This past week in attending a Bible study, there was a handout given. When the handout was given I remarked, “why was Google Docs not used?” Do understand that all those who attend that bible study would have already given their emails to the group leader, and so it would just be a matter of sharing a document – or even building a form that all could work on and save within their unique profiles.
But, in doing so, I opened the can of worms that is sometimes perceived as a digital crutch. If you will being enough wrapped into the tool to get something done (remember a verse, recall notes, parse text, etc.) that when its removed that the user is essentially paralyzed.
A recent post on the Logos blog took a look at the idea of a digital crutch from the perspective of learning Greek and Hebrew. As anyone who has studied and learned a foreign (to them) language, you have to have more than a head knowledge of the language, but be associated enough with its contexts that you can correctly speak and apply the language and contextual concepts portrayed with it. Just being able to repeat an address, or being so dependent on an electronic index doesn’t help, but makes you appear to not respect the context for a form of association that isn’t always received as genuine.
Such is the issue that we have dealt with in all media since oral/auditory learning took a back seat to various types of media. And this isn’t completely a bad thing, media has done much to engage the cognitive abilities of people that traditional forms of oral/auditory learning just couldn’t jog just by itself. That being said, the key to learning has always been to associate as closely with the content as possible.
Bible applications are important in light of this. Not everyone has someone who is learned in languages, histories, etc. of Scripture that they can simply sit under them and gain enough to become a teacher to others (i.e., disciple). And yet, even with these applications, we run the risk of making them a crutch if all we do is rely on the search algorithms and database methodologies of the people who created this software. It vitally important that we embed into our beings the literal Scripture, and even contextual facts, so that to the best of God’s ability to work through us, we are not just giving people words, but embracing them with life.
So let this admonition to get in your text encourage you to not just read your Bible, study deeper into a passage, or even learn something new via your mobile/digital devices. But take the time to embed the word into your heart, mind, and soul so that you can speak forth wisdom that sounds like a concordance, but comes from the intimacy of time that you spent with the Author of the Text.
Perspectives to Mobile
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010There are several ways to think and talk about mobile. And normally speaking, what’s relevant to one group may not be as rerevant to another. In respect to mobile in ministry, these distinctions often bring up engaging discussions, and sometimes even, unappreciation to the depth that is mobile.
The Outreach Perspective
For example, there’s one type of perspective to mobile that I’ll simply call an outreach-mentality. Here, the use of mobile technology is filtered through the lens of pushing information out to audiences in innovative, fast, and engaging ways. Within this view, we see those people who are media creators who are looking for ways to get their content into the hands of others.
The Needs Perspective
With this view we see mobile defined as the technology that is enabling people and communities to meet some kind of felt need (community development, education, etc.). This viewpoint to mobile can be the most divisive because defining need rarely reaches equally across regions, but has specific contact points of relevance and purpose depending on the group’s needs.
The Additional Screen Perspective
There’s also the viewpoint that mobile is seen as an additonal screen. This viewpoint takes more of a root and use in cultures where mobile competes with other technologies for attention and wallets. It is within this view that mobile is seen more as a push-communications media than its seen as an enabler, and at the same time, its noted for its ability to be relevant at that point because the communication is so targeted.
Many Views, One Served
These are just a few of the noted perspectives that’s seen throughout content that comes through MMM. Interestingly enough, each audience served (the three noted aren’t MMM-specific audiences) wants to better understand and manage mobile, but not within all the potential viewpoints.
Some time ago, it was noted that the benefit of gifts is noticed best when each person with that gift recognizes theirs, and recognizes the gifts of others. In mobile, its vitally important that if you are going to take advantage of its abilities, that you not just understand it within your perspective, but also understand it within the counter-perspectives… doing this, you can avoid the short-sightedness that causes use and innovation, and therefore unity, to falter.
Tags: audience, Communication, mobile, mobility
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