Friday, March 28, 2014
Trying too hard...
This is really funny video!
I understand the desire to get on the social media bandwagon but it is sad to see how it ends up either pandering to the younger generation or characterizing them. I love this quote from Clifford Stoll who predicted 1995 Newsweek article that the internet was a "dead-end." Later he would retract this and say this: "If you really want to know about the future, don’t ask a technologist, a scientist, a physicist. No! Don’t ask somebody who’s writing code. No, if you want to know what society’s going to be like in 20 years, ask a kindergarten teacher."
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Great little tutorial video about how to do a "Flipped-Classroom"
Great little tutorial video that I came across about how to produce a "flipped-classroom" video. I am definitely going to play around with this and see how this can be used to a church context.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/08/keith-hughes-explains-how-to-make.html#.UxeXz-dg5cQ
I produced my first "Flipped Church" video for our church. It was super simple and just followed the instructions on this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lGmCBzz8XU
Keeping it simple for now... I will hopefully "graduate" to the green screen in the near future.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/08/keith-hughes-explains-how-to-make.html#.UxeXz-dg5cQ
I produced my first "Flipped Church" video for our church. It was super simple and just followed the instructions on this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lGmCBzz8XU
Keeping it simple for now... I will hopefully "graduate" to the green screen in the near future.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Slowly entering the Twitter-sphere...
Up until recently, I have been openly judgmental towards Twitter and secretly a bit intimidated. Judgmental because of all the articles that I have read about how it was a forum for narcissism and self promotion. Intimidated because I didn't really feel like I had anything worthwhile to say (and fearing that I would be silently judged as narcissistic and self-promoting).
But because my research and a genuine curiosity of how the "Twitter-sphere" worked, I decided to actually login into my account that I had opened years ago (I believe I only signed up to get some sort of free gift card from Amazon.com).
It has been nothing short of a revelation! It is pretty awesome. The main reason is because it has been a great source for news information.
The way that we consume news is totally different in our connected age. As my previous post mentioned, more and more people are turning to their social media networks for their news. Back on July 1, 2013, Google decided to shut down Google Reader. This really caught me off guard and I was actually pretty upset. I had signed up for a number of RSS feeds and I liked my "recipe" of news, shopping bargains, spiritual discussions, and sporting updates and was really disappointed that this was now going to change.
I remember reading the following quote a number of months ago that explained the reasoning behind the Google Reader shut down. I didn't fully understand its meaning at the time but I am slowly beginning to see some of these changes even in my own life. Richard Gringras (a Senior Director of News & Social Products at Google) told Wired Magazine back in June 2013:
"As a culture we have moved into a realm where the consumption of news is a near-constant process. Users with smartphones and tablets are consuming news in bits and bites throughout the course of the day - replacing the old standard behaviors of news consumption over breakfast along with a leisurely read at the end of the day."
My use of Twitter fits in line with what Gringras was talking about. In the same way that Facebook became an interesting source of news for me, Twitter took this to a whole new level. I didn't have to scroll down my Facebook News Feed and skip cute baby pictures, food pictures, and random personal updates in order to find interesting articles that people posted. Now, all these news article were right there for me to read.
My first step into the Twitter-sphere was to focus on news sources. Rather than following people, I decided to simply follow a few interesting new sources. I started with some of the major Christian Publications and slowly began to add and delete sources that I found interesting. My 1st few weeks on Twitter simply comprised of getting a steady dose of news articles from Christian news sources. I purposely tried to get a wide variety of theological perspectives as well. It was a great way to think about things that I wouldn't normally think about. It was also helpful to get a worldview perspective that was obviously congruent with my own faith and practice.
I've slowly been adding other types of news sources. I began to add some interesting technology and culture based sources and I am slowly adding in my sports and bargain shopping feeds as well. There are a number of individuals who I am also tracking. Their hashtag names pop up quite a bit and I may slowly add specific individuals who seem to be reading the same things that I am reading. My old Google Reader "recipe" may be gone but the Twitter one is as good and definitely getting better.
The funny thing is that I haven't tweeted a single thing yet. I still don't think I have anything original or helpful to say yet. At the least, I am going to start "re-tweeting" articles that I find helpful and interesting that don't make it on this blog. Without sounding too narcissistic and self-promoting, you can follow me at @youwan if you are interested. :)
But because my research and a genuine curiosity of how the "Twitter-sphere" worked, I decided to actually login into my account that I had opened years ago (I believe I only signed up to get some sort of free gift card from Amazon.com).
It has been nothing short of a revelation! It is pretty awesome. The main reason is because it has been a great source for news information.
The way that we consume news is totally different in our connected age. As my previous post mentioned, more and more people are turning to their social media networks for their news. Back on July 1, 2013, Google decided to shut down Google Reader. This really caught me off guard and I was actually pretty upset. I had signed up for a number of RSS feeds and I liked my "recipe" of news, shopping bargains, spiritual discussions, and sporting updates and was really disappointed that this was now going to change.
I remember reading the following quote a number of months ago that explained the reasoning behind the Google Reader shut down. I didn't fully understand its meaning at the time but I am slowly beginning to see some of these changes even in my own life. Richard Gringras (a Senior Director of News & Social Products at Google) told Wired Magazine back in June 2013:
"As a culture we have moved into a realm where the consumption of news is a near-constant process. Users with smartphones and tablets are consuming news in bits and bites throughout the course of the day - replacing the old standard behaviors of news consumption over breakfast along with a leisurely read at the end of the day."
My use of Twitter fits in line with what Gringras was talking about. In the same way that Facebook became an interesting source of news for me, Twitter took this to a whole new level. I didn't have to scroll down my Facebook News Feed and skip cute baby pictures, food pictures, and random personal updates in order to find interesting articles that people posted. Now, all these news article were right there for me to read.
My first step into the Twitter-sphere was to focus on news sources. Rather than following people, I decided to simply follow a few interesting new sources. I started with some of the major Christian Publications and slowly began to add and delete sources that I found interesting. My 1st few weeks on Twitter simply comprised of getting a steady dose of news articles from Christian news sources. I purposely tried to get a wide variety of theological perspectives as well. It was a great way to think about things that I wouldn't normally think about. It was also helpful to get a worldview perspective that was obviously congruent with my own faith and practice.
I've slowly been adding other types of news sources. I began to add some interesting technology and culture based sources and I am slowly adding in my sports and bargain shopping feeds as well. There are a number of individuals who I am also tracking. Their hashtag names pop up quite a bit and I may slowly add specific individuals who seem to be reading the same things that I am reading. My old Google Reader "recipe" may be gone but the Twitter one is as good and definitely getting better.
The funny thing is that I haven't tweeted a single thing yet. I still don't think I have anything original or helpful to say yet. At the least, I am going to start "re-tweeting" articles that I find helpful and interesting that don't make it on this blog. Without sounding too narcissistic and self-promoting, you can follow me at @youwan if you are interested. :)
Monday, January 13, 2014
Church Bulletin Board or Christian News Feed?
Something began to change on Facebook a few months ago. Instead of just seeing pictures of food, babies, and viral videos, I began to see more and more news articles. In fact, it soon became my "go to" source of interesting articles and link. Apparently, I am not alone.
According to this Oct. 2013 survey by the Pew Research, 30% of Americans were getting their news via Facebook.
This is obviously a significant shift in the way people consume information and news. I've noticed the ways that this affects our church as well. We have an Intersect Facebook Group that originally started off as a online church bulletin board where I could post announcements and other reminders about the church. Over the last year however, people began to post on our Facebook Group articles, videos, sermon clips, and other spiritual content. At times, our Intersect Facebook Group began to resemble a Christian News feed more than it did a church bulletin board. In my opinion, this is a good thing. It is clear that our social media networks can be places in which spiritual edification can occur. As more and more people look to Facebook and other social media networks for news and information, it seems important for Christians to engage this space as well.
According to this Oct. 2013 survey by the Pew Research, 30% of Americans were getting their news via Facebook.
This is obviously a significant shift in the way people consume information and news. I've noticed the ways that this affects our church as well. We have an Intersect Facebook Group that originally started off as a online church bulletin board where I could post announcements and other reminders about the church. Over the last year however, people began to post on our Facebook Group articles, videos, sermon clips, and other spiritual content. At times, our Intersect Facebook Group began to resemble a Christian News feed more than it did a church bulletin board. In my opinion, this is a good thing. It is clear that our social media networks can be places in which spiritual edification can occur. As more and more people look to Facebook and other social media networks for news and information, it seems important for Christians to engage this space as well.
Social Impact of Technology - Pew Research
Here is a link to a number of older studies done by the Pew Research on the social impact of technology.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Series/Social-impact-of-technology.aspx
These are some of the specific titles:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Series/Social-impact-of-technology.aspx
These are some of the specific titles:
The civic and community engagement of religiously active Americans
December 23, 2011
Those who are active in church, religious, or spiritual organizations are often more deeply involved in their communities than those who are not members of such groups. And their tech use helps them tie to all kinds of groups
December 23, 2011
Those who are active in church, religious, or spiritual organizations are often more deeply involved in their communities than those who are not members of such groups. And their tech use helps them tie to all kinds of groups
Social networking sites and our lives
Jun 16, 2011
How people’s trust, personal relationships, and civic and political involvement are connected to their use of social network sites and other technologies
Jun 16, 2011
How people’s trust, personal relationships, and civic and political involvement are connected to their use of social network sites and other technologies
The Social Side of the Internet
Jan 18, 2011
The internet has become deeply embedded in group life and is affecting the way civic and social groups behave and the way they impact their communities
Jan 18, 2011
The internet has become deeply embedded in group life and is affecting the way civic and social groups behave and the way they impact their communities
Social Isolation and New Technology
Nov 4, 2009
How the internet and mobile phones impact Americans’ social networks
Nov 4, 2009
How the internet and mobile phones impact Americans’ social networks
The Internet and Civic Engagement
Sept 1, 2009
Just as in offline politics, the well-off and well-educated are especially likely to participate in online activities that mirror offline forms of engagement. But there are hints that social media may alter this pattern
Sept 1, 2009
Just as in offline politics, the well-off and well-educated are especially likely to participate in online activities that mirror offline forms of engagement. But there are hints that social media may alter this pattern
90% of young adults (18-29) are on social networks - Pew Research Sept. 2013
Here are some interesting statistics from the Pew Research in Sept. 2013.
The 90% adoption of social media networks by adults ages 18-29 is somewhat surprising. Anecdotally, it seems like all young adults are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. but it is another thing to see the statistics backing this up.
Here is a link to the article and link to full PDF.
http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/March/Pew-Internet-Social-Networking-full-detail.aspx
The 90% adoption of social media networks by adults ages 18-29 is somewhat surprising. Anecdotally, it seems like all young adults are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. but it is another thing to see the statistics backing this up.
Here is a link to the article and link to full PDF.
http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/March/Pew-Internet-Social-Networking-full-detail.aspx
Khan Academy and the "Flipped Classroom"
Here is Salmon Khan talking about how and why he created the Khan Academy. Great description of the "flipped-classroom."
Welcome to Flipped Church!
Welcome to my little experiment! :)
My name is Youwan Kang and I am the Pastor of Intersect (English Ministry of Mountain View Chinese Christian Church). I am currently a Doctor of Missiology student at Fuller Theological Seminary and I am researching Christian Spiritual Formation in a Networked Society.
The two things that I am very passionate about is ministry and technology. I am interested in finding places in which these two things intersect. I am also interested in equipping my church members to thrive in our rapidly changing culture. It is imperative to exercise discernment when it comes to technology, specifically social media networks and connected devices, but it is also important to engage our culture and to transform it for the Gospel (For a more in-depth perspective on how Christians can engage culture, I highly recommend Richard Niebuhr's "Christ and Culture").
In the beginning of my studies, I was introduced to the notion of the "flipped" classroom. Here is a helpful graphic from www.knewton.com that describes how the "flipped" classroom is different than a traditional one.
In the traditional model, lecture is given in class and homework is taken home. In the "flipped" model, the lecture is viewed at home and homework is done together in class. This would not have been possible even a few years ago but the prevalence of social media networks and connected devices allows this to be a reality.
My mind instantly thought of all the possible ways to incorporate this into everyday ministry. How would this change the way we did ministry in the church? What would small groups look like if content was consumed online and actually face to face time was spend in discussing application and praying for each other? What would a church service look like if the sermon was viewed online and group gatherings were dedicated to corporate application of the message? The possibilities are endless.
I welcome you to join me, as well as the members of my church, as we venture out into this new territory together. I hope to share various articles pertaining to this topic as well as samples of what our church is doing to incorporate elements of the "flipped" classroom into our church.
My name is Youwan Kang and I am the Pastor of Intersect (English Ministry of Mountain View Chinese Christian Church). I am currently a Doctor of Missiology student at Fuller Theological Seminary and I am researching Christian Spiritual Formation in a Networked Society.
The two things that I am very passionate about is ministry and technology. I am interested in finding places in which these two things intersect. I am also interested in equipping my church members to thrive in our rapidly changing culture. It is imperative to exercise discernment when it comes to technology, specifically social media networks and connected devices, but it is also important to engage our culture and to transform it for the Gospel (For a more in-depth perspective on how Christians can engage culture, I highly recommend Richard Niebuhr's "Christ and Culture").
In the beginning of my studies, I was introduced to the notion of the "flipped" classroom. Here is a helpful graphic from www.knewton.com that describes how the "flipped" classroom is different than a traditional one.
In the traditional model, lecture is given in class and homework is taken home. In the "flipped" model, the lecture is viewed at home and homework is done together in class. This would not have been possible even a few years ago but the prevalence of social media networks and connected devices allows this to be a reality.
My mind instantly thought of all the possible ways to incorporate this into everyday ministry. How would this change the way we did ministry in the church? What would small groups look like if content was consumed online and actually face to face time was spend in discussing application and praying for each other? What would a church service look like if the sermon was viewed online and group gatherings were dedicated to corporate application of the message? The possibilities are endless.
I welcome you to join me, as well as the members of my church, as we venture out into this new territory together. I hope to share various articles pertaining to this topic as well as samples of what our church is doing to incorporate elements of the "flipped" classroom into our church.
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