By Meir Fachler: Jewish Educational Technology Consultant

In my work as a Jewish Educational Technology Consultant, one of the most significant problems that I have encountered again and again is the lack of any coherent strategic approach to how technology is deployed in the school.

Over the years, I have been one of the loudest advocates for harnessing technology for the benefit of Jewish education. Today, I can confidently declare that on the whole, Jewish schools are way behind their general school counterparts technologically; that the Jewish school system has much to gain from adopting a more technology-driven approach to education; and that the Judaic studies curriculum stands to profit the most from such an approach - and should be leading the way forward. There are now sufficient generic and specialized applications available that can have a profound impact on the quality of the delivery of Jewish education, and the list is growing.

However, my experience shows that simply addressing the issue of professional development, or Judaic software, or hardware/platform configurations, etc, in the absence of a coherent technology strategic plan is a classic example of schools adopting the "random acts of progress" approach instead of adopting the "comprehensive and strategic progress" approach. The difference between these approaches is enormous. One approach looks at everything the school is doing: vision, curriculum, networks, hardware, software, student information systems, curriculum management systems, professional development, etc, and the other looks at one issue and treats it in isolation of any other education and technology related issue in the school. One approach takes the school forward properly, at the right pace and with all the school on board; and the other approach simply doesn't work and usually backfires.

Therefore, the question what should be of the ideal level of technology-related skills for the school staff should be a result of the overall strategy and not an issue unto itself.

If schools want to address the issue of the staff technology-related skills, they first have to invest in the development of a comprehensive technology strategic plan - a critical piece of which should be dealing with professional development issues. So for example, if the strategic plan calls for the extensive use of laptop computers, online curriculum, student information systems, full use of MS office bilingual tools, etc; this dictates that the school staff must attain a high level of expertise in these applications that allows for their full deployment. And if it is clear that the teaching staff of a particular school is so far removed from the world of computers and that any attempt at dragging them into the technological era is basically a waste of time, then as it is being developed, the technology strategy must take this into consideration accordingly.

Furthermore, the issue of professional development for technology does not only concern skills, but also concerns mindset and teaching style. If a school goes for a more technology-driven approach, then teachers will have
to adjust not only to mastering the particular software applications but will have to adjust their teaching style that allows for a more collaborative, and individualized educational process - a style that prescribes that teachers are less the "sage on the stage" but more the "guide on the side".

For these adjustments to occur, teachers need time and careful professional guidance and support. Only within the context of a coherent technology strategy will the school be capable of implementing a serious and effective program of professional development - a program which will in turn bring about the necessary school-wide progress that the strategic plan was designed for.

My experience in assisting schools develop their own technology strategic plan shows that while the development and implementation of such a plan is hard work, complex, and touches upon some very sensitive organizational, psychological and financial concerns, the rewards are immense. And frankly, if we are to maximize the enormous potential that technology brings in making Judaism more accessible, more exciting and more elevant - I don't think we have a choice!