Schools are under pressure to prepare young people for a world which is changing so quickly that their future is barely imaginable – but World ORT is there to help them adapt their techniques and adopt new tools to do the best job possible.
The latest contribution has started in Johannesburg – the Beverly Katz World ORT ITC Seminar has brought together more than 20 teachers from Jewish elementary schools in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.
The seminar will help take young learners to a higher level of digital literacy than ever before by providing a comprehensive introduction to planning the implementation of a curriculum in computing and programming.
With the school teachers are ORT SA staff who will share the techniques learned with the non-Jewish schools the organisation works with in underprivileged neighbourhoods.
“We often think of technology as using gadgets or applications and yet the real power is not in consuming technology, but rather in harnessing it for further innovation in every area of life. We are thus so thankful to World ORT and its donors for bringing this seminar to our Jewish Schools. With a focus on coding and other ways to turn students into creative users of technology, I believe this seminar will move mindsets and open up educational opportunities,” said Rabbi Craig Kacev, General Director of the South African Board of Jewish Education, which is hosting the Seminar.
The four-day Seminar features presentations and workshops by Neil Silverman, who teaches at Sinai Jewish Primary School, the largest of its kind in Europe, and who has developed a groundbreaking computing curriculum. With him is World ORT’s Sadler Johnson who will guide participants through a range of useful coding resources and increase their familiarity with tools and techniques for “flipping” lessons.
ORT SA National Director Ariellah Rosenberg stressed the importance of such seminars.
“Technology changes fast and recklessly, it transforms the way we do things, the way we communicate with each other, travel, learn, access information and the way we live. The pressure on teachers, educational institutes and curriculum developers to transform education is on!”
Ariellah Rosenberg, CEO ORT SA with the World ORT seminar presentors
