11997CAJE_best_pr_for_educators

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1 Improving Your Use of Technology: Best Practices for Congregational Educators Presented by Lisa Colton CAJE 32 -- August 6, 2007 Founder, Darim Online Lisa@darimonline.org 434-977-1170 / 802-660-0893

Agenda : 

2 Agenda Overview of approach Strategy and Market Segmentation Trends in Web Use & Implications for Jewish Education Practical Tools and Applications Knowledge Sharing Discussion and Q/A

The Approach : 

3 The Approach Darim background and approach Learning Network and value of knowledge sharing You don’t need to be a “techie”. I approach this as a savvy user, a strategic thinker, a believer in Jewish education and Jewish life and want to strengthen Jewish orgs and community. Key is to think strategically about how to use technology as a tool. Don’t get caught up in the technical details. Technical execution is actually the easy part once you know what you want and how you’ll use it.

Goals Today : 

4 Goals Today Illustrate the evolving landscape of technology and why it’s important for your work Understand the steps of strategic thinking and use of technology tools Empower you with some basic tools Share experiences and ideas for using these tools from the Learning Network and each other

My Mantra: Technology is a Tool : 

5 My Mantra: Technology is a Tool Technology is a tool (one of many) to accomplish these three points. As you think about integrating Internet technologies into your work, please remember that these are TOOLS. Technology is not an end in and of itself, and just throwing technology at the wall doesn’t necessarily help you accomplish your goals. It is a tool to help you accomplish your mission and goals. Therefore, you must know your mission and goals first, then design and integrate the technology to serve those needs. Goal Strategy Tool Implement Refine

Strategy Basics: Goals : 

6 Strategy Basics: Goals What are your goals? For example: Engagement Content Communication Bridging home/classroom

Strategy Basics: Audience : 

7 Strategy Basics: Audience Once you identify your goals, who is (are) your audience(s)? Students (what ages?) Parents (what’s their role?) Others?

Market Segmentation : 

8 Market Segmentation Market segmentation is the process of dividing a market into distinct subsets (segments) that behave in the same way or have similar needs. Because each segment shares interests and qualities, they are likely to respond similarly to a given strategy. The intention is to identify groups of similar individuals, prioritize the groups, understand their behavior, and respond with appropriate strategies that satisfy the different preferences of each segment in order to achieve your goals.

Strategy: Match Message and Medium : 

9 Strategy: Match Message and Medium Once you know your goals and your audience (or audiences) Then: What is the content and medium? What outcomes are important to you, and what are important to them? Can you shape a program that achieves both? Remember that their investment in the learning and the “stickiness” of the learning has everything to do with their “owning” the outcome. Suggested reading: Made to Stick by Chris and Dan Heath From research on memory, emotion and motivation, their study is couched in terms of "stickiness” -- the art of making ideas unforgettable.

Medium and Message cont. : 

10 Medium and Message cont. Share your experiences and ideas in matching medium to the message! E.g.: Goal: teach the laws and traditions of building a sukkah Content: sukkah walls, roof, decorations, blessing Medium: video: Outcomes: learned laws and traditions with high degree of “stickiness”; creative and active engagement with content; tangible product that they “own” and can be proud of; lesson keeps on giving by posting on YouTube and others can watch and learn. (YouTube has a whole category on “How To” videos:) http://youtube.com/categories_portal?c=26&e=1

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11 Trends and Research in Internet Use: Implications for Schools Trends and Research In Internet Use: Implications for Jewish Education

Trends and Research : 

12 Trends and Research Important to understand how your audiences are using web technologies in other areas of their life Impacts ways they research, learn, buy, socialize, make decisions Influences their expectations of your school Key to how youth and even their parents are forming and expressing identity Tool for prioritizing and decision making in their daily lives Keep up to date on new research and technologies Read, attend sessions like this Talk to parents and students Learn from your peers Experiment!

Lippman/Kanfer Institute Paper : 

13 Lippman/Kanfer Institute Paper Lippman Kanfer Institute Working Paper titled “Redesigning Jewish Education for the 21st Century” encourages teachers to design educational experiences around these three key concepts: Empowering the learner as an active agent in fashioning his/her own learning experience; The centrality of relationships and the social experience of learning as dynamic forces which shape an evolving identity and build commitment and community in a fragmented world; Jewish learning as “life-centered,” addressing the totality of our aspirations, concerns and experiences. www.jesna.org -- link to report is on the home page

Applications : 

14 Applications LK Principle Possible Application Implication Active Agent Journal on a blog Greater personal Produce a video investment in learning Social experience MySpace page More pts of contact IM means stronger relationship/identity Life-Centered Integrate with life More opportunities & bring learning out for learning, of the classroom; reflection, action Overcome space and connection and time boundaries

Web 2.0 : 

15 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 is a phrase that refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis, etc. — which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. This is in contrast to websites that do not feature interactive components or community building. Web 2.0 has transformed our social, political and economic landscape, shifting the power back into the hands of the consumer. Question is how to make this new reality work for you?

New Economy : 

16 New Economy This has everything to do with how people prioritize their time, energy and attention, as well as money. The Long Tail, by Chris Andersen: People today expect and desire specificity Desire for self-directed or initiated pursuits With a scarcity of time & attention, quality matters a lot. Young people today are very skilled at assessing quality, and even small things make a big statement, intentionally or not. People trust each other - word of mouth, amazon.com reviews, etc. How can you make this work for you? Implications for Jewish education -- what is the role of teacher today? Source of information vs. guide or coach.

Overcome Boundaries of Space & Time : 

17 Overcome Boundaries of Space & Time On Darim sites, highest traffic is 11:30am-2pm on weekdays, and 9:30-11pm. Challenge is to gain attention and focus of students and parents. Technology tools enable flexibility and expanding the boundaries of the classroom. New ways of engaging and expressing offer opportunities for Jewish education. Young people want to be active in their learning. This may require some “releasing control” by teachers.

Connections b/t Home & Classroom : 

18 Connections b/t Home & Classroom Provide resources and educational opportunities online. Help parents learn how to support learning at home, and to fill gaps in Jewish knowledge and practice if they exist. Resources on holidays and traditions Israeli news Discussion boards / topical listservs Content aggregation opportunities, e.g. JTA ticker, RSS feeds, URJ “web express” Fill your site with content, and turn them on to new resources Communicate with parents about what you are doing so they can reinforce at home Listserv or e-newsletter

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19 Practical Tools & Applications

Importance of Web Site : 

20 Importance of Web Site Synagogue web sites can be more than an online brochure. Valuable resources, design, community building tools. Extend the reach of the synagogue and community outside of the building. Similarly, you can use the synagogue web site to extend your reach outside of your classroom. Share how you use your web site?

Design Says A Lot : 

21 Design Says A Lot Emotional reaction within 1/20 of a second Extrapolation from this to all areas of the synagogue and education.

Content : 

22 Content Curriculum and Philosophy Important dates Photos of classrooms, teachers, artwork, students in action Sample “day in the life” Make teachers accessible Resources for parents to reinforce age appropriate learning in the home (links, downloads, ideas, etc.)

Importance : 

23 Importance Draw new members to congregation and the school (education is often a reason people will join, and can be a deciding factor for which cong to join) Engage more families in religious education (marketing what you have to offer) Empower families to strengthen their knowledge, practice and reinforcement at home Open lines of communication Increase prioritization of your work for them

e-newsletters : 

24 e-newsletters Create thoughtful email programs that are integrated with other communication efforts. Use email to replace paper flyers -- more info will get read and into the family calendar. Concise wording, links to site for more details. Do not become spam or users will never read again. Good graphics and layout help convey professional approach to communications, HTML email is coordinated with your website. Educate and inspire parents to reinforce lessons at home. Constant Contact is great provider - templates, stats, segmented audience lists, etc. Non profit discounts available - ~$25/mo http://darimonline.constantcontact.com

Temple Mount Sinai, TX : 

25 Temple Mount Sinai, TX

E-newsletters cont. : 

26 E-newsletters cont. Make it regular -- same time and day each week or month. Minimize any additional emails so recipient takes each one seriously. Coordinate with synagogue emails as necessary (get into their email, and/or make sure you’re within the standards of how much email is sent from the synagogue to each member). Short headlines and teasers with links to web site for full information when you have a lot of content. Create standard format so readers know how to scan. Use “interest groups” to send targeted emails to specific audiences. Follow up on bounces to improve list. Clear & brief subject line, recognizable “from”. What are you doing with email currently?

Open rates for e-newsletters : 

27 Open rates for e-newsletters Averages. Your results may vary. Test days and times. There may be other factors (days of your classes, etc.) that will influence your choice. Test and refine! Good results may be 40-60% open rate 34 - 44% 3:30 PM Thursday 18% 50 - 62% Open % 9:30 AM Friday 11:00 AM -12:30 PM Tuesday or Wednesday Time Day

Web Stats : 

28 Web Stats Web sites and e-newsletter programs like Constant Contact have reporting systems to show use and patterns. KPI (Key Performance Indicator) to pay attention to: Number of unique visitors Time spent per session Page views per sessions Downloads (if applicable) Open rate (e-newsletters) Click throughs (e-newsletters) Forwards (e-newsletters)

Stats reporting : 

29 Stats reporting

Web Stats, cont. : 

30 Web Stats, cont. Use of web stats is an iterative process: State your goal (programmatic) What is the use of the site as a tool to meet this goal? How do we know if the site is achieving this purpose? Observe patterns in web stats Identify what people are responding to, or not Make a change Measure again to see impact of this change Constant refinement Invest your time and energy where there is interest and demand.

Web Stats, cont. : 

31 Web Stats, cont. Reporting on stats is powerful: To the board -- allocate more resources when they see how powerful a medium it is. To the staff -- spend more time and/or focus developing and maintaining content when they know it’s being used. To members -- if they hear everyone else is going, then they will feel there is reason to go as well. See where there are spikes in traffic and why Around holidays? Around registration deadlines? Following marketing efforts?

Common Stumbling Blocks : 

32 Common Stumbling Blocks Feeling overwhelmed. Go back to thinking about the concepts - what are your goals, and then think about how can technology help you reach those goals. Don’t let the “technology” be a stumbling block. Once you know what you want, others can help you through the “techie” piece. Designing for you, rather than for them. Keep in mind who your audience is at all times, and design the technology, content, and experience with them in mind. Do an online survey (www.surverymonkey.com or www.zoomerang.com) to learn about their interests, needs, and how you can provide the most value. What are their stumbling blocks and how can you use technology to help overcome these? Don’t reinvent the wheel There are many great things happening out there. Build on successful models, and use the available resources. Using the power of the Internet does not mean you have to take on a big or expensive project.

Knowledge Sharing : 

33 Knowledge Sharing Can’t overestimate the value of sharing experiences (success and struggles) with your peers. Everyone has unique ideas and valuable knowledge. What’s obvious to you might not be to others. Systemic issues in our organizations can be similar, and how peers have addressed those issues may be very valuable to learn from. Multiple methods for sharing and collaborating (conf. call, webinar, listserv, face to face, now). Darim Online Learning Network, with Knowledge Communities.

Wrap Up : 

34 Wrap Up What’s working well for you? What are you struggling with? Successes and/or challenges to share that others might learn from? Questions, comments...

Next Session : 

35 Next Session If you’re hungry for more: Today 5:00-6:15pm Location: Eads 216 Using the Internet for Marketing, Outreach and Engagement in learning Focus on Web 2.0 tools such a social networking, blogs, IM, video and SecondLife.