Children and Technology
This week I want to talk about Technology and kids. We are living in a more increasingly digital age. It is something that we can’t ignore or tell our kids to burry thier heads in the digital sand. We need to help guide them and do our best to help inform parents.
I would like to discuss the following areas:
- Text messaging
- General Online Safety
- Instant Messaging
Sounds good to me. I'm doing a lot more reading this week than writing. The new addition to our family has taken some of my "extra and freee" time… but that's okay by me. Actually we're starting Venture Quest next week and I'm up to my eyeballs in prep… another day or two and thing will slow down quite a bit.
I'm really interested to read your knowledge of this stuff. Although many of my kids are "wired," I find that they are in "tech puberty." They're still learning to type, so they don't always like to do much of the email. Or most of them have an email, but they only check it once a month (if no one emailed you… you probably wouldn't check it either). Last of all, so many of the kids don't yet have the cell phone either… so most of them aren't texting. So, I've found that lots of the kids have the technology, they just aren't embracing it as much as they will in another year or two. Maybe it's just my kids.
Sounds good to me. I’m doing a lot more reading this week than writing. The new addition to our family has taken some of my “extra and freee” time… but that’s okay by me. Actually we’re starting Venture Quest next week and I’m up to my eyeballs in prep… another day or two and thing will slow down quite a bit.
I’m really interested to read your knowledge of this stuff. Although many of my kids are “wired,” I find that they are in “tech puberty.” They’re still learning to type, so they don’t always like to do much of the email. Or most of them have an email, but they only check it once a month (if no one emailed you… you probably wouldn’t check it either). Last of all, so many of the kids don’t yet have the cell phone either… so most of them aren’t texting. So, I’ve found that lots of the kids have the technology, they just aren’t embracing it as much as they will in another year or two. Maybe it’s just my kids.
Kenny,
Again congratulations, on the new arrival!
I think that texting is a growing trend among younger and younger kids who would of thought a few years ago 10-13 year olds would have a cell phone. Right now not that many kids in our kids ministry have cell phones although it may be a bit higher than some because the youth pastor and I share 7th grade. How I think texting affects children's ministry right now is with your teen and college helpers.
Also one area I plan on using texting in the coming year is to create a tee-shirt campaign for our 5th to 7th grade kids that will have a number their friends can text to find out more about our ministry to that age (We currently call it Joshua Church it will be Junction 567). I think that with the preteen, teen and college crowd SMS marketing is going to really start to take off.
Kenny,
Again congratulations, on the new arrival!
I think that texting is a growing trend among younger and younger kids who would of thought a few years ago 10-13 year olds would have a cell phone. Right now not that many kids in our kids ministry have cell phones although it may be a bit higher than some because the youth pastor and I share 7th grade. How I think texting affects children’s ministry right now is with your teen and college helpers.
Also one area I plan on using texting in the coming year is to create a tee-shirt campaign for our 5th to 7th grade kids that will have a number their friends can text to find out more about our ministry to that age (We currently call it Joshua Church it will be Junction 567). I think that with the preteen, teen and college crowd SMS marketing is going to really start to take off.
I agree that my kids in my ministry are still learning to type and that may slow them down some, but most have cell phones now. I have used this information to help get kids set up with jott.com. This allows them to call in their messages and have jott.com send it as a text to all their friends. They get the cool factor made easy for them.
I am also a part of some betta testing right now that is more kinds of software that is right along the lines of jott.com and I see more of this kind of technology being something we will see more of.
Todd,
I think you are right on. I see cell phones and txting surpassing by far email, at least in the demographic we are talking about. Perhaps we older people can take a T9 for idiots class somewhere. LOL
I agree that my kids in my ministry are still learning to type and that may slow them down some, but most have cell phones now. I have used this information to help get kids set up with jott.com. This allows them to call in their messages and have jott.com send it as a text to all their friends. They get the cool factor made easy for them.
I am also a part of some betta testing right now that is more kinds of software that is right along the lines of jott.com and I see more of this kind of technology being something we will see more of.
Todd,
I think you are right on. I see cell phones and txting surpassing by far email, at least in the demographic we are talking about. Perhaps we older people can take a T9 for idiots class somewhere. LOL