Amy+Acker-Mobley's+essay+about+DDBC

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The Digital Discipleship Boot Camp is one of the best programs for continuing education. We live in a world of technology that is ever changing and with DDBC we have a community to bounce ideas off and to share new technology with. In ministry we are often told we need to meet people where they are, but it is not like it was years ago.

Since the creation of the internet, we have become more connected to the world and yet less connected to each other. What I mean is, we are connected by the computer, but we get less face to face contact. In Youth Ministry we find that teens are so busy and so are their parents that they do not have time to attend things like they use to. With time being so precious we have to really fight to bring them closer to their faith. This is where the information taught in this class comes in handy.

With the creation of Face Book, Twitter, and more we have become connected in a cyber world. I once joked with a colleague that if it wasn’t for Face Book, I would never know what was going on. This same attitude goes for most of those we serve. They are looking for a connection, but do not know how. Now, we can do that by linking them to blogs and other interesting sites and we can help the average person to grow closer to Christ. It is amazing what just a pintrest board with articles on saints or projects they can do as a family can do for a family.

To meet those we serve, where they are, we must be part of were they are. When we just look in on them from our perspective, we will miss them. We must be willing to try all avenues to communicate with these families. It is also important that we keep up to date on all that is going on out in the cyber world and one way is by using these sites and reading up on new ones. Continuing to be connected to the community will be a wonderful resource for all who attend a DDBC.

We need to be good Models of the Faith and that includes in the cyber world. I try very hard to never put something out in the cyber world I would not say or do in this world. I find that our teens are also paying attention to this and many parents say that they notice their teen is keeping it clean on the web.

This tool is also great for connecting to the faith. We have a teen that sends out a bible verse every morning to their phone list in a text. I Love getting that. Saint of the day quotes on FaceBook are a wonderful way of sharing the faith. Pintrest boards are not only fun, but a great way of sharing the faith. And nothing beats a great video of the mercy of God to brighten our day.

The standards from ISTE’T are important and have given us a great guideline so that we can really meet the needs of our families, but without DDBC we would not have know what to look for. I know I am like many out there who feel like we have moved out of the darkness and into the light of the digital age.