1000 Smart Classrooms
1000 Smart Classrooms is a World ORT Kadima Mada program that was undertaken to catapult schools in Israel’s periphery to the frontline of 21st century education, thereby reducing gaps between the periphery and the center of the country. It was implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee, the Ministry of Education and some 70 local authorities in the periphery.
Within the framework of this program, some 5,000 teachers have been trained to teach in a computerized environment, using interactive white boards, while 150,000 students in over 230 schools enjoy learning in a classroom setting adapted to the 21st century.
The external evaluation undertaken on this program has shown a significant increase in the motivation and willingness of students to study, in their enjoyment and interest in learning and in their acquisition of capabilities such as high thinking and information processing skills, using computerized tools, and independent study.
Building on the momentum of this project, World ORT Kadima Mada and the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee have begun to initiate the next phase of 21st century classrooms, entitled “Future Learning Spaces”. The initiative is lead with the Northern municipality.