As I began the journey in EL3517, I choose to focus on the learning goal of gaining a better understanding of the educational theories and philosophies provided in the class and to apply the best practices to my current ministry as a Director of Youth Ministry at Cokato Evangelical Lutheran Church. Through the course readings, web assignments, blogging and writings, I have learned a great deal about media and technology and the influence it is having over our culture today.
Mary Hess’s book “Engaging Technology in Theological Education” provided a wealth of knowledge in religious education theories and philosophies, including;
• The models of learning (expert vs. knower) pg. 6-7
• A rubric for the six facets of understanding pg. 42-43
• The Dance of Redemption pg. 108
All of these models have helped me gain a better understanding on how to better formulate a plan that allows learning to take place in healthy, constructive and effective learning environments.
Clay Shirky and Michael Wesch provide a wealth of examples on how society has adopted to new technology that is overwhelming our world. People are able to collaborate at little to no cost thanks to technological advances in social media platforms. This new ability to organize and collaborate can be a huge strength for the church and its ministries. How we can utilize these new technologies is a crucial question that our congregations must face. In my own context, this class has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how to utilize these technological tools available to better spread the Good News.
This course has given me the above tools and more that better equip me to reach people in our culture today.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Church supports blogs!!
I have talked before about how EL 3517 has made me aware of the technological and social media advances all around us and the outcomes that those advances are developing. Well once again, this rings true. As I was reading the ELCA SW MN Synod Newsletter for June 29, 2010 - I came across this very interesting article about blogging, so I thought I would share. Enjoy :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
EL3517 Evaluation
Mary Hess’s book, Engaging Technology in Theological Education, opened my eyes to the interplay between religious education and the digital culture that we live in. As a Distributed Learner in the Masters of Divinity Program at Luther Seminary, I take for granted the entrepreneurship of this learning model that I engage in on almost a daily basis. This program will be evaluated and scrutinized for years to come because of its major shift in how theological education is provided. This change is due to the new digital technologies available in our culture. Mary Hess articulates and gives vision that is relevant and pertinent to the changing models of theological education in a technological world.
Clay Shirky’s book, Here comes Everybody, looks at the dramatic revolution in society due to the new behaviors that society has undertaken in utilizing the available technology. I thought this book was very accessible because of all the real-world examples and experiences referenced in it. By gaining this valuable and relevant information on how society is adapting new behaviors in response to the technology that is available to us at no or little cost, I am able to better understand human interaction in a digital world. This book was inspiring in that it showed how powerful and yet how simple digital tools can be utilized and the effect they can have on our communities.
The ‘brick n click’ design of this course was very appealing to me. I really liked the idea of completing a major share of the assignments prior to meeting physically. This gives the student an opportunity to introduce him/herself to the assigned readings and major themes in the course and to start to formulate their ideas and notions involving the course. Then the students are allowed to come together with the instructor and work through the information and assignments together, co-teaching and co-learning in a live environment. After meeting together, the students can go back and re-evaluate their ideas and notions based off of the class processes and utilize all of their learning in their contexts.
In order to flourish in EL 3517, it is important to start with the readings and ideas of the class at least two weeks prior to meeting physically in class. Starting the digestion process of the information presented in the assigned readings and video are important as the books contain a lot of valuable information that must be processed. Also, it is important to realize that EL 3517 is not just about utilizing technology in worship services and theological education. Instead EL 3517 is about how digital technology is opening doors for information to be gathered, processed and shared among people in a timely and low cost fashion.
EL 3517 has shaped my future teaching practices by allowing me to better understand the cultural conceptions that I and the students are bringing with us into the learning environment (whether that be physical or digital). I am now able to better understand the group’s dynamics because of my understanding of how society is adopting new behaviors in response to the new technologies that are available for most people. I am also more aware of my own preconceptions and how I not only co-teach but also co-learn in educational environments. In better understanding the interplay between religious (or any) education and digital culture, I am able to understand the notions that are brought into the learning environment and the behaviors that are in relation to those notions.
Clay Shirky’s book, Here comes Everybody, looks at the dramatic revolution in society due to the new behaviors that society has undertaken in utilizing the available technology. I thought this book was very accessible because of all the real-world examples and experiences referenced in it. By gaining this valuable and relevant information on how society is adapting new behaviors in response to the technology that is available to us at no or little cost, I am able to better understand human interaction in a digital world. This book was inspiring in that it showed how powerful and yet how simple digital tools can be utilized and the effect they can have on our communities.
The ‘brick n click’ design of this course was very appealing to me. I really liked the idea of completing a major share of the assignments prior to meeting physically. This gives the student an opportunity to introduce him/herself to the assigned readings and major themes in the course and to start to formulate their ideas and notions involving the course. Then the students are allowed to come together with the instructor and work through the information and assignments together, co-teaching and co-learning in a live environment. After meeting together, the students can go back and re-evaluate their ideas and notions based off of the class processes and utilize all of their learning in their contexts.
In order to flourish in EL 3517, it is important to start with the readings and ideas of the class at least two weeks prior to meeting physically in class. Starting the digestion process of the information presented in the assigned readings and video are important as the books contain a lot of valuable information that must be processed. Also, it is important to realize that EL 3517 is not just about utilizing technology in worship services and theological education. Instead EL 3517 is about how digital technology is opening doors for information to be gathered, processed and shared among people in a timely and low cost fashion.
EL 3517 has shaped my future teaching practices by allowing me to better understand the cultural conceptions that I and the students are bringing with us into the learning environment (whether that be physical or digital). I am now able to better understand the group’s dynamics because of my understanding of how society is adopting new behaviors in response to the new technologies that are available for most people. I am also more aware of my own preconceptions and how I not only co-teach but also co-learn in educational environments. In better understanding the interplay between religious (or any) education and digital culture, I am able to understand the notions that are brought into the learning environment and the behaviors that are in relation to those notions.
Facebook through a different lens
Michael Wesch claims that YouTube has a culture in of itself. I am convinced that Facebook also does. Especially after reading this story.
For Molly and John Connolly, Facebook is more than just a social platform to talk to friends, post pictures and videos and to reconnect with old friends. For Molly and John, Facebook is a place to find a child!
The proud parents state, "In marketing ourselves as adoptive parents, we created a group on Facebook in July of 2009 called, "John and Molly looking to Adopt" and we asked our friends and family to join. Our Facebook group linked to our adoption website, www.johnandmolly.net, as well as to our adoption agency."
For Molly and John Connolly, Facebook is more than just a social platform to talk to friends, post pictures and videos and to reconnect with old friends. For Molly and John, Facebook is a place to find a child!
The proud parents state, "In marketing ourselves as adoptive parents, we created a group on Facebook in July of 2009 called, "John and Molly looking to Adopt" and we asked our friends and family to join. Our Facebook group linked to our adoption website, www.johnandmolly.net, as well as to our adoption agency."
I believe this story ties in exactly with what this class has been developing. We come across these amazing stories about how God is active even in the cyberspace of Facebook. God is truly Lord over all.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Baby Bendorf!!
Wednesday morning at 7:56am my wife and I welcomed our first child, Izabella Grace Bendorf!!!
7lbs and 20 in of love and blessings!!
Please keep Izabella in your prayers!!
Praise be to God.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
SEX
Now I have your attention. That’s all it took; an easy to read yet hard to understand three letter word. Our culture is infatuated with sex and the desire/lust for it. Everywhere you turn - from magazines to television to the internet - it is center-stage. I do not even have to provide a list of examples, just turn on the TV or make a few clicks with the mouse and my point will be proven. Every form of media sells sex as its marketing strategy. And why not – in our postmodern culture there is one truth – sex sells! The lust for sex has overcome our society so intensely that we have become enslaved to it. We have confused passion for lust. We have turned beauty into sex objects. We have traded in our God-given bodies for an emotional high.
The church needs to take a stand and fight this moral decay of society and misuse of God’s plan for us. Why does the church need to lead this fight? Because we know and have the ability to point others to the answer that unlocks the chains – Jesus Christ! In Youth Group the other night I mistakenly read the word organism, calling it an orgasm, in talking about the church. You can imagine the shock and laughter by everyone. But, from that point on, I had everyone’s undivided attention. Sex captivates our culture.
Pastor Ed Young at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas is confronting this culture dilemma. Through sermons (including one in 2008 called “Seven Days of Sex”), to books to bible study series (Leaving Lust Vegas), Pastor Young is opening God’s Word and making a stand on sex and culture. By gaining a biblical understanding of sex/lust/temptation, we can be released of our chains and free to experience all that God has in store for us as sexual beings made in God’s image.
The church needs to take a stand and fight this moral decay of society and misuse of God’s plan for us. Why does the church need to lead this fight? Because we know and have the ability to point others to the answer that unlocks the chains – Jesus Christ! In Youth Group the other night I mistakenly read the word organism, calling it an orgasm, in talking about the church. You can imagine the shock and laughter by everyone. But, from that point on, I had everyone’s undivided attention. Sex captivates our culture.
Pastor Ed Young at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas is confronting this culture dilemma. Through sermons (including one in 2008 called “Seven Days of Sex”), to books to bible study series (Leaving Lust Vegas), Pastor Young is opening God’s Word and making a stand on sex and culture. By gaining a biblical understanding of sex/lust/temptation, we can be released of our chains and free to experience all that God has in store for us as sexual beings made in God’s image.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Church...welcome to today
How do we do church in today's society? The traditional formats and stuctures of what we know as church are no longer dominating the scene. However we define church - anywhere from a physical structure to the called, gathered, centered and sent people of God - we must be open to the realization that church doesn't happen on Sunday mornings in a brick building anymore.
Take a look at below and ask yourself..."Is this church?"
or
LifeChurch.TV
or
What do you resonate with? What feelings and emotions does each "church" evoke for you?
We serve a big God. A God that reveals himself in ways that are beyond what our limited minds can comprehend. Just because something does not give us comfort or ideal feelings, does not mean that God is not at work in that context. God has never been a God of comfort, but a God that transforms lives. Look outside your context...don't miss an opportunity to see where God's moving.
Take a look at below and ask yourself..."Is this church?"
or
LifeChurch.TV
or
What do you resonate with? What feelings and emotions does each "church" evoke for you?
We serve a big God. A God that reveals himself in ways that are beyond what our limited minds can comprehend. Just because something does not give us comfort or ideal feelings, does not mean that God is not at work in that context. God has never been a God of comfort, but a God that transforms lives. Look outside your context...don't miss an opportunity to see where God's moving.
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