Technology

the digital revolution that is shaping twenty-first-century Jewish education—a fleeting snapshot from the first decade

Brian Amkraut

pp. 597-614

in: Helena Miller, Lisa Grant, Alex Pomson (eds), International handbook of Jewish education, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstract

Casual observers and engaged critics alike have compared the changes in communication technology associated with the digital era to the radical shift in access to information ushered in by the invention of the printing press. Digital media and the ability to share that media both instantaneously and broadly are powerful forces that are shaping the cultural and social landscape of the early twenty-first century. As has been the case throughout history, the general culture of the digital era will be reflected in the ways that Jewish life is lived and understood. Perspectives on Jewish continuity in general and approaches to Jewish education in particular are now and will continue to be shaped by this new environment in which traditional notions of authority, community, and identity are challenged and redefined.