Anne+Marie+Prangley+Essay

ESSAY DUE DATE Dec. 1, 2013

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.

DDBC Summer 2013 Capstone Project Essay submitted by Anne Marie Prangley

As Director of Adult Faith Formation in large suburban parish, my team and I are always looking for new ways to connect with our parishioners. For example, a few years ago, when the team recognized that our people were very busy, we offered Catholic cds for sale so they could grow in their faith while on the go. Facebook was also introduced to meet the inquiries of our tech savvy seekers, especially the younger crowd. It became apparent that a certain segment of our parish family was not being reached, namely the Young Adults. Many do not attend church on a frequent basis (or at all) so cannot take advantage of the cd program and Facebook became only one of the many technologies utilized by this population. Last February, at the Mid-Atlantic Conference in Baltimore, I attended a presentation: 10 Great Ideas to Use in Your Catechetical Classroom Using Web 2.0. The session, sponsored by DDBC, introduced me to so many wonderful and creative options, like Dropbox, SlideShare and Geocaching which can be used in faith formation environments. The vast array of technologies was intimidating but I knew I needed to immerse myself in them as they are not going away. It was at that Conference that I heard of the Digital Discipleship Boot Camp and subsequently enrolled for the Summer 2013 program. The DDBC has “slingshotted” me into the tech world. I thought I had a good foundation but it was really more head knowledge. DDBC’s requirement for student participation in various exercises, like Wordpress, Animoto and blog commenting forced me to engage in these unfamiliar technologies. My confidence began to grow and, instead of being put off by the challenge, I actually came to see the ever-evolving tech world as inviting. Much of this increased comfort level can be attributed to the teaching team of DDBC. They are experienced, supportive and very accessible. They also have great senses of humor as conveyed in the Go-to-Meeting classes. One of the best features of DDBC is that it also fosters the building of a faith-based tech community - among the participants and with the bigger cyber-world. Another positive of the program is the emphasis on professionalism and integrity when engaging in the new technologies. Awareness of copyright laws and fair use guidelines as well as the ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards are integral to the program curriculum. How can we demonstrate leadership to our students unless we personally aspire to the highest of standards of digital citizenship and responsibility? I will take what I have learned and begin to apply these recently acquired skills to the Adult Faith Formation program, including the willingness to try new “tech-niques”, especially to engage our Young Adults, to encourage further learning and reflection through online tools and to promote collaborative learning among my team and other parish groupings. I also hope to inspire other department heads to use technology for educational and communication purposes in their respective areas. While participating in DDBC, I have been actively promoting the enhancement of our text-only website so that it can accommodate many of these tech learning vehicles (and I am happy to report that there is progress). One of the first projects I look forward to incorporating in the updated website is digital storytelling, particularly faith journeys of various parishioners. Though I still have a lot to learn, I feel like I am swimming in the current of technology instead of watching it from the shore. Thank you DDBC!