Curating Faith Formation Several slides courtesy of John Roberto & Kyle Oliver http://www.eformationvts.org/workshop-resources-curating-faith-formation/

Two Emerging Leadership Roles Current Roles NEW Roles Developing religious content Designing programming Managing programming Teaching/Facilitating programming Learning Architects designing learning environments— architecture Curating religious content and experiences www.lifelongfaith.org

What is Content Curation (Beth Kanter) Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme.   The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information.   A content curator picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community.  It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition: They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public. www.lifelongfaith.org

Faith Formation Curators A Faith Formation Curator: is someone who continually finds, groups, evaluates, organizes, and shares the best and most relevant content and experiences on a specific topic to match the needs of a specific audience. www.lifelongfaith.org

Why Curation? The increasing diversity of the religious and spiritual needs and practices of people today require personalized and customized content and experiences An overwhelming abundance of high quality faith formation resources: print, audio, video, programs and activities, apps, e-books, websites, and more The rise of online providers of religious content and experiences—“open repositories” of freely accessible faith formation and learning content hubs www.lifelongfaith.org

Why Curation? There is a growing demand for trusted guidance in finding and selecting quality religious content and experiences. People are looking for trusted guides to help them select quality faith formation experiences and curated learning paths and resources to explore and learn more deeply on a specific topic. The tools are now available for finding and accessing the content, storing it (websites), delivering it to people 24x7x365 (computers, iPhones, tablets, etc.), and communicating & connecting people to the content (Facebook, Twitter, email, text, etc.). www.lifelongfaith.org

Evaluation Criteria Trusted Sources Biblical Content Theological Content Developmental Appropriateness Ethnic-Cultural Appropriateness Inclusivity Ease-of-Use Quality of Experience Enriching, do-able, short, repeatable activities that weave into daily life Enjoyable! www.lifelongfaith.org

Choosing Content to Curate Content – is it opinion or factual, is it correct? Credibility/Credentials: Who is the author? Is it from a trustworthy source? Commendation: Has the site been recommended by someone/organization you know and trust? Contact and Communication: Can the author or web master be contacted with comments or questions? Coverage: What is the scope? Is the topic covered in depth: Is it full and comprehensive or is it trivial? Copyright: What is the copyright? Is this material current or dated? Authors credited? Comprehension: At what level is the material? Is it too complicated or too long?

Critical Thinking: Can you treat this material the same way you would treat a published book? Does it drift from the main topic? Current: Has the information been updated recently? Is there a date for "last updated?" Continuity: Will the site continue to be updated? Can you rely on the site over time? Connectivity: Does access to the site require special software or skills? Clarity: Is the design appealing, with elegant simplicity, or is it fussy, crowded, or complicated? Does too many fancy or large graphics make it slow to load? Cruise Control: Is there a site map, table of contents, or outline of topics? Is there a search function in a large site? Compassion: Are people treated with fairness and tolerance? Or do you see bias, stereotyping, loaded language, racism, or other hurtful ideas? Adapted from Elementary CC’s for Evaluating Internet Sites Maggie Roche, Adult Faith Formation Committee of NCCL From GEMS newsletter – Great Endeavors Mined and Shared, Janet Schaeffler, OP

www.lifelongfaith.org

Developing Trusted Sources Blogs Newsletters Websites Denominations Curated Websites Religious Organizations 6-8 “Expert” Resource People www.lifelongfaith.org

Subscribe to Newsletters or Blogs Aggregators who do the work for you! www.lifelongfaith.org

Curating Family Prayer: An Example

Prayer Online Fresh Ideas: (Prayer Online) http://www.prayeronline.org.au/fresh-ideas

Faith at Home (Sharon Pearson) Pinterest: Faith at Home (Sharon Pearson) http://www.pinterest.com/rowsofsharonp/faith-at-home/ and http://www.pinterest.com/rowsofsharonp/prayer-worship/

Prayer & Worship (Sharon Pearson)

Faith Formation (Loyola Press) Handout: Praying with Children (Loyola Press) http://www.loyolapress.com/tips-for-praying-with-children.htm

Ministry-to-Children Make a Prayer Cube (Ministry to Children) http://ministry-to-children.com/prayer-cube-craft/ Ministry-to-Children

Episcopalprayer.org Look at blogroll on this site; leads to many other sites!

Mylifemyfaith.org

pray-as-you-go.org/home/

http://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer.htm

http://www.episcopalwindow.org/prayer.html

D365.org

Sacredspace.ie

Online Resource Centers

Timeless wisdom, modern expression: spiritual resources online Slides: bit.ly/SpirRsrc Remaining slides are from Kyle Matthew Oliver (@kmoliver) Center for the Ministry of Teaching (@VTS_CMT) Virginia Theological Seminary

Kyle’s favorites

Meet G-dcast, a new media company for innovative Jewish education How about a game? Check out Exodus or Leviticus! Maybe a song? Break it down with “The Ten Comandments” Psalm 42 by Jina Davidovich via G-dcast http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Sadly, there’s no standout Christian equivalent Sadly, there’s no standout Christian equivalent. But there’s lots to discover. http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Prayer: Apps and other media can help create sacred space on the go Kyle’s fav: Pray-as-you-go What is it? Daily audio guided prayer with scripture Who’s it for? Busy commuters, people new to prayer Meditation timer: varied timer tones, soothing images eCP: Book of Common Prayer in app form Mission St. Clare: Daily office with embedded music Sacred Space: Self-paced guided prayer http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Bible: Websites and apps can open up the text in rich, interactive ways Kyle’s fav: Old & New Project What is it? Intriguing visual interpretations Who’s it for? Visual learners, art lovers Big Bible Project: Scripture conversation & learning YouVersion: Most popular BIble app; NIV, CEB free Blue Letter Bible: Powerful exegesis tools http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Learning: The Web is changing the way we teach & learn, including about faith Kyle’s fav: New media instruction from SSJE What is it? Monastic wisdom for everyday living Who’s it for? Visual learners, art lovers ChurchNext: An online school for your congregation Intnt’l Arts Mov’t: Wrestling with Qs of art, faith, & humanity New Tracts: Short Anglican teaching videos Redeem the Commute: Xianity 101 video courses http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Commentary: Leaders, learners reflect for faith growth, fun Kyle’s fav: Nomad Podcast What is it? Interviews about the future of faith Who’s it for? Leaders, thinkers, emergent church geeks Lent Madness: Celebrate the saints, NCAA-style Mockingbird: Law and gospel in faith and culture Easter People: Hopeful faith & culture conversations http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Finding online resources “Lord, to whom can we go?”

Avoid ‘blind’ searches; results often dated, theologically problematic Especially true of generic searches. First hit for “Who is God?’ ... http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Savvy searches will be specific, iterative, use ‘mainline’ language narrows to specific topic eliminates “creation care” brand eliminates generic stewardship resources, zooms in to Episcopal resources Bible study Bible study resources Bible study resources creation care Bible study resources environmental stewardship Bible study resources environment creation episcopal ** Activity ** http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Search curated collections to efficiently improve your chances of success Center for Spiritual Resources: collaborative clearinghouse Vibrant Faith at Home: realistic family activity guides Videos for Your Soul: engaging, embeddable reflection material http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Search curated collections to efficiently improve your chances of success Building Faith: accessible, practical ministry ideas Resource Center for Churches: attractive browsing of traditional congregational resources Storypath: children’s literature + faith themes http://www.vts.edu/cmt

Collect new resources by subscribing to, liking, following trusted sources Feed reader Twitter lists Pinterest! http://www.vts.edu/cmt