by Gillian Granoff
When I traveled to Open University in Ramat Aviv to meet Ofir Zukovsky, the Executive Vice President of Business Development at the Center for Education Technology (CET), the non-descript concrete walls of the building led me to expect a stale corporate environment. Instead, I discovered a budding metropolis of scientific discovery. The bright orange walls and modern interior design belie the misleading exterior and is a reflection of the transformation of a company that has set the standard for reinventing curriculum technology for over 40 years. This vitality and creativity are what have helped CET to secure its position as a pioneer in the education technology industry.
Set on the campus of Open University, CET embraces an open philosophy, creating a successful partnership between corporate and community values. Founded in 1973, the center was an initiative by the Israeli Government and Baron Rothschild to bring computer technologies into the classroom. It eventually grew to become the largest publishing house for school textbooks in Israel. Today, CET has pioneered innovative and inclusive platforms for education technology in Israel and abroad.
For over forty years, CET's programs have redefined the interaction between teacher and students, facilitated independent learning, and helped students of all levels to fulfill their potential through technology. The center is known as a leading architect in redefining the global landscape of education by designing computerized curriculums proven to improve the success of students from all backgrounds, including those students with special needs students. The variety of curriculums speaks to their commitment for social outreach and equality. The curricula provide interactive platforms giving students the resources to work independently or with tutors. CET has literally put learning at student's fingertips.
CET's bilingual platforms enable a cross-cultural dialogue between Arabic and Hebrew learners that cultivate an atmosphere of collaboration. Students from both backgrounds engage online through CET's virtual campus, Ofek. Ofek publishes a bilingual human rights website for primary school students as well as an online youth magazine for high school students titled Makom. These platforms allow students to express their views on a range of topics from current events to politics and the environment in an accepting community of their peers.
CET also uses technology to meet the needs of students with disabilities as well as new immigrants in Israel. To increase the success rate of immigrant students and children of immigrants, CET has developed innovative models that allow immigrant students to prepare for the Matriculation examinations. The diversity in the subjects offered encourage and stimulate marginalized students who might otherwise dropout.
CET receives additional support for its global initiatives from individual contributors and by the nations coordinated and managed by the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization, Al Quds University, The Hebrew University, The Cite des Sciences et L'industrie in Paris (CSI) and the Bloomfield Science museum in Jerusalem. Funding goes towards many projects, including a training program for teachers in Macedonia, online seminars for 250 universities in South America (currently in development), and mathematical gaming initiative using 3D technologies for high level math students in Singapore.
In addition to pioneering new technologies and innovative curriculums, CET aims to support the training and growth of other startups in education technology through its subsidiary, MindCET. CET supports an inclusive model of education that cultivates tolerance and makes learning accessible to all students in a complex political and religious climate. #
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