2008 Woodie Awards
Hebrew Department Goes High Tech with Online Program
Michal Golan
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: News
Yeshiva University (YU) anticipates the addition of an interactive Hebrew language program to the yu.edu website in the upcoming fall semester. The newly devised program, initiated by SCW Hebrew Department Chair Dr. Zafira Lidovsky Cohen, will employ multi-sensory media to address the various learning styles and preferences of the student body, drawing from texts, pictures, videos, animations, and sounds.
Cohen is hopeful that the program will not only "increase [the student] involvement in class activities" but also enhance "their interest in the language, and consequently, their performance in this very essential subject matter."
Other features of the website include access to Hebrew newspapers, dictionaries, poems, and short stories. The Hebrew language faculty also plans to add PowerPoint presentations and sound bytes, to be used before and during class sessions. The professors will continually update the site with new materials and texts, giving students the benefit of more options of material to choose from.
"We believe that the sights and sounds our technology-enhanced curriculum will introduce to the classroom will add to students' interest in class materials," explained Cohen.
Hadassah Nemovicher, Hebrew technology expert, is serving as the consultant for the website's design and implementation. The ANGEL class management system will be used to incorporate the new program into the YU website.
Currently, the Hebrew courses offered at YU are limited to the classroom only. While professors use the means available to them in their lecture, such as poems, stories, and dialogue, the department has been limited in the realm of technology. With the addition of the Hebrew language program to the YU website, the curriculum of the Hebrew department will undergo a transformation.
While students may be required to prepare for class and complete homework assignments via the website, some may choose to utilize its resources in their spare time.
Cohen is hopeful that the program will not only "increase [the student] involvement in class activities" but also enhance "their interest in the language, and consequently, their performance in this very essential subject matter."
Other features of the website include access to Hebrew newspapers, dictionaries, poems, and short stories. The Hebrew language faculty also plans to add PowerPoint presentations and sound bytes, to be used before and during class sessions. The professors will continually update the site with new materials and texts, giving students the benefit of more options of material to choose from.
"We believe that the sights and sounds our technology-enhanced curriculum will introduce to the classroom will add to students' interest in class materials," explained Cohen.
Hadassah Nemovicher, Hebrew technology expert, is serving as the consultant for the website's design and implementation. The ANGEL class management system will be used to incorporate the new program into the YU website.
Currently, the Hebrew courses offered at YU are limited to the classroom only. While professors use the means available to them in their lecture, such as poems, stories, and dialogue, the department has been limited in the realm of technology. With the addition of the Hebrew language program to the YU website, the curriculum of the Hebrew department will undergo a transformation.
While students may be required to prepare for class and complete homework assignments via the website, some may choose to utilize its resources in their spare time.
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