Transcript Doing Catechesis in a Media Age

Doing Catechesis in a Media Age
“The medium IS the message”McLuhan
In this presentation….
 The
nature of learning and input
 To Teach as Jesus Did
 Using media to preach
 Some suggestions on the use of media in the
process of catechesis.
How we learn...
 Input
from five senses…plus
 The retention factor
 The nature of students in this age
 The power of the story (even urban myths)
 Media serve the needs under multiple
intelligences theory: they serve all the
intelligences.
Students Like
games,simulation
media
discussion
skill practice
problem
solving
questioning
lectures
Dislike
94%
7%
74%
72%
67%
53%
26%
19%
33%
48%
49%
28%
51%
78%
Aetatis Novae, 1992
“At the dawn of this new era, a vast expansion
of human communications is profoundly influencing
culture everywhere…Nowhere today are people
untouched by the impact of media upon religious
and moral attitudes, political and social systems,
and education.”
The Evolution of Media
Pre-literate:
storytelling
Literate:
Print material
Post-post literate
The nöosphere??
Post-literate:
Electronic media
Scripture shows use of media:
Old Testament:
• Burning Bush
• Ten Plagues
• Dreams
 New Testament:
• Parables
• Coin of the realm
• Fig Tree

Media teach:
 Issues
such as sexuality, morality, violence,
consumerism, materialism.
 Values of life/death/the human condition
 A point of view, e.g. stereotypes
 Behavior
 Culture
Media have become the language through
which we interpret our lives and our
experiences.
We often use old wineskins to
describe new wine:
 Horseless
 Iron
carriage
horse
 Laptop computer
 Hard disk space
 Desktop
Media talk=everyday talk
Beam me up, Scotty…
 Show me the money!
 Badabing!
 Talk to the hand; the
head is busy
 Can you hear me now?

What should media provide?
 Connectedness:
in the shared experience
 Metaphor: in the shared meaning
 Sacramentality: in the sense of the
transcendence
 Understanding: in the lesson drawn.
Jesus: the Medium and the
Message
 Priest
• Cool Hand Luke
 Prophet
• The Dead Zone
 King
• High Noon
Using Media and New
Technology
 Television,
movies, music provide a
platform for metaphor and experience.
 Electronic media provide a unique
opportunity for connectedness
 In this post-post-literate age, media need to
be interpreted in light of our beliefs and
seen to be sacramental in character.
Ways to use TV, Film and Music
Stage situations from Gospel stories as if they
were part of a TV show or movie;
 Analyze commercials for stereotype;(e.g. portrayal
of fathers)
 Analyze beginnings and endings of sitcoms;
 Watch music videos first w/o sound; next w/o
video. Analyze the result.
 Use film characters to analyze moral
questions;(e.g. Green Mile)

More Ways..
Teach how color, lighting, camera angles convey a
message;(e.g.Psycho)
 Analyze cultural trends through the use of film
over the years; do the same with music.(e.g. any
teen flick)
 Analyze American consumerism through the use
of commercials(e.g. product placement)
 Look for how and when morality are
portrayed(e.g. Spiderman)

Still more ways...
 Look
for the effect of music on movies and
TV shows(e.g. Law and Order)
 Look for movies that are re-writing of
Scriptural stories(e.g. Close Encounters)
 Analyze music, movies and TV shows for
how they portray the use of alcohol and
drugs.
Some caveats
 Pay
attention to licensing and “fair use”
regulations;
 Don’t use media in such a way that it
obfuscates the message
 Remember: the lesson is utmost
Cyberspace and Church
 No
longer do the teacher and the student
have to be in the same place at the same
time.
 Information is no longer limited to the
“educated”.
 Concepts such as space and time have new
meaning.
Saint Blog’s Parish
 Represents
a cyberparish
 Blogs exist on any topic ranging from
spirituality to theology to current Church
practice.
 Blogs give Catholics an opportunity to be
heard on any topic.
 This puts the entire concept of parish and
Church on its head.
Some popular Catholic blogs
A Catholic Blog for Lovers
Http://blogforlovers.blogspot.com
Care and Feeding of a Catholic Church Choir
Http://catholicchoir.blogspot.com
Catholic and Enjoying It
Http://markshea.blogspot.com
CLOG, a blog on canon law
Http://canonlaw.blogspot.com