Crowd Sourcing My Curriculum

Next Sunday I will embark on another exciting year of teaching Jewish teens at my new home, Cincinnati's Reform Jewish High School, Kulanu. 

"That's nice, Alex. What does that have to do with me?" 

Over the past few years of teaching, I have experimented with different ways to incorporate technology to be a better teacher.  But most of my efforts, though successful, were far too insular to achieve the interconnectedness with other educators, friends, peers & students that I desired.  So this year, both electives that I am teaching are going to be, in one way or another, crowd sourced. 

"I have no idea what that means." 

I am going to use Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, e-mail, texts (or, if you want to keep it old school, phone calls & snail mail) to source a great deal of the content for the class and to share the insights and results produced in class.

For example, my first elective, taught to 9th and 10th graders, is called Jewcy News - a class where we will discuss current events important to both progressive Judaism and the teens.

"So what can I do?"  

I need your help finding the news. As much time as I sit on Facebook scrolling through my newsfeed and scouring the interwebs for interesting tidbits, getting help from friends and colleagues not only illuminates black holes of the internet that I would have missed, it diversifies the content of the class.

That was the easy crowd sourcing. Here's the more complicated one. 

My second elective is using music to teach middot, or soul traits.

After introducing the trait and fleshing it out, we will turn to music to add more depth and reflect the profane through the sacred prism of Judaism. Kids will be encouraged to bring something with their music on it (computer, phone, ipod) and take a few minutes to search through their music that speaks to that trait.  We will compile those songs, listen to them and create a collaborative Spotify playlist.  

For example, when learning about Humility we will listen to 'There's Always Someone Cooler Than You' by Ben Folds, 'No Time to Think' by Bob Dylan and 'Solitude' by Duke Ellington. We'll discuss how the Jewish teachings of humility are reflected in the songs and how the music adds a layer that written word cannot.  We'll share the playlist and have our networks add to the playlist. 

"So what are you asking me to do?" 

1. If you read an article and think, "Teenagers would find this interesting/funny/amusing," shoot me an e-mail (alex@alexkress.com), Facebook message, text, smoke signals, paper airplanes, any thing your blessed little heart wants with the link.  

2. When you see me post a collaborative Spotify playlist on Facebook or Twitter that centers on a specific value (e.g. humility, loving kindness, strength), check it out. Listen to the songs. And most importantly, ADD YOUR OWN SONGS. 

I hope this will prove to be a useful resource to every one that chooses to engage, whether suggesting articles, adding music or listening to an awesome playlist. As this school year begins, I am working to be a better teacher, create a better curriculum and compile a useful teaching resource for everyone to use, and I thank you in advance for helping me achieve that goal.