Online learning tools may reflect how the social and textual act of interpretations built a community of readers and writers and learners and teachers. This paper presents a case study of an online havruta (paired-couple) platform called Project Zug. In this Jewish educational setting, 2 people virtually meet weekly to learn and discuss Jewish ancient texts while making connections to their personal lives. The main research question
is how do online learning spaces create communities of practice through the collaborative interpretation of
Jewish sacred texts? Using sociocultural frameworks of learning, I analyze data from semistructured interviews with Project Zug’s team members and a sample of learners and find that this online learning space creates a community of practice through the collaborative interpretation of Jewish sacred texts. As adult lifelong learners, participants describe a sense of online community with a shared purpose of exploring Jewish content with others while actively creating connections between texts and their own life experiences. It enables an old pedagogical tradition to continue while using technology for more accessible, creative, engaging, and active learning participation. I hope that the implications of my research on Jewish studies and educational technologies will provide a deeper understanding of Jewish education in the 21st century.
- 2 views