Part I: Out of the Mouths of Babes
Reverend Stacy Ikard from John Knox Presbyterian Church in Florissant MO emailed me this story:
A group of people were standing in our church office at the end of Sunday School hour. One man said to another, "I just don't understand why we are spending so much money on computers and software. This is a real waste of money. Kids don't need these things." A couple of us overheard him and were about ready to respond when all of the sudden an eight year old boy burst into the office. "Grandpa, Grandpa, I answered all the questions and the walls of Jericho just fell down! It was great!" The Grandpa hugged his grandson, and then turned to his disgruntled friend and said, "THIS is why we spend money on computers and software."
Admittedly, we are taking risks exploring something new and more expensive than felt boards. The greater risk, however, is losing kids if we don't try to REACH AND TEACH them in a way that's attractive to them and sound to our educational senses. --Neil
Part II: The Giga Pet Lesson
In an issue of Children's Software Revue, the editor wrote a startling article about how his daughter had abandoned the computer in their home to play unceasingly with her Giga Pet (those $15 electronic cats and dogs on a watch-size black and white screen). What this tells us, said the editor, is that kids aren't all that attracted to software and multimedia as we thought.
At first, I could relate to what the editor was saying. A few years ago my daughters each got a Giga Pet, --all their friends had them too. One of their teachers even had rules about when students could take care of their blinking beeping pets during school hours. For about two weeks my house was filled with, "Shelley, your dog needs fed. Robin, your cat just pottied on the screen." Dad frequently babysat their Giga pets when they were gone. I have personally killed several dogs and two cats. Of course, with the click of a button, you get a new one.
The whole experience of low-tech Giga pets made me ponder Sunday School computing. Then one day, it happened. I was reading the newspaper on the couch when I became aware of a beeping noise underneath the cushion. To make a long story short, my daughter had put it there on purpose because it was driving her crazy and she had lost interest (like most of her friends).
All three daughters are now back at the computer. This Xmas vacation we battled for computer time, not a Giga pet in sight. Phew! --Virtually Yours, Neil
Part III: The
Gameboy Episode
Rachel at Elba UMC in Elba Alabama opened up her computer lab during Weekday Fellowship time for learning with Bible software. She had also previously told some boys in the group they could bring their Gameboys to fellowship for play time. About two weeks after they had opened up the computer lab with the Christian education software, however, they stopped bringing their Gameboys . Proof? Here's the picture Rachel sent with the story. Notice the boy isn't looking at the Gameboy, and nobody else had them anymore. Rachel enthusiastically wrote, "Go God!"
Part IV: The Sunday
School Teacher Who Didn't Think It Would Work
Mary Lou at Union Church in Hinsdale Illinois had taught Sunday School for 20 years. She felt she was boring her Middle School students. Then she was asked to do a five-week trial run in their church's new computer lab. Writes Mary Lou, "I was concerned they'd get bored with it or think it was nerdy.... and we'd lose interaction." Mary Lou was not a techie either. I was wrong on BOTH counts. The five week trial has turned into a permanent Computer Bible class. The youth help each other... New people or visitors plug right in. I will never go back to Sunday School as usual. The youth arrive early and don't want to leave. For me as a teacher, it is gratifying."
On the right is a picture of Mary Lou and her class.
