Our day started at the University of Haifa with a lecture from Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli who gave us a broad overview of the ways in which digital technologies are affecting our lives. Of course by today most of us are familiar with much of what's said about the internet - including the many cliches that may have a grain of truth, but don't really help us achieve an in depth understanding of how things are truly different today, and will continue to be even more different tomorrow. Sheizaf helped us get some perspective on these changes, and in doing so, also helped us see how all of this will affect schooling and learning.
From the classroom where we met with Sheizaf it was only a short walk to the Laboratory for Innovations in Rehabilitation Technologies of Prof. Tamar Weiss. At the lab we met with Tamar, though only via technology. We drove from Tel Aviv to Haifa, and she had driven that morning from Haifa to Tel Aviv for an important meeting, so we met via Skype.
In our hour with Tamar we watched excitedly as she demonstrated how "virtual reality" simulations can effectively aid rehabilitation, and also how some of her tools stimulate children on the autism spectrum to cooperate in play. This wasn't the classroom, which is perhaps the main focus of our tour, but though Tamar told us about simulations, the effects were highly tangible, and all of us left her small office convinced we'd witnessed an incredibly impressive demonstration.
Mostly we heard a lecture, but Sheizaf invited us to ask questions, and also to engage him in discussion. Even though it was short, it was quite intense, and all of us felt that this hour contributed significantly to our understanding of the broader picture.
From the classroom where we met with Sheizaf it was only a short walk to the Laboratory for Innovations in Rehabilitation Technologies of Prof. Tamar Weiss. At the lab we met with Tamar, though only via technology. We drove from Tel Aviv to Haifa, and she had driven that morning from Haifa to Tel Aviv for an important meeting, so we met via Skype.
In our hour with Tamar we watched excitedly as she demonstrated how "virtual reality" simulations can effectively aid rehabilitation, and also how some of her tools stimulate children on the autism spectrum to cooperate in play. This wasn't the classroom, which is perhaps the main focus of our tour, but though Tamar told us about simulations, the effects were highly tangible, and all of us left her small office convinced we'd witnessed an incredibly impressive demonstration.
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