Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments,
and His paths beyond tracing out!
On 05/17/2011,
in faith, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
On 05/05/2011,
in animation, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, music, relationships, story,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I found a wonderful animation at “No words. Lots to say” …which points to the animation by Aidan Gibbons, Music by Yann Tiersen which I put into ViewPure at The Piano – Amazing Short – Animation
On 05/04/2011,
in 21st century, active learning, assessment, education reform, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, global / globalization, ideas, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, love of learning, morals/values, motivation, participation, play, policy, political science, presentations, project-based learning, real-world assignments, relationships, society, sociology, staying relevant, story, storytelling, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teaching & learning, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
John Hunter on the World Peace Game — TED March 2011 — my thanks to Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Kate Byerwalter for this great presentation
About this talk
John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4’x5′ plywood board — and lets his 4th-graders solve them. At TED2011, he explains how his World Peace Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches — spontaneous, and always surprising — go further than classroom lectures can.
About John Hunter
Teacher and musician John Hunter is the inventor of the World Peace Game (and the star of the new doc “World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements”).
2 Chronicles 7:14 — from Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
A related thought from DSC (as I was saying the other day):
I was reflecting on the story of Jonah the other day…thinking, I’ve missed the whole point of Jonah. Instead of focusing on the large fish and how Jonah at first rebelled/ran away from God and then later obeyed (which is also a valuable part of the story), I should have also focused on the more important lesson. That is, that the people of Nineveh actually listened, heard the message, heeded the warning from the LORD, and then actually changed their ways! What a concept….and one that we Americans need to re-learn before our feet slip even further.
Thank a Teacher — from ed.gov by Laurie Calvert
During Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6) and All Year Long
Excerpt:
We owe so much to our nation’s teachers. Teachers have lit a spark in us, brought us into comfortable and challenging learning communities, and helped us to see who we could be. They have believed in us, and in so doing, teachers have changed the trajectory of our lives.
From DSC:
Amen to that!
On 04/22/2011,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, health, history, relationships, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Easter is coming — from BibleGateway.com
Today is Good Friday, when Christians around the world reflect on the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus Christ. In the Christian worldview, it’s one of the most important dates in all of history, trumped in significance only by the glorious events of Resurrection Day a few days later.
On the surface, the story of Good Friday describes something historically unremarkable (although certainly terrible): the unjust martyrdom of a visionary. Certainly many religious leaders and idealists have met undeserved death at the hands of brutal establishments throughout history, all the way up to the present day. But as you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final hours before crucifixion, you cannot escape the sense that this is different. This is injustice on a cosmic scale; this is humanity literally spitting in the face of its loving Creator.
But we can read this story without despairing because we know how it ultimately ends. The God who works all things for the good will bring unimaginable glory and grace out of even the murder of his own son.
Have you read the story of Good Friday recently? So much happened on Good Friday that it’s easier to just read it in its entirety rather than isolate the individual stories. It’s told from four different perspectives in the Bible: Matthew 26:47-27:61, Mark 14:42-15:47, Luke 22:47-23:56, and John 18-19.
It’s a bleak story, but we know a truth that puts even this in perspective: Easter is coming.
From DSC:
I was reading this morning about a pastor (who I’ve heard preach before and is a wonderful person) who had to go through a seriously dark time — brought on by prostate cancer — which led him into a painful journey through his own desert before he was able to reach a deeper level of spirituality with God. Suffering, it seems, is a part of the Christian’s journey — even if it’s unwanted.
I have to admit, that often times, I wish it were not so. I wish I/we all had the ability to listen better and to learn from others; I wish that inclination was more a part of human nature — especially learning from others’ experiences in the past. I wish that we didn’t need 2″ x 4″‘s onside our heads in order for us to wake up and to change our ways. (Brief tangent: People don’t like to hear bad news. We humans have never liked to hear bad news; ever. Think of global warming. Think of the U.S. Federal deficit — and the growing ramifications that astronomical debt brings with it.)
I was reflecting on the story of Jonah the other day…thinking, I’ve missed the whole point of Jonah. Instead of focusing on the large fish and how Jonah at first rebelled/ran away from God and then later obeyed (which is also a valuable part of the story), I should have also focused on the more important lesson. That is, that the people of Nineveh actually listened, heard the message, heeded the warning from the LORD, and then actually changed their ways! What a concept….and one that we Americans need to re-learn before our feet slip even further.
On 04/21/2011,
in faith, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
God’s Timing — from Insight for Living by Charles Swindoll
Read Exodus 2:11–14
Excerpt:
I’m convinced Moses was doing more than grandstanding. I believe he was absolutely sincere. He didn’t see himself murdering a cruel slave driver as much as courageously striking a blow for God’s people. The desire to do something right overcame him. His problem? He dedicated himself to the will of God, but not to the God whose will it was.
Let that thought sink in. You and I can become so dedicated to the will of God, we can be so driven by a blind sense of purpose, that we might inadvertently take matters into our own hands and leave God completely out of the loop. Been there, done that?
…
But all the while, God waits for you to seek His counsel. If you act without discerning His timing, you may lose the smile of divine favor. He will not bless what He has not ordained. You may truly sense that God has something for you to accomplish in a certain area. But if you aren’t vigilant, if you aren’t daily humbling yourself before Him, seeking His face, discerning His timing, operating under the Spirit’s control, you may push and force your way prematurely into that place where God wanted you, but you will not have arrived in His own time.
From DSC:
A great reminder for me…perhaps the message may resonate with you as well…
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
On 04/11/2011,
in faith, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds [we] have been healed.”
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
On 04/07/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, convergence, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning agents, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, lifelong learning, mobile learning, multi-touch, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, online media, online tutoring, personalized/customized learning, platforms, relationships, social learning / networks, social media, technologies for your home, technology (general), telecommunications, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, ubiquitous learning, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, virtual tutoring, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
A Reflection of Christ –– from Insight for Today by Charles R. Swindoll
Excerpt regarding the commentary on Genesis 43:33-34
Joseph’s life offers us a magnificent portrayal of the grace of God as He came to our rescue in the Person of His Son, Jesus. So many come to Him, like Joseph’s guilty brothers, feeling the distance and fearing the worst from God, only to have Him demonstrate incredible generosity and mercy. Instead of being blamed, we are forgiven. Instead of feeling guilty, we are freed. And instead of experiencing punishment, which we certainly deserve, we are seated at His table and served more than we can ever take in.
For some, it’s too unreal. So we desperately plead our case, only to have Him speak kindly to us—promising us peace in our own language. We then try to fend off His anger by bargaining with Him, thinking our hard work and sincere efforts will pay Him back for all those evil past deeds we’re guilty of. But to our astonishment, He never even considered our attempts important enough to mention. What we had in mind was earning just enough to silence our guilt, but what He had in mind was overwhelming us with such an abundance we’d realize we can never, ever repay.
What a beautiful picture of Christ at the cross, bearing the sins we committed, forgiving us in the process. Isn’t such grace amazing? The One who was rejected is the same One who goes the limit to get us reunited with Him.
From DSC:
I “happened to see” this book at Barnes & Nobles the other day, and I started to read it. Immediately, it got my attention and I ended up buying it. It has brought tears to my eyes on several occasions and for different reasons. I highly recommend that you check this book out. Nothing in it surprised me — but rather, it confirmed/affirmed many of my beliefs.
Description from http://heavenisforreal.com/:
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn’t know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how “reaaally big” God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit “shoots down power” from heaven to help us.
Told by the father, but often in Colton’s own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.
On 03/24/2011,
in convergence, emerging technologies, future, media/film, mobile learning, mobile technologies, relationships, social learning / networks, social media, television,
by Daniel Christian
The future of broadcast is more than integrating tweets into programming — from Brian Solis
The future of broadcast is literally at our fingertips…
On 03/22/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accreditation, active learning, career development, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, digital learning, disruption, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, informal learning, innovation, learning, learning ecosystem, more voice more choice more control, motivation, new business models, participation, personalized/customized learning, presentations, professional development, relationships, social learning / networks, staying relevant, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, technology (general), traditional / tradition, trends, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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From DSC:
For those of us in more traditional institutions of higher education, if this is where things are heading — or even if pieces of Anya’s presentation come to fruition — what is our response? Strategy?