JconnecT is Live!

JconnecT had its official launch on Sunday with students from Kansas City and Birmingham joining teachers from Israel in stimulating sessions about Judaism, Jewish texts, and the Jewish world.  Additional students from Nashville and New Jersey will be joining this coming week as the program shifts into high gear.

If you know someone interested in joining, it's not too late!  Just encourage them to fill out the form below and we'll take care of the rest.

Gemar Chatimah Tova!

Shabbaton Update

In order to accommodate the wave of new students just now joining our program we've decided to delay the first JconnecT shabbaton.  Instead of Labor Day weekend, we are now looking at a shabbat in November.  Please stay tuned as we hope to finalize the date shortly.

New Program Options

Due to a flurry of interest in our program from various parts of the country, we have slightly altered our course offerings to meet a diverse set of student needs. The program options now are as follows: (Please note the start date for each course)

Day of program	Time CDT	Subject	Grades	Starting date	Cost
Sunday Morning	10:00-10:50	Talmudic Lessons for Today, Introductory Level	7-9	Sept. 19, 2010	$800
Sunday Morning	11:30-12:20	Talmudic Lessons for Today, Intermediate Level	7-9	Sept. 19, 2010	$800
Sunday Morning	10:00-10:50	Parshat Hashavua	8-10	Sept. 12, 2010	$800
Sunday Morning	11:00-11:50	Contemporary Jewish Issues	8-10	Sept. 12, 2010	$800

Pre-recorded Sessions	Subject	Post Date	Grades	Starting Date	Cost
At your convenience	Sefer Bamidbar	Every Monday	7-9	October 4, 2010	$500
At your convenience	Mishnah	Every Monday	7-9	October 4, 2010	$500

If you have not yet done so, please register using the form below and submit your payment via the secure PayPal link located on the right hand margin.

Review of Our Programs

Now that registration has begun, we wanted to review the two programs we will be offering in this inaugural year of JconnecT:

SUNDAY MORNING LIVE: This program will take place every Sunday morning from 10am-12pm CST and will consist of two sessions. One on relevant themes from the weekly Torah portion and the second on Contemporary Issues facing Israel and the Jewish community. For the Sunday Morning Live program each JconnecTer will be placed in a small "class" of no more than 9 students together with their own dedicated teacher from Israel. All of the students and the teacher will interact in real time via webcam.

WEEKDAY EXTENDED PROGRAM: This program will allow those students who want a slightly more intensive Jewish educational experience to do so with the help of an expert educator but at whatever time fits with their undoubtedly hectic weekly schedule. Twice a week, "classes" consisting of short pre-recorded videos from our teachers in Israel, mixed with self-study assignments, will be posted to a special wikispace designed for that course. Through the wikispace, students will be able to view and comment on classmate's work and once a week, the teacher will have designated "office hours" at which time he or she will be available for live questions or clarification of that week's material.

To register, fill out the online application below!

Save the Date!

We're planning to kick off the first year of JconnecT with a Shabbaton in Memphis over Labor Day Weekend. The shabbaton will give our JconnecTers from all over the country a chance to meeteach other in person, before becoming virtual classmates for the year. So, save the date!

First Students Register!

We're excited to announce that our first JconnecTers have begun registering! If you'd like to join them, just fill out the online application below. Tuition can be paid through the Paypal link on the side or through checks made payable to the Margolin Hebrew Academy.

Looking forward to seeing your name on the list of our first ever class of JconnecT!

Open House Videos

If you'd like to see JconnecT in action and weren't able to attend one of our Open Houses - fear not! One of the many virtues of web-based education is that with a click of a mouse every session can be recorded. Below you'll find links to each of the model lessons given at the Open Houses. Enjoy!

Nashville, June 3, 2010:Parshat Shlach, Things Aren't Always What They Seem

New Orleans, May 3, 2010: Parshat Behar: Who is 'Needy' and How Can We Help?

Birmingham, April 26, 2010: Parshat Kedoshim: Who and What is Holy? Not Only Rabbis...!