Jewish, Hebrew and Israel education should be affordable and accessible to everyone, Israeli-American Council (IAC) co-founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet said on Sunday.
He made these comments ahead of the IAC and Tel Aviv University Online (TAU) - Innovative Learning Center’s global e-summit, “Zoom Out,” July 13-14, which will bring together international educators and EdTech executives with the aim of re-imagining the future of education in the coronavirus era.
“The current crisis brings great opportunities; by bringing education trailblazers we hope to inspire a new and innovative Jewish Education. Today, we can and should reimagine Jewish, Hebrew and Israel education. We must dream about making it affordable and accessible to anyone, anywhere, in an effort to keep our children connected to our heritage,” said Nicolet.
The summit, a hands-on virtual experience with live streams, networking tools and interactive sessions, will bring together Israeli and American senior executives from EdTech, leading academics, and social entrepreneurs to examine the pivotal role of innovation in the field of education. Participants include Kristen DiCerbo, Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy; John Schwartz, Head of Enterprise Global Business Development at edX; Erica Lockheimer, VP at LinkedIn Learning; Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University; Prof. Katherine E. Fleming, Provost at New York University; Adi Altschuler, Founder and CEO, Inclu-Special for All and Founder of Krembo Wings and Zikaron Basalon, among many more.
The two-day program will feature panels and one-on-one conversations, as well as breakout sessions and online networking opportunities with other summit attendees, with the goal of convening international educators to learn best practices and models to take back and implement in informal and formal classroom settings.
“We can now rethink and re-imagine a stronger and even more meaningful connection between Israel and the Jewish people, just like in this partnership with TAU online that brings educators from both sides of the ocean as well as our great friends and partners in the Jewish American world,” added Nicolet.
Participating organizations in the global e-summit include: The Jewish Federations of North America, The Center for Israel Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Kesher L'Ivrit, ICenter, Momentum, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Prizmah, the Center for Jewish Day Schools, the Jewish Funders Network, as well as Israel Scouts, BBYO, Habonim Dror and Hashomer Hatzair. They will participate in numerous panels such as, Isra-Ed-Tech: Innovating Israel Education and Engagement, Innovation and Creative Thinking in the Midst of a Global Crisis: the story of Zionist Youth Movements, and Jewish Federations: Helping Jewish Learning Thrive, in COVID-19 and Beyond.
Yuval Shraibman, TAU Online - innovative learning center’s founder and CEO said ahead of the virtual conference that, “We see in this summit and our partnership with the IAC as an opportunity to stop for a moment during these challenging times and reimagine the future of education. TAU Online is helping professors and students, teachers and pupils reinvent their teaching and learning experience.”
The e-summit marks the IAC’s response to the new realities facing the world in the wake of the coronavirus and the need for innovative leadership in education and virtual learning.
To answer these new challenges, the organization has recently launched a series of virtual learning experiences aimed at enriching the bond between Israeli and American communities. Among the endeavors is OFEK Hub, a state-of-the-art learning hub providing a unique online learning experience with an Israeli twist, where students can learn a variety of subjects ranging from Hebrew to Israeli Innovation from the comfort of their own homes.
Additionally, last month the organization co-hosted "The New Tomorrow" in collaboration with the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, which brought together leading industry giants from Israel and the US to examine the impact of COVID-19 on global communities.
Admission to “ZoomOut” is free of charge for educators and open to the general public. Registration for the summit is required for all participants through the summit website: www.zoomoutsummit.org.