Talking Tech @ Redeemer

What is Community 2.0?

You may have heard buzzwords like Web 2.0, blogs, RSS, podcasts and more, but maybe you don’t really understand what the big deal is. Community 2.0 is designed to give you a chance to explore and experiment with the new and emerging technologies that are changing the way we use the internet to communicate. The Community 2.0 blog posts will guide you through learning these technologies by using them.

The goals for this program are:

• to encourage members and friends of Redeemer to explore Web 2.0 technologies and applications.
• to foster discussion about how these technologies can be used to further the mission of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer to shine the light of the gospel upon our congregation, our community, and our world.

This program was inspired by the Learning 2.0 program developed by Helene Blowers for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, and adapted for the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer by Ellen Wilson.

Why is a church talking about technology?

Why not? In today’s world, our communication is mediated by technology. More and more we communicate via telephone, text, email, and voice. Even face-to-face communication is increasingly done by webcam. If the church does not talk about and use technology, it will lose its connection to millions of people and decrease its effectiveness in proclaiming God’s love.

Since Gutenberg invented the printing press, the church has used the vernacular to communicate essential truths to people. Technology is the printing press of the 21st century.

What topics will we cover?

Don’t worry if you don’t know what these are - this course will help you find out!

1. Blogs
2. RSS
3. Social bookmarking & tagging
4. Podcasts
5. Photo applications
6. Online video
7. Online productivity applications
8. Social networking
9. Twitter
10. Putting it all together

And whatever else comes up along the way.

Who can participate?

Anyone. You do not need to be a member of Redeemer. You can participate entirely online, as long as you have access to a computer with an internet connection.

Does it cost anything?

Nope.

What do I need to participate?

Access to a computer with an internet connection. A high-speed connection such as DSL or cable internet will be helpful for some topics, but not essential.

How do I participate?

Starting on June 1st, a new Community 2.0 blog post will be made twice a week. Each post will introduce a new topic, and include tasks for you to perform. Since this is a hands-on course, you will be learning about Web 2.0 technologies by using them. Follow along with each task to build your body of knowledge. Ask questions, comment on posts, share your findings with others in Community 2.0. We may also have in-person meetings at Redeemer if enough people are interested.

Questions?

Let’s hear them. You can leave a comment on this post with your questions, or email Ellen directly at  ekwilson at gmail.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Community 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.