Historically, most people didn’t have much awareness of what was happening in other countries beyond what they read or heard in the media. Of course there is more to a country than what we learn from secondhand sources, but until recently, there have been few ways to access this information.
Vibe Israel (@vibeisrael), founded by Joanna Landau, is an a-political nonprofit organization based in Tel Aviv, has a plan to change that. They want the world to know there’s more to Israel than news related to the conflict in the Middle East. Their strategy is to use social media to share what Israel has to offer. They do this by inviting five influencers in specified areas (i.e. art, wellness, fashion, social entrepreneurship, sustainability) to visit the country and share what they learn with their followers. This enables citizens, with no political or corporate agenda, who have various areas of expertise, to tell stories to their followers.
I’m excited to have been selected as one of five, global education influencers to visit Israel this December and share what the country has to offer in the area of “education.”
What should I focus on when I’m there to bring back to those in my learning network?
Here are some questions I’m interested in exploring:
- Technology
- How are students prepared to thrive in an economy experiencing a technological boom?
- Do all students learn computer science?
- What sort of technology and internet is available to students?
- What are your most innovative models? What are innovations around space and time?
- What is the role of social media? Is it used for social good? Activism?
- Joy and play
- How do students find joy in school?
- What is the lunchroom and playground like?
- How long is the school day, recess, lunch, breaks?
- Curriculum, standards, testing
- What is the curriculum like?
- How much of the curriculum is required verses selected?
- What do standards and testing look like?
- What happens if students don’t pass the test?
- General
- How are students supported in internship/apprenticeship/entrepreneurial opportunities?
- How do you support self-directed learning?
- What are the regulations for homeschooling?
- What role do corporations play in education?
- How much stress do students feel as far as the political climate?
- Are there programs to help promote peace and tolerance?
What do you want to know?
Is there something that you (or your students) want me to learn more about and share? School life? Tech use? Play? Ask your colleagues and students and if there is something you want me to explore, I will and I'll share in my follow up posts in the coming weeks.
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