Capstone+Essay+Pam+Emery

=Capstone Essay Pam Emery=

When I read about the Summer Institute for Technology in Ministry, I thought maybe this is what I have been waiting for. From a manual typewriter to a computer screen connecting me to "somewhere out there" in the span of a mere 40 years! The thought as well as my experience was both exhilarating and exhausting. The dreamer in me, created a critical tension between dreaming and perfectionism. Can two opposing forces be creative? However, I realized that in order to do my job well, I needed to help facilitate bringing our Faith Formation classrooms into the 21st Century, and to do so we have to connect with students in their time and space - which is Social Media. So, I took my desire for gain, and my fear of loss, to the first session of SITM in June. I was exposed to Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Digital Storytelling, and all of the products that help to get us there. What I learned in one word ... Wow! Thank God for these two wonderful instructors who exemplified patience, knowledge and faith! I learned so much and still have much to learn! I am delighted, though, to be able to share faith and help evangelize through Social Media.

One of my former parents recently sent me a link to a You Tube video that she made with her seven year old son - about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. My plan is to use it for our Parent/Student Faith Formation retreat in January. Not only is it an excellent teaching tool for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also a great use of Socia Media ... thus, an experience for parents and students alike.

My Capstone Project was to help catechists use Animoto as a prayer experience in the classroom. I purposly chose a form of media that could be creative and easy to use. To date, I have helped two Catechists create a prayer experience. I loved the children's photos and enjoyed helping the teacher to edit them. My eagle eye spotted a Hooters t-shirt on one of the students. I had to chuckle as I worked to photo shop that! The final product was easy for the Catechist, and the children learned and loved seeing themselves in the video! It was very effective tool. My plan is to keep working with Animoto to produce videos that will be shown at our closing Family Faith night in May.

To conclude, the best explanation of my experience in SITM woud be the last stanza of Robert Frost's poem, //The Road Not Taken// "I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence; Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

The Catholic Church exists to evangelize. Social Media allows us to be the eyes, ears, voice, and virtual hands and feet of Christ. Again, exhilarating and exhausting! I am still a digital native, but now I know how to forage for and indeed find the proverbial food! Thanks to SITM, I am not waiting by the side of the road ignoring what is to come, but am workiing to embrace change and move into the 21st century - hopefully taking a few people with me along the way.

Pamela Emery DFF, Nativity Catholic Church, Brandon, Florida E mail: Pam@nativitycatholicchurch.org