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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Case Study Synthesis Report

Submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the
Masters of Education in Instructional Technology

Beth Jackson
EDTC 645
Fall 2015
Joe Wieczorek, Professor
October 6, 2015

Introduction

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Two extraordinary articles about Israel use of technology integration in K-12 settings
have provided a basis for highlighting Israel emerging ability in educational technology. The two
articles are, Science and Technology in Israel (2013), and How Israel classrooms may change
over the next 20 years (2011). The first article focus on Israel advance technology. Although the
technology in Israel is amazing and many things are invented in Israel, the schools (high school
and elementary) doesn't use it often. The students have computer lessons, but only with a desktop
in the computer lab and without the use of Wi-Fi. That reality limits the abilities of the teachers
to use computers in the classes. The second article focus on how Israel classroom with change in
the next twenty years. The leaders of Israel's educational system have come to realize that
technological developments have created a gap between modern adult society and the school
environment. Furthermore, if Israel's advanced technological level is to be maintained and
enhanced in the future, scientific know how and familiarity with modern tools must be
introduced to children as early as possible.
Many schools in the United States as well as Israel have been experiencing three
overlapping waves of technology adoption since the mid-1980s: the personal computer lab wave,
the online learning wave and the digital classroom wave. Classrooms in Israel are currently
experiencing a transition from a pursuit of individualization and productivity in the first stage to
the pursuit of personalization and global citizenship in the second stage. The linkage between the
first stage and the second stage is also the linkage between the Internet world and the classroom
world, which are now virtually separate (Izenberg, 2013).

Pedagogy

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Izenberg (2013) states, that technology as a tool in learning has been embraced by some
and disgraced by many, yet todays digital natives navigate virtual worlds without hesitancy or
misgivings. Students are far more technologically savvy than the institutions that support them.
This poses a problem as teachers try to reconcile personal constructivist pedagogies with a tool
they are unaccustomed to or intimidated by. Yet, its this very tool which opens the door to new
and innovative applications of constructivist teaching and learning methods. According to
Izenberg, (2013), The vast amount of information that computers supply on a daily basis has
allowed teachers and students new ways to explore education compared to ordinary instructional
tools Technology offers flexibility and adaptability reflective of pedagogies across various
learning models based in constructivism.
Israel greatest technology pedagogical impact within this theory may be in the area of
social interaction. The exchange of personal, social and cultural norms determines the work
environment which in turn creates the rules of performance in an activity system. In a physical
classroom the personal, social and cultural clues are learned from direct social interaction in the
form of body language, visual cues and facial expressions. While Israel just begin to incorporate
virtual classrooms. This removes all physical contact and the environment of the system must be
determined through email, texting and discussion forums (Izenberg, 2013).

Professional Development

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The modern technological world is constantly changing and evolving. Things happen
almost too quickly to assimilate, one development is rapidly out of date by another, and channels
of communication have become ultra-fast. Israel students are growing up in a world of
sophisticated and constantly-improving technologies, including the web, iPhone, e-learning, and
distance education. These circumstance demand that the educational system must continually
seek ways to keep up to date with current trends and methods in order to ensure that it meets the
students needs (Leichman, 2011).
Over the past 25 years, criticism of teachers and teacher education has intensified in
many developed countries around the world. While this negative assessment initially targeted
pre-service teacher education in Israel, the past decade has witnessed an increasing attack on the
continuing lifelong education of teachers. Motivated by a desire to enhance the knowledge and
skills of teachers on the one hand and improve student achievement and scores on the other, the
Israeli education system is currently seeking to decentralize, modernize, upgrade, and raise the
quality of the teaching/learning system in the light of global and regional changes. Within this
context, teachers are encouraged to view themselves as facing new challenges with the help of
innovative forms of in-service training. Israel has developed a program called MASHAV- Israels
Agency for International Development Cooperation. The program is dedicated to providing
developing countries with the best of Israels experience in development and planning
(Leichman, 2011).

Technology Integration

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One outcome of integrating technology into Israel classrooms has been the introduction
of a revolutionary program to saturate the schools from kindergarten upwards with computers.
The program is part of an overall plan known as "Tomorrow 1998", aimed at upgrading the
teaching of mathematics, science and technology throughout the school system. According to the
authors of the program, computers will become the fourth basic element of education, which, for
generations, included the proverbial "three 'r's reading, writing and arithmetic (Leichman,
2011).
The program, which was launched in 1992 and is still in the process of implementation,
calls for the installation of a computer in every kindergarten and of one terminal for every 10
students in primary and secondary schools. In the three years since the program was initiated in
1993, 33,400 terminals had been installed for the country's 1,200,000 schoolchildren, and 1,160
computers in the country's 4,000 kindergartens. According to the Ministry of Education, the
program is aimed at creating a "technologically-saturated learning environment," which will help
introduce technology into the schools (Leichman, 2011).
Analysis
From the above information, there are skeptics that point out the negative side of technology and
computer usage in Israel. They fear the possible negative exposure that comes along with
Internet usage and other things that can be utilized with technology. However, avoiding
technology because of the possible dangers, can be similar to avoiding using a car because of the
dangers involved. Driving a car involves so many risks that parents send their children to
driving school to teach them how to safely operate the vehicle, and avoid the possible dangers
that can happen with its usage. It is specifically because the Internet and technology usage comes
with risks, that we should be training our students to use it appropriately, and instruct them how

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it can be a tool to advance their positive growth. There is no better place for this training to
happen than in the classroom, under the guidance of a trained professional (Hayes, 2015).
Conclusion
Our students are growing up in the 21st-century. Their lives are connected to technology
in many different ways outside of the classroom, this does not have to be perceived by parents
negatively. Hayes (2015) states, by depriving them of positive exposure to technology in the
classroom, teachers may be missing out on the opportunity to (a) show them all the good and
positive things that can be accomplished through its usage, (b) train them to differentiate between
useful and not useful information on the internet, and to train and habituate them to healthy
internet usage, and (c) reap the benefits that technology offers with regards to raising academic
performance, as many recent studies have shown.
The impact of incorporating technology into Torah lessons in the classroom is huge.
Students learn firsthand what an amazing tool it can be for their lifetime of learning and the
advancement of their connection with Judaism. As far as computers being a distraction to
students are concerned, students have and probably always will find things to do when they are
not engaged. If not a computer then something else. When done right, incorporating technology
into classrooms will raise the level of student engagement and classroom participation (Hayes,
2015).

References

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Hayes, Schneur. (2015). Technology Integration for the 21st century Torah Student. The Times of
Israel. Retrieved from http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/techniology-integration-for-the21st-century-torah-student/
Izenberg, Dan. (2013). Science and Technology in Israel. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Retrieved from http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/israelat50/pages/science%20and
%20technology%20in%20israel.aspx
Leichman, Abigail. (2011). How Israel classrooms may change over the next 20 years. Journal
of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(1), 28-52. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00342.x