Barbara+Essay+Page

This is your personal ESSAY Page. Please post your ESSAY below.

Instructions:
===="Write a 500 word essay summarizing your DDBC experience and how you plan to apply what you learned to your ministry. Demonstrate how you have applied your understanding of ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers NETS/T) and applied them to a faith learning environment. Include reference to relevant research about technology and learning, especially as applied to faith settings, if appropriate." ====

Barbara Eretto 11 Alcira Court St. Augustine, Fl 32086 904-392-7258 cathedralcfp@gmail.com

November 15, 2012 ** My Experience with Digital Discipleship Boot Camp ** As I consider my experience in Digital Discipleship Boot Camp, I must first begin with my new understanding of the National Educational Technology Standards. I did not realize there were specific standards for technology. As we reach out in our faith communities, we cannot begin to be effective without understanding how technology can be integrated into our process. One would be remiss not to mention the importance of being a good digital citizen by citing the programs we are using as well as by obtaining copyrights permission for songs and materials as necessary.

The process began in late June as I traveled to Tampa for our Orientation. This face-to-face session was important for the entire process as it set the guidelines for the program. We were able to meet the facilitators and our classmates. Orientation was followed by a series of webinars and assignments on various topics as they pertain to technology in ministry. We learned about Facebook and Twitter, and how to use social media to promote events in our ministries as well as communicate with others. We learned about how to use wikis and blogs to promote our ministries as well as how to use technology in digital storytelling, not only to share our own story but also to teach others how to utilize digital storytelling for projects, reports and more. With the use of cell phones on the rise, we also covered how to use a smartphone to obtain information that takes us beyond our own faith communities and into other parts of the world.

When I began the process of Digital Discipleship Boot Camp, I felt that I already had a working knowledge of the resources that were being taught. However, what I lacked was the confidence and expertise to execute them in a way that would be beneficial to my learners. Digital Discipleship gave me this confidence. I was especially interested in how I could utilize technology in my confirmation program that would tap into the methods that my students were familiar with and then lead them to a new dimension. I therefore developed a Capstone Project that would speak to this group of students. My Capstone Project proved to be both educational and informative to the students in learning about their own community and connecting it with similar places around the globe. Conversations have begun to incorporate my project beyond Cathedral Parish to include the other parishes in the St. Augustine area. There are plans to utilize PB Wikis, Digital Storytelling, and Smartphone technology within our Faith Formation community this year and then I will continue to look forward to adding additional pieces to my ministry in the years to come. The knowledge that I obtained through Digital Discipleship Boot Camp was far beyond my expectations and I will draw on it for many years to come.