Thou shalt keep your mission in front of you at all times

Thou shalt remember that technology is not an instrument, but a variety of media; and each of these media bring their own cultures with them.

Thou shalt remember that pedagogy always comes first, but that implicit curriculum demands good integration across a learning environment (a campus, for instance).

Thou shalt not assume that integrating technology into theological education will necessarily bring about cost savings and/or generate additional funds.

Thou shalt look for flow, those places where people are volunteering to participate and throw their energy into projects.

Thou shalt remember that integrating technology into teaching scares the bejeebers out of some faculty, while energizing others — and plan accordingly.

Thou shalt remember that digital tech continues to shift notions of authority, authenticity and agency – not just for your faculty or staff, but first and foremost for your students!

Thou shalt not re-invent the wheel.

Thou shalt draw on the people who are natives in this arena, and invite your immigrants to share their cross cultural insights.

Thou shalt remember to communicate, communicate, communicate.

Thou shalt remember that a thousand little failures will likely lead to a wonderfully huge success, while one big success will not obviate or avoid the need for learning from multiple failures.

Thou shalt not assume that innovation only happens in the US, or that your students are only middle class white Americans.

Thou shalt remember that design MATTERS.

Thou shalt ease people’s concerns by taking seriously their instrumental approaches – but always and everywhere remember strategically that this is an adaptive change.

Here’s just one of them:

10. Bits and Pieces from ith storytelling on Vimeo.

I want to continue to believe Google wants the best for the Net. But, I fear the Googizon proposal if adopted would result in the creation of two networks, with huge incentives for the access providers to shunt users to the one that they control. This threatens to take the steam out of the Internet as the cultural, economic, educational, artistic, and democratic force it was well on it’s way to being.

It also takes pressure off of the Obama administration to boldly put the open Internet on a firm footing. By declaring the Net neutrality debate to be “intractable,” Google is giving cover to those who would compromise away a basic principle. It’s only intractable if you’ve given up.

I am not a Google hater. The people I know there are the same as they were last week. Google’s software kicks the same amount of butt as it did last week. The vast bulk of Google’s projects still generously support the same geek values as last week.
But now I have to wonder why Google is coming home so late with Verizon’s scent on its lapel.

I can’t help thinking that much of what I value about the current version of the Net is its ability to be a distribution platform for all of the wonderful creative stuff being put out by amateurs, volunteers, “prosumers,” or whatever else you want to call those of us who create because we love to create, not because it will “produce” income. Now is the time for those of us who care about Net Neutrality to make our voices heard!

God suffers with us

This was the strong sense we had during our experience with Cara and it still rings true. Rather than a God who is without emotion, detached from our existence, I sensed a God who is intimately involved with us and who suffers with us.

There are various types of power and control, and God works in surprising ways

God’s power in our world seems to be primarily through weakness — an unpredictable, slow-moving, “underneath” power that turns traditional power against itself, gently pushing tendrils of life up in the midst of death, as opposed to an external force exerting itself to bend everything to fit into an intractable plan (4). Rather than dictating specific actions or events, God’s power is nourishing and sustaining life from below; allowing, inviting, and encouraging good to result from the things that happen despite themselves (and despite the fact that they may not be a part of “God’s will”).