Some of the stories that I come across concerning mobile education have to do with curriculum development. Other stories talk more about the access and impact of the devices themselves on the structure of the classroom. What I haven’t been able to find so much of though are those stories of educating teachers, especially in those contexts where lack of materials makes for mobile and web use to work best.

As I travel about NC and VA this week, one of the questions that I ask of pastors and teachers is whether they think that their learning should be limited to what can be pulled together in a classroom, or if there are aspects which should/could be done outside of the classroom, where mobile devices can play some part. The answers are interesting – generational differences abound – but all tend to agree that if they understood the technology better that there would be a place for mobile in the teaching-teachers process.

So with that, I’d like to throw the question on there to chew on: should ministers be expected to know enough about mobile technologies to be educated anywhere? Or, is that one too may toolsets to require of their already full belts?

I am always intrigued about those aspects of life that mobile seems to take away. In some respects, adding mobile just seems like a stop and restart of some actions that we might have been very well used to. But, then also this challenge to see things and accept that we weren’t always acting in a way that was best for the world to see us live faith.

For example, where it used to be that the pastor read from the Bible, and then the congregation repeated the text as they heard, we then moved to Bibles in our pews. From those in the pews, we moved to Bibles on our dashboards. And then from there, we have Bibles in our pockets – first in a font size that we could barely manage reading with good eyes, and later through our mobiles – bigger font size, but definitely less on the screen.

Now, with that move to mobile, we don’t just have the Bible, but we have these connections to the text that were once the domain of our pastors. We can open up Logos on our mobile and be connected to the same depth of commentaries, maps, and multimedia that our pastors used when setting up the lessons. We can communicate notes in real-time with others who have read the passage before-hand, and gain insights that our pastors will have gotten to, and some that they would not.

We have “information-now” as the default, instead of as the privileged opportunity. And that is a bit concerning to some. Having that at our fingertips, whether we know how to use it or not, takes away some of the experience that we’ve been cultured to believe is a part of the worship experience. Depending on how we hold onto that culture, we might deem that this ability of mobile/web is too far, and therefore takes away from our culture something that we subconsciously cherish.

It reminds me of the story in Mark 4 when Jesus addressed the man who had a legion of demons inhabiting him. The people were used to their culture where he was pushed to the side and could not interact with their affairs. But, insert Jesus and not only does he become delivered from these, but their source of income – their very economic sustenance – in the pigs is challenged. Now, they not only have to deal with someone in their community that is an extra mouth to feed, but they also need to figure out as a community to live without the layer of wealth they they had before. It was a major shift, on where just this addition of Jesus, while wanted, produced results that meant they needed to grow more than they wanted.

I wonder if we think of our culture in the same way. That we want mobile, web, etc. to apply to now we address our communities, but really aren’t prepared for their impacts. And then when it does impact, are we bold enough to admit our cultural mentality and behaviors which might not have been the best, especially to those whom our former practices left behind?

I can admit that I’m very much influenced by those who are able to get out and about to meet and discuss matters of faith in various social contexts. Yes, there’s definitely a good time of doing so in church/bible study, but I also find some of the most interesting conversations in places such as coffeeshops, waiting rooms, and even the line in the grocery store.

Weirdly enough, it was my first few mobiles (Palm PDAs) which helped me grow in this respect. You see, having a (few) Bibles out in a library doesn’t necessarily say to others that you are open to talking about your faith. Yea, you’ll get some of the more contentious folks, but that’s not the kind of life that I wanted to have. When I started having my Bible, notes, and later a lot more, on a mobile device, it forced me to pick my head up and see what others were doing – and then be open to the life they are living alongside my own.

As I’ve moved towards different devices, my head has slowly gotten more up. I’ve been much more open to chatting not just about my faith, but asking others about theirs. Its to the point that now, one of the reasons that I enjoy trips to the coffeeshop (amongst other places) is that whenever I sit down to drink and draw, there’s always someone (many times a child) who comes over and asks about my motivations behind what I am doing. Art and faith have a very decent history, and how people want to open up about their faith is an artful expression that’s worth enjoying.

So what about you, do you have a moment, or a lifestyle behavior that mobile has opened up for you? Or, in a more serious sense, has what you learned about your faith made you think more about the how and where you use mobile and other technology?

When not writing or speaking, life is filled with the pocket of life called training. This has been adults more an teens and kids for a while now, and it’s really interesting when I look back at my use of mobile tech when teaching, compared to expectations and results.

For example, when doing classes in the corporate arena, managers want a lot of materials. If you will, the training never feels right unless there is some paper handed out. And this is true even in the hands-on classes with mobile devices. Non-profits (and schools even) seem to better deal with training materials that are online, or at least viewable on device alongside the hands-on lessons.

There is the matter of setting up classrooms – a task that I wish I didn’t have. There are the majors like wireless access, intranets, wikis, and comfortable seats. But, then there other things like planning for breaks, adjusting the time after lunch to get everyone comfortable again, or making sure that activities are repeatable on the hosted hardware or even in a personal context.

When done teaching, there’s always an evaluation. I prefer to use survey tools as a means of capturing thoughts – though have gotten used to the fact that in tech classes that some prefer to write on paper their thoughts. Survey Monkey and SharePoint’s Survey Library are great for these – though the former (or even Google) gives a better dashboard of results.

And the other part of the feedback loop, the questions that come days or weeks later. I don’t know that you can really prepare for those, but you kind of do. With all of that setup time, you are leaving hooks for people to either have questions and self-investigate further or have questions and more easily get in touch with you later. Unfortunately, if you have information-heavy classes (mine usually are) it will probably be another party that gets the bulk of questions about use or a product.

It really is all in the prep-time though. I spend a lot of time reading, writing, and interacting so that I spend less time coming up with curriculum or practice exercises (the latter I always have to change based on the context of those whom are being taught). Coming up with the right curriculum is as simple then as identifying the goals, noting the issues, and then being realistic about the available resources to fix things. From there, it’s all fun and lessons.

Many if you might be leading small groups, or looking to build curriculums for your missional, outreach, or in-reach efforts. Does any of this sound familiar? What steps have you taken to ensure that your pockets are ready and able to teach when needed?

Today, I attended a tweet-chat (think: text-based conference call held on Twitter) that took a hard look at the mobile app economy. This was sponsored and moderated by Amdocs Interactive and Peggy Ann Saltz from MSearchGroove. Besides getting a chance to interact with a few folks who could spare an hour to discuss the finer points on this topic, it offered some things I wanted to pass along here to possibly spark some conversations in the digital faith arena.

Questions that Brokered the Chat

Here are the questions that fostered the conversation:

• Q1 – What are the key content trends based on real data passing through your systems?
• Q2 – What is the impact of the Amazon app store & what does Google’s response tell us?
• Q3 – What is the role of the mobile operator?
• Q4 – What revenue share can/should operators expect?
• Q5 – With commerce poised to be THE next big thing in mobile – are operators heading for a showdown with banks and credit card companies?

Of these questions, ministries and developers need to pay the most attention to the first three as it relates specifically to their efforts in mobile, and the potential hurdles that you’d encounter.

Observations

For example, I noted that one of the characteristics happening in the mobile apps market for digital faith apps is that there are two kinds of approaches being taken by new market entrants. The first is that of multimedia-text mash-ups in smartphone-rich regions (US, Western Europe). This is a case of “putting a new spin on old norms” while bridging the gap to other experiences to come. The second is the concentration of audio downloads of literary and learning content in other regions. In action here is the understanding that (a) connectivity isn’t cheap, and (b) access limitations means that people want to engage the ears before engaging the eyes (Romans 10:17 if you will).

That doesn’t mean that social networking efforts are for naught. I also mentioned that there’s action happening here. Social networking in the digital faith context has looked more like bringing along familiar markets to the future, not necessarily cutting new paths. But, its yet to be proven that social media is a consistent or profitable path for all opportunities in mobile or otherwise (the opposite is more true it seems).

Concentrating on those first three questions, if you are developing or publishing, you really should be paying attention to Amazon’s work. One of the experiences that eats at me is how hard its been for my mother to find Bibles and Biblical content on her Nook Color. Alternate app stores like Amazon, B&N, and others are areas where there’s potential for audience engagement, and longer-term relationships with people who might not have or like the brighter (name-brand) lights of the Android Market or iTunes App Store.

Engage the Conversation

Those are just some of the items that passed through this conversation. You can take a look at the conversation as it evolved through the Twitter Search or TweetChat links. We’ll be sure to retweet the summary posts made by MSearchGroove and any other participants. In terms of defining a strategy for mobile/digital faith efforts, these kinds of views are needed.

There’s a phrase that I’ve come to hate as I’ve ministered within the Church.  It’s a phrase that, more than any other, tells me, “Don’t try to teach me anything – I’m perfectly happy where I am, thanks.”

The phrase is, “I’m not much of a techie.”

As I’ve become known as “the computer guy” in ABCNJ I hear a variation of that phrase just about every time I’m introduced to someone.  “Oh, you’re the computer guy?  I’m afraid I’m not much of a techie.”  Some people feel an overwhelming need to repeat the phrase over and over and over again.  As if, should the phrase not be repeated, I might forget.

Typically, what people mean when the utter the dreaded, “I’m not a techie” is, “I don’t know what buttons to push, so don’t bother telling me any of the value this stuff might have for me.”  It is, essentially, a pre-emptive strike against the possibility of change and growth.  Why do I know this?  Because I do it for other things – any time I say, “I’m not much of a…” I create the same effect.  Bad me.

Look, I honestly don’t want everyone to be a “techie” (especially since it seems that only non-”techies” ever use that nomenclature).  Everyone does not need to be a geek because it’s not everyone’s calling.  I don’t expect people to understand how to manipulate a database, or change permissions from a command line, or write a shell script, or even have a clue what a regex is.  To me, geek-tasks like that are what people are afraid of – the “magic” which happens below the levels they are able to access.  Fear of that “magic,” however, causes them to settle in several levels above where they are actually able to access (lest the “magic” do them some harm if they came to close).  It’s easier to keep away from such dangerous stuff than it is to go as deep as you are able.

So I hear the phrase, “I’m not a techie,” and know that in the future I may get a call from them to fix a pdf in which everything has been aligned by spaces or to clean up a document where all the text suddenly moved over because they accidentally hit the right-justify button and were too frightened to click (touch?) it again.  People are very appreciative of my ability to manipulate the arcane forces of technology on their behalf, but in the end hearing that phrase just makes me feel lonely.

Here’s the thing.  To communicate in this world people need, at the very least, a basic level of technological-savvy.   This does not mean that people need to know what button to push in any given situation.  It does mean, however, they learn to press buttons on their computers and not be utterly terrified while doing it.  We can’t afford the panic that the “I’m not a techie” attitude grants us permission to have.  Why?  First, because it’s completely silly for people who are normally competent and capable of thought to lose their heads when a text message comes to their phone.  Second, because that panic shouts to the world in which we live, “I have no idea how to communicate with you!”  Third, because the tools we have at our disposal require wisdom to use well – and panic and wisdom to not compliment each other. These three reasons, when combined, tell us that technological panic doesn’t just make our witness irrelevant to people, it makes it non-existent.

So, if you suffer from “I’m not a techie” syndrome, I make you this promise.  I know how easy it is to succumb to it’s effect, and I can honestly say I’ll do my very best to avoid the “I’m not a…” syndrome myself. I just ask for a similar effort from you.

Originally posted at Painfully Hopeful; image via Life is Full of Interfaces.

A few recent conversations have me thinking a good bit about age and multiple languages, and how mobile addresses but also adds questions.

The first is that of the iPad and learning. I was approached by an older woman who wanted to ask and observe me on my iPad for a bit. This has been happening more recently as I’ve been drawing in public spaces. Nevertheless, she asked me about the iPad, what I use it for, and then wanted to see me in use with it. One of the things that caught me off guard was when she remarked that in going to the Apple Store, that there was too much noise and activity there for her to concentrate on the product(s) she wanted to know more about.

That leads me to this question: while we are used to a stadium-sermon approach for many aspects of teaching, would it be better to offer bite-sized aspects of content from church/ministry websites instead of entire sermons. Giving folks something more personalized, and maybe even having some kind of small group around that content that allows people to ask questions of that “shortened” content?

The second situation has to do with a friend of a friend who is an evangelist specifically to Spanish-speaking and Latin/South American nations. We were being introduced to one another and he wanted to throw against my mind something that he has been thinking about in respect to making certain types of content available to the thousands of pastors that he’s connected with. Amongst the many questions that I had, I again came back to this thought of concentrating on what people wanted – if you will, not filling the channel with the junk that people go for because its there, but with what they need.

Which led me to thinking about the way that we consume and approach media from different backgrounds. With the first situation, I could reference my context and speak to that woman basked on what I could assume (from a few factors). With the second, I had to ask more questions, many of them which he could not answer because he’s more or less designed to go to where he’s sent, not really to know the specific demographics of whom he effects.

With these, I am usually asked around the technical side of things: “what can we build to get this audience to do ‘something’?” And yet, the question isn’t really a technical one, its really a sociological one – and one where I am balancing what I know and what questions it is that can be answered. Believe it or not, its much easier for me to ask these questions than to solve the technical issues – however its always harder to get answers to those questions which speak to what exactly needs to be addressed.

Framing this into mobile…

Many media engagements are at the point now where they are saying with little to no hesitation, “if we are going to do this, then we need to go mobile.” Which is good. You are making an effort to think about and address the personal nature of some kind of content production. However, in “going mobile” are you asking – and therefore answering – the right questions as it relates to what needs to be addressed? Or, are you merely looking at mobile as the technical answer to your channel-filling needs? Because there’s a lot more to the channel than the type of pipe and faucet. There’s someone on the other end that has a reference and a need to be touched with some aspect of the Gospel. Are you answering that?