Head of School Blog Post

One of the most significant shifts in education over the past two and half decades has been the rise of technology in and beyond the classroom. In last week’s blog, I shared the core values that guide our approach to using educational technology at CESJDS. This week, I want to take a deeper look at technology as a powerful aspect of the educational landscape.

Technology and digital content are essential tools that help students engage in deep, meaningful, and relevant learning. Classrooms and schools that thoughtfully use technology are dynamic spaces where students collaborate on Google Docs, design presentations, create media, and engage with global content, while developing critical thinking and digital citizenship skills that will serve them well into adulthood.

As with any powerful tool, we are mindful that technology must be used with intentionality and care. Our educational philosophy at CESJDS around technology use is rooted in the Jewish tradition of seeking balance and is guided by current research. The 12th century Spanish Jewish philosopher and scholar, Moses Maimonides (the Rambam), wrote extensively about שביל הזהב (the Golden Mean), a concept that urges us to find a healthy and ethical balance in all aspects of life. This idea resonates profoundly in our approach to technology in education. We recognize both the immense benefits and the potential drawbacks of digital tools and social media. And so our goal is to engage with technology wisely and ethically, not to avoid it. 

This balance is central to our Portrait of a CESJDS Graduate, where we define "Effective Communicators," in part, as individuals who “use technology and digital tools appropriately to explore, research, and exchange ideas.” To that end, we take a multi-pronged approach to supporting students' growth as digital citizens.

We filter certain online content at school, but more importantly, we teach students why some content is inappropriate or unhelpful and how to make discerning choices for themselves. We do this because:

1. Technology is an integral part of the world our students inhabit;
2. Our students will need to navigate these tools independently throughout their lives; and
3. To entirely remove technology from the learning environment would disconnect our curriculum from the realities of modern life.

We are not digital maximalists. We have studied the current research which clearly shows the adverse impacts associated with social media; on attention, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. This is why we thoughtfully limit and scaffold students’ technology use in developmentally appropriate ways, and why we have moved to a smartphone-free school day. It’s why when students are assigned longer readings they do those from books or from paper rather than online so they can better retain what they have learned as research findings recommend.

As we guide students in navigating a world rich with information, we continually return to our core values and approach. Technology, when used ethically and in balance, becomes a vehicle for curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and connection. It can expand the walls of the classroom, amplify student voice, and provide opportunities for deeper understanding.

We strive to walk the shvil hazahav/the Golden Mean, as we help our students grow into thoughtful, ethical, and capable users of technology rooted in Jewish wisdom, guided by research on practices to employ and those to avoid, and ready to meet the challenges of the current and future world.

*Part 2 of 2 blogs on educational technology in schools