapher   http://www.iographer.com/  Dave at: sales@iographer.com

FiLMiC Pro https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filmic-pro/id436577167?mt=8

As always, feel free to share/retweet/post, etc.  And.... give me your opinions via the blog site!  I would love to hear from you.

Yossie

Yossie Frankel
Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

Multi-Lingual Lesson Sharing/Adaptive Assessment platform could change the way we teach!

As many of you already know, I have been researching platforms that would allow us to use Adaptive and Intelligent Assessment Systems for our schools.  I have found many systems that would do A&I for subjects like math or science, and even a few that would allow us to customize our own courses, but nothing that would work for Limudai Kodesh (Religious Studies) or Hebrew Language – until today…… (special shout out to Rabbi Zach Swigard at Harkahm Hillel for showing this to me!)

Thumbprint (watch video: http://youtu.be/zLVdCpPZFTo) does this and a whole lot more.  It is a platform that creates a way to share lessons, videos and collaborate in one place REGARDLESS OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM.  Yes,that's right. This system works on iPads, 'Droid Tablets, Microsoft Tablets, Chromebooks, Macs and so on.  As Thumbprint explains, it allows for Active and Passive forms of learning to co-exist in one space. (watch video: http://youtu.be/jQUHhmqTo_8)

What I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (did I say that I love it!!) is the Quiz/Assessment Module.  (YOU MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO!! http://youtu.be/yDejkbF686s) The data available from this module is truly a game changer for teachers in the Classroom.  Formative assessment (testing for skills/topic mastery as the teacher proceeds through a lesson) is one of the most effective ways to attain student mastery of a subject.  Now, I have seen many different quiz programs but this platform is one of the easiest I have ever used.  Currently there are only two testing modality types – multiple choice and translate matching.  Not to worry though, after spending an hour on the phone with two of the system's creators, they explained that their "road map" of features include: Drag and Match, Short Answers and Worksheets, to name a few.   What I find refreshing is that the folks at Thumbprint are working with teachers "in the trenches" to thoughtfully create new quiz/assessment modules that are easy for ALL teachers to use.  No need for a degree in CompSci here.

  

So why is it that I am only coming across this wonderful Sharing/Collaborating/A&I Assessment platform now… well because it is fairly new!  While this crew of developers have been working together for 15 years or so, Thumbprint has been testing and refining its product over the last year in live implementations at schools across the county.  Next year, the plan is to expand the testing group to 40-50 more schools – that would be 40-50 Jewish Schools - working in English AND HEBREW!!!!  TOGETHER!  ON THE SAME PAGE!  WOW!
(בתי ספר עמי"ת, עשוי להיות מעוניין בזה)

If you are one of our member schools (or just anyone reading this post), I would suggest that you contact Ralph (ralphalter@rogers.com) right away to get on the list of schools for next year - do it right away!! 

As for working in other languages…. Hiroko-san and Sarah-san それも、漢字とかなで動作  (I hope that I just wrote that it works in Kanji and Kana as well!!) as well as Francais, Espanol and so on… (http://thumbprinteducation.org/language/) 

To join Thumbprint is free.  The reporting module costs – but it is well worth the expense and Ralph will work out the pricing based on your school's specific needs/situation.  (It really is a full featured system.  They will even come out to your school to set it up and help teachers create curriculum!!)

As always, feel free to share this blog and your comments are very much solicited.

Regards…

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Arete Preparatory Academy -yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel

Microlearning and Professional Development – a Match made in Heaven!

Hello!

I was just reading a blog post about how we educators are spending our own time and money for Professional Development.  As a support specialist, I can't begin to tell you how often I get questions like: "how do I change a cell in a Google Doc? – I can't remember as I took that training during the summer!!"  This leads me to believe that we need to add something to our PD model....

One solution that I absolutely adore is the idea of available anytime, anywhere Microlearning videos.  As Wiki puts it…. "Microlearning deals with relatively small learning units and short-term learning activities" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlearning).  The problem is, where do we find QUALITY video that has been prepared with all of the professional thought that master educators use in creating a quality lesson plans?  As I am always fond of saying – a boring demonstration in person is twice as boring on-line.  Even when I find great suppliers, the cost – Oi Vey!! - I have to mortgage my first born!!

Well, a marvelous bit of good luck happened to me the other day.  I was contacted by a company called Grovo (http://www.grovo.com/). Itay (itay@grovo.com) was reaching out private schools with their amazing product.

Grovo has QUALITY 60 second videos on all sorts of topics including Google Apps, iPad Apps, Internet use, and so on.  What was even cooler was that at the end of every video was a short formative assessment that helps the learner know if they mastered the subject matter.  This is Microlearning at its best!

Not only does it meet my very stringent criteria for PD learning but IT IS AFFORDABLE!!!!!  This is the first time that I have found QUALITY video that is affordable.  (Not to mention, except for videos that I have made :-) , uses the Microlearning philosophy.) Yes, there are GREAT videos on YouTube - but it is "hit and miss" to find them.  The really good videos (with wonderful production values) are usually from major suppliers that charge major fees!

So, here is a scenario… A teacher needs a quick refresher on using Evernote.  They took a class during the summer and can't remember how to do something.  Instead of calling me, they jump online, go to Grovo, look up the video and 60 seconds later they have their answer!  But wait folks, there is more….

Now that same teacher wants their students to start using evernote in class.  Do they take time from class to teach the app?  Not necessary!  The teacher sends each student to Grovo. The student logs in and takes the lesson that the teacher has prearranged for them.  At the end of each 60 second lesson is a formative assessment so the teacher can see the progress that the student is making!!  But that is not all…

You Israeli schools… want content in Hebrew… call Itay – this can be arranged!!! itay@grovo.com (איתי מדבר עברית)  My French speaking blog followers – ce ne pas difficile!! -  Grovo already has content in French! (contact: Ryder at ryder@grovo.com -  Oui, Ryder parle Français pour vous aider!)

If you want a free two week complete trial, contact Bridgette at bridgette@grovo.com - she gave me the complete tour.

As always, your comments are solicited.  Did you try the free trial and did you find this product as good as I did?  Does the idea of "just in time" Microlearning fit your PD program?  Feel free to retweet and forward.

PS – the blog I was reading was from Martin Cisneros at CUE… look at his post here… https://plus.google.com/u/1/+MartinCisneros/posts/h94e8JsaSPA?cfem=1  (really good stuff!)

Regards,

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel

Love at first byte....

I have just fallen IN LOVE!

Yes, my wife knows about it… 

She says it is OK as long the technology (that I have fallen in love with of course!) ultimately helps "our kids" (that is what we call our students – my wife is also an educator).

So what has me going "gaga" this time?  Well, I have just found out - first hand - how easily the Apple DEP program works with the Meraki FREE (let me say that again… FREE!!) MDM System Manager.

The Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) allows us to take Apple Hardware (iPads in this case) and Auto-enroll them into a Mobile Device Management (Meraki FREE MDM) program.  I have to tell you, I have never seen anything this slick before!!

Now, truth be told, there was a "bump" at the beginning of the process.  Since the DEP program is so new, Michael Cohen, the IT Director at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy (thetechrabbi.wordpress.com/) and Darryl Walczak from FAEF (www.faef.com), had to  jump through a whole bunch of "hoops" at Apple to sort out registering us with the DEP program. From what I understand, a Three Ring Circus Ring Manager had less hoops to jump through compared to the effort that these two put in!!!  But once everything was sorted out with Apple – WOW, was it great.

Here is what happens….

The school purchases iPads from Apple.  Apple automatically enrolls the iPad in the DEP program.  We give the student a new iPad (still in the box!).  They turn It on.  When the iPad attaches to Apple on the Web (all iOS devices must do this), then the iPad is redirected to Meraki.  The Meraki MDM automatically configures the entire iPad – profiles, apps, everything.  DONE!!!  The student just presses "OK" about a dozen times.  I DON'T HAVE TO LAY A SINGLE HAND ON THE IPAD AND ALL OF THE iOS 7 SPECIAL SUPERVISED FEATURES WORK!!!!!!

IT REALLY WORKS LIKE THIS!!

The Meraki MDM is so easy to set up and it is FREE. (Yes, I will say again…. FREEEEEE)  I have used the Meraki System Manager for the last 3 years to remotely support computers at all five of my consortium schools.  I have found the Meraki product to be so good that I have installed a Meraki network at Arete Prep and I have just started a complete redesign of the Shalhevet High School using Meraki Access Points.  As I install the AP's at the Shalhevet school, I will definitely be blogging about that. (The Access Points are AMAZING!!! Layer 7 monitoring!  I can tell if a student is abusing YouTube or FaceBook and restrict just their bandwidth and leave everyone else's bandwidth alone– AMAZING!!!)

So, what you do think?  Have you had an easy time setting up your own MDM for a 1:1 program?  Any questions… Any pointers of your own... Please feel free to share, like and retweet.

Regards….

Yossie

Yossie Frankel
Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies

Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel

Congratulations to Rabbi Sufrin

Congratulations to Rabbi Boruch Sufrin

on being awarded the Covenant Foundation 2014 Educational Leadership Award. http://www.covenantfn.org  

Rabbi Sufrin is the HOS at one of the two schools that created the Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies 

I first met Rabbi Sufrin 6 years ago when he walked through my Robotics Lab at Tarubut V'Torah Community Day school. The moment I met him I could tell that he was a leader and a man of vision. Yasher Koach on a well deserved Award!!

Rabbi Yisroel Boruch Sufrin, Head of School at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy (HHHA) in Beverly Hills, CA for the past 11 years, has injected a powerful and expansive vision of Jewish education into the school, and in the process has transformed it, empowered students and teachers, and strengthened Jewish community nearby and beyond.

His philosophy, which places the student at the center, surrounded and buttressed by talented teachers, engaged parents, caring community, and immersive tools, fuels HHHA's success and has made it one of the nation's preeminent Jewish day schools and Rabbi Sufrin himself a leading advocate and practitioner of Jewish education.

"My personal life goal is to help any child become a leader and innovator," he said. "When we educate each student according to his or her unique way in a child-centered environment, then we ensure he or she will be successful in the future. To do this, each child has to feel and know that he or she is the center of the learning process. This approach also understands that it is critical for an educator or parent to focus on each child's achievements and accomplishments. We must provide a learning environment and culture that supports innovation and spiritual exploration.

"Our children deserve to know we value their part in the creation story. They are the continuation of creation. To create takes leadership, self-confidence, passion and knowledge. Imbuing these qualities in each child helps him or her to become an innovator and partner in the world's future."

Rabbi Sufrin has exercised and activated this philosophy in innumerable ways, and in the process has created a learning environment with an energy and vitality that defines the school and the larger community.

"(He) is one of the most influential and charismatic Jewish educational leaders ever," said Dawn Kreisberg, Early Childhood Education Director at HHHA, who nominated Rabbi Sufrin for The Covenant Award. "He has made it a goal to teach, empower and inspire every student at every level plus all staff and to instill in them, in addition to strong Judaic values, the qualities of leadership and creativity.

"He knows that leadership is not about status but about creating a purpose and vision. I have never met a Jewish educator who embraces education from all directions."

At the school, which enrolls 580 students from early childhood age to 8th grade, Rabbi Sufrin has moved to promote the use of technology in the classroom, elevate STEM and Hebrew language education, implement a Parashat Hashavua curriculum that involves parents, embrace community service initiatives, and fortify ties between the school and Israel.

But it is his devotion to students and community that is most often noted by those who are within his orbit and influence.

“Hillel has become a place where children can truly experience the joy of being practicing Jews, learning Jews, and part of a caring, nonjudgmental Jewish community,” said Dr. Miriam Heller Stern, Dean at the Graduate Center for Education at American Jewish University. “Rabbi Sufrin is driven by a genuine love of children and a dedication to nurturing their curiosity, passion, goodness and uniqueness as individuals. He honors every child as a human being.”

Reacting to his selection as a 2014 Covenant Award recipient, he echoed this devotion to children and the community.

"It is an honor and a privilege that The Covenant Foundation has selected me as a recipient of this prestigious national award. I am humbled to be associated with a group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to sharing innovations and inspiring their communities in meaningful ways. Receiving this award affirms my quest to unite the community while providing opportunities for Jewish children to excel. It will enable me to continue to achieve my goals, while expanding my educational and leadership vision on behalf of our children."

Yossie Frankel

Director - Consortium for Information and Academic TechnologiesMember Schools:

Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org 
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel

Video Based Teacher Assessment (An unabashed plug for Swivl)

As a 30 year educator, I have always loved it when my peers and administrators came into my classroom to observe my teaching.  I have received some my best feedback from great master educators such as Dr. Donna Schaer, Wendy Zacuto and (soon to be Dr) Phu Tranchi.  But that is me… many of my colleagues on the other hand were petrified of the (play horror movie music here) outside observer!

As institutions and individuals, we spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on professional development.  How can we assess (self-assess or third party observer) that we have got it right?  The gut wrenching stress that I see some of my friends suffer from when administrators come into their classroom is very distressing.

Well, there is a technology based solution that is gaining popularity - the use of tablets and smart phones to record classes.

Here is a video (link below) using one of my all-time favorite devices (the Swivl) to record a class. (The Swivl can be used for flipped learning as well) http://player.vimeo.com/video/83203668

The idea is simple.  Set up a tripod in the back of the room with the smart device recording the class.  Using a simple assessment rubric designed during the professional development session, the educator can SEE THEMSELVES how well they are doing.  No outside people in the classroom.  No stress, fuss or bother.

The educator can, from the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, watch the video without having to worry about what a third party is thinking.  I know that the first time I did this, I was amazed at how smoothly my class went.  When I was in the midst of the class, my mind was going "a hundred miles an hour" and I thought that I gave a horrid lesson!  When I was able to playback the class itself, I saw it from a completely different perspective.  With this personal reflection, I was able to improve my technique and ultimately I submitted a video to my administrator demonstrating a lesson that I was very much proud of.

What was even better for me was that I was able to have a small group of my colleagues watch the videos and give me meaningful, solid critique. What I loved to do, when they shared their videos,  was to "steal" their good ideas and incorporate it into my classes!

The idea is simple.  Allow for formative assessment of a teacher that will allow that teacher to see "live" what works and doesn't.  All of this in a controlled, non-threatening venue.

What are your thoughts… please feel free to discuss!!

Regards...

Yossie

Yossie Frankel
Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org 
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel