Feb 2, 2004 -- Students in Jewish day schools around the country will soon benefit from technology that will allow them to do their class work from home, the library, or any other location. The Distance Learning Project, developed by the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools and Yeshiva High Schools (AMODS) at Yeshiva University, is part of a broad distance-learning initiative of the university that will alter how Jewish day schools and yeshivas educate their students. Comprised of a distance-learning video conferencing component and a web-based course management tool, Angel, the project begins next fall at several schools in AMODS’ national network. “Together, these two technologies allow education to break out of its traditional confines of location and time,” said Rabbi David Israel, YU’s project director and head of the Max Stern Division of Communal Services at YU that staffs AMODS. “Video conferencing extends the expertise available in one classroom to many venues. Angel goes beyond the classroom to make learning possible for any student, any time, anywhere,” he said. Angel is a course management system that combines e-mail, assignments, grading, assessments, and attendance, into a simple package accessible via the Internet, used primarily at the university level. Video conferencing will enable schools to bolster curriculum and teacher training by “beaming in” experts and educators from anywhere in the world, said Dr. David Schnall, dean of YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. “This innovation allows for people at different places to interact in real time,” and is a tool that might especially benefit schools in outlying communities with limited educational resources, Dr. Schnall explained. “The Distance Learning Project will enhance YU’s commitment to Jewish education nationwide,” said Dr. Jeremiah Unterman, AMODS director. “YU’s material resources and expertise will benefit not only students and faculty, but also administrators, board members, parents, and communal leaders seeking new educational horizons.” Introduced to yeshiva high school teachers through a seminar at Azrieli Graduate School, the Angel is being piloted at five yeshiva high schools, including YU’s Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy-Yeshiva University High School for Boys and others in Boca Raton, FL; Cleveland, OH; Monsey, NY, Toronto, Canada; and Seattle, WA.