Kamrat : The Story of a Virtual Multicultural Learning Community in Israel - part 4

Preparations for the meeting
An invitation, in Hebrew,to participate in a face to face meeting, in Ulpan Akiva,was sent out ( and uploaded to the intranet) to all the participating members of the Kamrat virtual learning community.

A few words about the meeting itself:
The meeting itself was composed of several parts. The official part where speeches were made, and the less formal, though meticulously planned part, where traditional costumes, foods and music, both Arabic and Jewish were presented.

After the May 3rd meeting

Immediately after the meeting in Ulpan Akiva, the participants accessed the TelHi net and wrote their impressions of the face to face meeting.
Muhamad Ali Mushreife ( A) says:
A beautiful, great meeting. I have a new friend, Nadav.
Adi Ort ( J) wrote the following:
Shalom, I had a great time at the meeting. I enjoyed greatly talking to you and especially with you, Suzan. I hope we'll have many more meetings like this one, and lets please keep in touch.
Shmuel from Ort (J) had the following to say :
I had a great time. It was KEIF ( an Arabic word used in Hebrew too, meaning fun) meeting everybody in person ! The food was very good, especially the baklawa (very sweet pastry ) and the pita with zaatar ( Arab bread with herbs). The music was good and it was fun dressing differently.
These impressions are echoed by Souhair from Mushreife ( A)
It was a great meeting. I made new good friends ( girls). I hope we'll have more meetings like this one.
Inshalla ( Arabic for "if god will…" )

Rasha from Mushreife ( A) adds her impressions:
I made new friends. The music was great. I was very happy…
Lehtiraotttttttttt!!!!!! ( see you)

These are but a few of the many comments and impressions the children had after the meeting in person.
For a few months, they had been meeting each other on- line. Learning from each other about their city, village, customs and costumes, families and feasts.
Now the virtual faces became real and the foods came down from cyberspace to be tasted by hungry youngsters.
These teenagers, united by love of music, sports, and curious about meeting new boys and girls, found many things in common.
It was a meeting well planned for months, by all the participating youngsters, and as such it was very successful.

B.Sample material of work done on-line by participating members in the Kamrat project ( gleaned from the Telhi Hebrew intranet)

Objects passing in the family- handed from grandparents and parents to their children

Sabri Muhamad , Mushreife (A)told the members of Kamrat about the kandil -an oil and kerosene lamp, much cherished in his family.
In the past, he told the virtual community participants , there was no electricity, like today and at nights one would use the kandil.
The kandil was made of iron and glass, and in order to lit it, oil and later on, kerosene was used.
The Arab person would walk everywhere at night, holding the kandil in his hand.

What a lesson in history! No teacher, no textbook, but children, members of the same virtual community, teaching each other.

Quizzes: testing each other's knowledge

Guy from Ort Gutman ( J) quizzed the other members about a city in Israel:

This city is holy for the Jews as well as for other people and religions.
The city is made up of 4 quarters.
The city survived many wars and it serves a symbol of peace.
A wall surrounded the city; part of this wall still exists and serves as a wall for praying.
Which city is it?
The answer of course, is Jerusalem.

Yulia , also from Ort Gutman (J) composed this quiz:

The calm sea, relaxing, serene,
No living soul found there,
Cures diseases, calms souls,
One feels like flying
While floating

Muhamed Abbdalla from Mushreife (A) writes :
Replying to Yulia

It's the Dead Sea

Children are children, they are supposed to write only quizzes and questions having to do with their cultural background, but the net is a meeting place, and what is more normal for young adults than quizzing each other about football?

Arin Ahmed from Mushreife ( A) asks:

Which country won the world cup in 1986?

And Guy from Ort (J) suggests that it was Brazil.

Arin says: ah… ah.. Guy - wrong answer it was Argentine who won the world cup in 1986.

To page 5 of 6

Back to the articles index