A Vision of K-12 Students Today
What does this say to the church?
Apostles and Earrings
I wonder if this belonged to one of the apostles? Simon the Zealot strikes me as the kind of guy who would wear an earring. I recall the time, when I was graduating from seminary, I received an invitation to start a new congregation in a college town. In the letter, they outlined the vision, the demographics of the community, and their expectations for the pastor. The letter ended with a p.s. -- "and of course, your wife will not be permitted to wear earrings." They forgot say anything about ME wearing earrings. For a while, I was tempted to go ahead, take the position, and get my ear pierced.
I watched this twice and am left with some mixed messages. The kids are bored by traditional instruction and feel they're at a disadvantage unless the latest technology can be used whenever and wherever they want it...and ask to be "engaged"--but only digitally--because they create and learn best alone (isolated). Yet they seem to crave teachers who will inspire them--just don't ask them to read a book or write with a pencil or communicate face to face--although these are useful skills in any society.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, "digital" also conjures up another image--fingers! Hands-on learning!!
Technology can certainly enhance our lives and expand our knowledge, but we need to be aware of what it's costing us in other areas. So here's one old stick-in-the-mud who plans to keep it simple!
Naomi,
ReplyDeleteGood following thought!
"Technology can certainly enhance our lives and expand our knowledge, but we need to be aware of what it's costing us in other areas. So here's one old stick-in-the-mud who plans to keep it simple!"
Could we not say the same about our churches???
Our college saw a similar video clip about a year ago only it had college students sending this same "message". Same author/producer I believe. What it means to us as a higher learning institution is that we are now investigating our own methods of creating podcasts and webinars for our classrooms. Our students are no longer "sitting" in the classroom; they are learning while in their living rooms, wi-fi centers, automobiles etc. They are mobile like no other generation before them.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of information that a K-12 student has to absorb now is hundreds of times more and at a rate much faster than what my grandfather's generation had to process as he was growing up. The message is correct when it says we have to teach our children "how" to learn because they will be researching so much more than they will be memorizing as they grow up and enter the workplace. Though it would be nice to say that my education has provided all I need to know for my workplace, it is not. Most jobs now change quickly, requiring new technology, processing and methods in order to stay viable. Perhaps, just perhaps, our church message must remain the same and remain simple, but it's mode of delivery might want to consider expanding?
Great Insights. As long as the mode of delivery does not become more important than the message.
ReplyDelete