The Center for Educational Technology (CET) and the Educational Television have recently joined forces to prepare a digital database of learning material. The project was initiated at the request of the new Minister of Education to help high school students prepare for their matriculation exams during the summer of 2013
The database includes videotaped lessons by excellent teachers, assessment tasks, and specific explanations of issues which are typically difficult to learn. It covers curricular content in literacy, civic studies, mathematics and physics. Following the initial success of this enterprise, CET plans to expand the database to be used by students and teachers on a regular basis, with a focus on physics and mathematics in the advanced five-unit learning track. Sixty lessons of high performing teachers will be filmed, to be uploaded to the database alongside ten online tests, and a group of teachers will form an online chat room to allow students to ask questions. The database will be used in learning ‘marathons’ that will be arranged towards the next matriculation cycle, as well as in various intervention programs, such as the virtual high school, and the Nachshon online tutoring program.
CET intends to adapt the content of the database for additional purposes: to help teachers prepare lessons plans; to encourage teachers to use the material as part of homework assignments they give their students; to allow teachers to use as an introduction to their lesson, etc. In addition, CET have in mind to customize the database for usage in teacher learning frameworks which they operate, and for teacher training and professional development courses that are administered by other organizations. The material will be freely available via YouTube and through a designated website.
* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 85