Torah tech apps at Manhattan Day School

Learning Torah and other Jewish studies subjects is no longer limited to flipping the pages of a well-worn Chumash. These days, apps, podcasts and video chats help Manhattan Day School students get excited about learning.

“Zaption allows me to interact with the students while they are at home, on their own time,” says Rabbi Avi Genack of the Manhattan Day School, on the Upper West Side. “I can highlight the important aspects of the class and what students should take away from the video. In addition, it creates accountability by letting me know exactly who has watched the video and how much time they have devoted to it.”

Nightly, Rabbi Genack  creates Zaption videos that review pesukim and challenge students to read between the lines of the text.

The Class Dojo app creates a pie chart which can be viewed by parents to keep them informed of their child’s performance in class.

For students who do not wish to read aloud unless they are confident in front of their peers, Showbie “allows me to hear each child practice reading the shakla v’tarya (give and take) of the Gemara and provide feedback privately, making him comfortable and well-practiced,” says Rabbi Genack.

Inspiration Maps is also used in Gemara classes to help create a graphic organizer. Different rabbis’ points of view are illustrated via bubbles which can later be turned into a written organizer with a click of the button.

Apps like Oovoo turn learning into a social experience, allowing students to video chat with up to 12 friends, send text, picture and video messages, and more. Sudents use it “to practice reading from the Chumash, debate Rashi’s ideas with friends and encourage each other when they need help or make mistakes,” Rabbi Genack says. “Like social media, it enables kids to get into the conversation and connect to others. It also helps them feel more confident in expressing themselves.”

In sixth, seventh and eighth grade lashon classes, teachers use Brainscape to create a “smart flashcard” repetition system for vocabulary words. Students grade themselves on how well they know the words and the system bookmarks words they need to review later with a teacher or tutor.

Another popular app used in class is Silent Light. Research shows that today’s children are inefficient listeners who require optimal conditions in order to hear and understand. Silent Light empowers learners to manage their environment for optimum learning, especially when being introduced to difficult texts. Silent Light is intuitive, ignores extraneous sound and gives students useful feedback on how they’re working.

Davening is also taking a technological turn. Through a grant from the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge, Manhattan Day School middle school students have their own personal digitalized siddurim on their iPads and can incorporate their own thoughts about the prayers they are saying to give them more meaning.