Technology workshop

Last week, two area pastors who serve four area churches (including Holden and Dale) convened a little seminar on Christian teens and use of technology. They offered some basic statistics like these:

• three-quarters of teens own cell phones
• teens spend an average of more than 30 hours a week online
• almost half of kids have been bullied while online, and over a third of kids have been threatened online

They talked about technology as a set of tools that we can use constructively or destructively, and they offered a few passages from scripture and The Small Catechism to help us consider how we might use technology positively and faithfully as Christians.

Woven throughout the presentation were discussion questions for parents and kids to talk about together, like how much phones have changed over the years, how much time we each spend online and/or texting, and personal experiences with cyber-bullying.

Confirmation students to attend (with a parent) and invited others to attend as they wished, so there were a few older folks there as well. They presented a lot of relevant information and helped teens to think a bit more carefully than usual about how they use the many tools that fill their lives, and how they can do so in ways that are consistent with their faith.

It was very well-done and the participants all seemed quite engaged. It's a worthwhile endeavor for any church to consider, especially in light of the potentially tragic consequences of cyber-bullying and other abuses of technology.

The other congregations involved were Trinity in Wanamingo, and Wanamingo Lutheran, neither of which I work with directly. But stay tuned for pictures of Trinity, where the workshop was held!