Ministry in a digital age

MINISTRY IN A DIGITAL AGE

A Course Retrospective

Dudley C. Rose

Course Rationale

• Technology and digital media find significant use in many U.S. congregations.

• Even if leaders do not directly manage the organization’s technology, they need to understand its uses and possibilities.

• In small organizations leaders may have direct responsibility for technology

HISTORY

TAUGHT IN 2009 & 2014

2009: Ordained Ministers

2014:Ordained Ministers, Sunday School Teachers, Professors, Buddhist Teachers, Rabbis and NGO Executive Directors

2009: Up-to-date laptops

2014: Out-of-date Laptops

2009: Good Computer Skills

2014: Poor Computer Skills: Web Server?

CASE STUDY 1:WORDPRESS WEBSITE

Project

• Develop fully functional website:–Church (or other specific) themes

– Event calendaring

– Sermon manager (text, audio, media)

– Security, SEO and other plugins

Technology Choices

• Not to use Harvard Hosted WordPress

• Not to use Commercial Host

• To Have Students Install a Local Host

Process

• Lynda.com tutorial

• Create Local Host (BitNami)

• Install and Configure WordPress

• Install Theme

• Install Plugins

• Develop Site

THERE WERE

“ISSUES”

Inadequate Laptops

• Inadequate Disk Space

• Often on last legs

Computer Skills

• Could not unzip, install files

• Little concept of websites

• Local host too complicated

• Did not attend helpsessions

Presentation Glitches

• Many dongles

• Unfamiliarity with hardware

• Wasted class time

Takeaways

• Instructor’s choices poor

• Use commercial hosting

• Use in-classroom computer for presentations

• Recoup time devoted to local host

• More time to WordPress instruction

CASE STUDY 2:DEVELOP MULTI-MEDIA

PRESENTATION

Project• Develop multi-media presentation

–Worship, teaching

• Choosing and using– Image, audio and video editing software

–Presentation software

“ISSUES”

Add to

• Old cranky laptops

• Low computer skills

• Reluctance to seek help

• Presentation problems

More Hardware Demands

• Underpowered CPUs

• Insufficient RAM

Many Software Choices

Presentation Audio Editing Video Editing

ProclaimEasy Worship ExposongEasySlidesDatasoulSongviewQuelaDreambeamOpenSongPowersongSNAP ProjectionAsaph

Audacity Magix Music MakerWavePadAVS Audio EditorDiamond CutGarage Band

MS Movie MakeriMovie Techsmith CamtasiaAdobe Premier Final Cut Pro Magix Movie Edit

Missed the Mark

Tentative Observation#1

• Students less computer proficient than 5 years ago

• Hypothesis: Move to mobile?

Tentative Observation#2

• Student computers less up to date than 5 years ago

• Hypotheses

–Move to mobile?

–Older computers work well enough for word processing

Tentative Observation#3

Exorcised Biblical Software

Tentative Observation#4

Harvard Hosted WordPressof limited use for instruction

A Few Starting Questions#1

Is there a way to make Harvard hosted WordPress more flexible?

A Few Starting Questions#2

Is students’ reluctance to avail themselves of help outside of class due to:

–Putting off assignments?

–Preparation variables surprised them?

–Expect computers to just work?

–Something else?

A Few Starting Questions#3

Are these projects too ambitious given:

• Low student computer facility?

• Project complexity?

• Need for robust hardware?

A Few Starting Questions#4

Valuable Learning?