Ten+Great+Ideas+What+Is+Unique

What is Unique About Web 2.0 Tools?
Expected time to complete this assignment: 10 minutes

In your studies during this course, have you discovered ways that catechists and ministers are already using technology in teaching or learning about their faith? Please use the five categories below and add examples that show Web 2.0 technology applied to __any__ ministerial setting. You may refer to something that is already in place in your own parish or school, or you may list something you have discovered somewhere else.


 * Socialization **
 * EXAMPLE: In my youth group, I am using FB as a means to encourage our youth to stay connected with one another (Your Name)
 * Skype: In the online and face-to-face courses I teach at New Mexico State University, I use Skype, fee of charge, to have virtual, face-to-face conversations with students who cannot attend my office hours because they are distance learners or because they need immediate advice outside class or office hours. With Skype, I can telephone, video chat, or text chat with students. I can also conduct a conference telephone, video, or text chats with more than one student at a time. Skype allows my students to conduct team meetings without leaving home to do it. It's also a great tool just to keep up with family. My son, who lives in China, can Skype me free of charge whenever he wants to. Very cool! (Madeleine Vessel)
 * Joanna Haston here. Before this class I was only aware of a few tools such as Facebook and Twitter, YouTube and Flicker, and my only consistent experience was with e-mail or organizational or commercial webpages/websites. If I was using a Web 2.0 tool, I could not have named it, and even now, I am not sure I could identify one unless it was obvious. Case in point, Skype, installed on the computer in the office with a webcam so that I could communicate with my predecessor co-worker and mentor, Sr. Lucy. It is only through this class that I am learning about some of the technology tools and it seems the possibilities for communicating with others in any and all ministerial settings are endless - and actually out there!
 * __Paul Jeffrey Thomas__-The socialization enabled by 2.0 seems to be at the core of the other tools. The ability to have a 2 way street on the web has changed simply listing information "at" people into an interaction of participants. To me, this is a major factor in catechesis because true conversion in Christianity occurs by persuasion, not force. The dynamic of dialogue available through web 2.0 socialization gives a virtual platform for this to occur.
 * Example: I can envision social media networks being used for scripture sharing - reflecting on the Sunday readings before Mass or to discuss the readings and homily the following week. (Lorraine S. DeLuca)
 * Sr. Sheila: I use Facebook to connect with my teenage grand-niece, who seldom uses regular E mail anymore, and also with her German cousin, a teenager with cerebral palsy who knows a little English, but feels more comfortable using short Facebook messages instead of longer E mail ones. I also use Facebook to connect with a nephew in Minnesota and a distant cousin in Canada, who also are more comfortable using social media than regular E mail.

**Collaboration**
 * EXAMPLE: I am using a wiki to work on a parish-wide project to help ministry leaders feel more connected. We are sharing ideas about how to reach the youth population in our parish. (Your Name)
 * GOOGLE DOCS: I use this tool frequently with both my face-to-face and online learners. They can create collaborative documents, slide presentations, and more, and store their products in the Google Cloud, which I can access from my teaching perspective. What I like about this tool is students can simultaneous make changes or add to a document in real time. My students find this to be very useful when drafting group assignments. And I can add my two cents, too. (Madeleine Vessel)
 * This class and this assignment comment location is my only experience other than e-mailing files or sharing them on a common drive in the building. (Joanna Haston)
 * __Paul Jeffrey Thomas__-This continues my point under socialization where we are now able to input together with a wiki for example, taking a current theme or concept and developing it for everyone involved. Obviously we are doing this right here. But for the purpose of our office here in Beaumont I can think of using a collaboration tool to plan for our monthly PCL gatherings.
 * Example: As I mentioned in a past session, I can see using a wiki to collaborate on revising our diocesan Guidelines for catechesis and getting input from PCLs throughout the diocese, rather than having it done through many face-to-face meetings. (Lorraine S. DeLuca)
 * Sr. Sheila: I hope to use some of these new techniques, plus Facebook and You Tube, to enable my students to collaborate better on team proposals they are assigned. With the new learning management system they will soon use, they can do this via Facebook and social media.


 * Creativity **
 * EXAMPLE: Our parish is posting links to videos on our parish Facebook page that highlight different ministries. Because there is a place to showcase them, the ministries feel encouraged to take on this creative endeavor. (Your Name)
 * ====YOUTUBE:  I use YouTube links to add variety to the way I teach my technical communication courses. Right now, to stimulate discussion about “writer’s block,” I have linked to two different YouTube videos that show different perspectives about how to solve the problem. Sometime, in the new future, I would like to experiment with making my own YouTube videos. I was thinking I could create 5-7 minute lectures on a variety of subjects. Once made, I could reuse them again and again. (Madeleine Vessel) ====
 * I have to remention the Diocese of San Jose Liturgy Office page with its links to all sorts of information and "Work of the People" blog. It's a continually evolving creative-example gem. (Joanna Haston)
 * __Paul Jeffrey Thomas__- The ability to add media interchangeably is a great opportunity to develop presentations as a class. Most of my personal experience in 2.0 creativity has been in the ability to exchange song files for evaluation and be able to import them, add parts, and send them back.
 * Example: I can see using some of the programs that were mentioned in the video by Nick Peachy to create Adult faith Programs that can be put onto the diocesan website and accessed by adults from home. (Lorraine S. DeLuca)
 * __Sr.Sheila:__ I just discovered that the website I will begin using on May 21,2012 (Canvas: the new college LMS) is actually a wiki, and the Discussion Tool and Conversations tool are actually blogs, in the new format like Facebook and texting rather than the traditional E mail. For my future Capstone Project, I also plan to make use of Animoto and You Tube, as well as the LMS Collaboration tool, to encourage students' creativity and to help them reflect on the Business Ethics part of the syllabus from their own faith tradition. If they have no religious background or faith tradition, watching the assigned YouTube videos on secular, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist business ethics might get them to think in a broader, deeper way--not only about business ethics in particular, but also about the meaning of life, goals of life, etc.
 * Authenticity **
 * EXAMPLE: I want to create a VoiceThread to encourage senior high youth to voice their experience of World Youth Day (Your Name)
 * VOICE THREAD: I have used this as a student taking an online course. We students were able to discuss with an instructor and with each other what we were learning from a slide presentation that was in progress. This was not done in real time which causes a few degrees of separation among participants, but the nice thing about it is you can participate in a voice thread conversation at your convenience and still hear or read what others have contributed.(Madeleine Vessel)
 * The sharing that I have experienced with FACEBOOK connections seems authentic. Joe Paprocki's CATECHIST'S JOURNEY - I believe it is a "controlled" blog. - is also very authentic and a great source of information and sincere sharing by Joe and often others. (Joanna Haston)
 * __Paul Jeffrey Thomas__-General Authenticity can be a somewhat tricky area. But if we are working in 2.0 with a credible circle of associates in a particular field of study or participation, then there is a better checks and balances. This is the most challenging part of interaction. I think of Wikipedia where people were able to add or change the information (although I believe they are modifying that policy now). But I heard recently that Encyclopedia Britannica sells their virtual set so much more that they are discontinuing printing of their traditional set of volumes. They have a name recognition of Authenticity so I think they are a good example.
 * Example: This are is the one that requires some knowledge to be able to know if what is presented in "authentic" especially what it comes to Catholic Teaching. I think that we need to know who is speaking and their background as well as be careful of what we say when we voice our opinions, especially if we are in a position that represents the Church. I think that here is where you would want a closed community. (Lorraine S. DeLuca)


 * Sharing **
 * EXAMPLE: I would like to share my opinions with Catholics in other countries about a book we are reading at the same time. (Your Name)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">WORDPRESS: I am planning to create a blog where Catholics can share their experiences of meeting God in the silence. (Madeleine Vessel)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">How about Digital Catechesis?! (Joanna Haston)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Paul Jeffrey Thomas__-Again, Sharing is a major piece of the Socialization core I mentioned at the beginning. With web 2.0, the ability to build something together by everyone contributing a piece is now expanded globally. What comes to my mind is the University of Dayton VLCFF. People from all over the world can connect, discuss, and grow together in so many topics of our faith. This has actually been one of the most rewarding online experiences for me. I also recently completed a Professional Certificate in Jazz Guitar from Berklee College of Music online. I loved the ability to literally share music with other students from all over the world.
 * I participated in an experience where there were two strains of conversation going on. First, there was sharing in person, for those who were able to be present at the day, and then among the community of those who were attending online. When there was time for table discussion, we had excellent conversations through the chat box, and a wonderful sharing of ideas. (Lorraine S. DeLuca)
 * __Sr. Sheila__: In my teaching at a community college, I use web-enhanced learning modules for Word Document lectures and PowerPoints, as well as web links where students can access text chapter overviews,student quizzes, model documents, etc.
 * We are currently using Blackboard CE8, which will be replaced on Ma 21st by Canvas Instructure where, in addition, I can send students notifications and assignments through Facebook, Twitter, their mobile phone, etc.--not just through E mail. In the future I perhaps could use and hope to use Globsters, Dropbox, Wordle, etc. as well as make their Discussion tool more inter-active and accessible to media students prefer.
 * In my role as spiritual assistant to a Secular Franciscan group, I E mail members video clips, PowerPoints, etc., but perhaps with these Web 2.0 tools I can enhance my communication with them and use some of these more interactive tools.