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Can Playing with Legos Help Problem Solving?

August 5, 2011 in Administration, For Fun, Gadgets with 0 Comments

I saw this article over on theNextWeb: Playing with Lego helps you create better websites, apparently.

From the article:

Can playing with Lego help you design better websites? A new, entirely serious, document from a Swiss team claims it can. URL – User Requirements with Lego is a process that creative teams can go through to help work out the best ways of communicating online.

Why Lego? Apparently because it’s simple to use; is known by most people; offers shapes and colours to aid with inspiration; can be built into simple or complex forms and is used in many different cultures. The process is based on an official Lego initiative called Serious Play, which looks to get all kinds of businesses using Lego to enhance their innovation and performance.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

I love the idea of helping teams work out solutions using Lego models.  The article talks about using it for web projects, but i wonder if you could use the same ideas for other projects.  Anyone want to plan their Fall Retreat this way?

I’m not sure it will work, but I’d love to try.  Can I buy Legos as a work expense?

Guest Post: Link Your Accounts!

July 18, 2011 in Administration, Web with 0 Comments

Simply Youth Ministry has always been about saving youth workers’ time. I too love efficiency. I want my computer to run faster. I organize files like an archivist. I even plan my calendar down to the day and hour I’m going to fill up my car with gas. Well, not that last one, but I LOVE being efficient. And the same goes for when I want to get the word out on a youth ministry event.

There are so many different social media routes to do ministry on, and you can spend/waste a lot of hours just keeping up with facebook, twitter, and now Google +. So here’s my philosophy on the proper role of social networks in youth ministry, and how to use them efficiently.

Social Networking is supplemental.

What I mean is that I believe social networking can only accomplish so much. I can keep in touch with hundreds of students, but those relationships must have a “real life” component for meaningful discipleship to occur. In other words, you have to have face time with individual students! Social networking is a bonus to, not the foundation of, a relationship. Therefore I will use social networking for a limited number of tasks.

  • sharing event info
  • writing quick notes of encouragement to students and volunteers
  • checking a student’s wall to gather info that will help me minister to them
  • making fun of students by posting pictures of them with panty hose on their heads

I really only spend 10-15 minutes a day on facebook. I see it as being supplemental to all of the other relationship building I do throughout the week. Now, how do we make it efficient?

Let technology work for you!

When I first began using social networks I would waste so much time writing individual posts for a blog, facebook, twitter etc. To be an efficient social networker you have to learn how to link accounts. When you link accounts, any information you share on one network gets automatically copied and pasted to the linked account. I began doing this with twitter and facebook. I love the brevity of twitter (you have to be efficient with 140 characters) so I linked twitter to my facebook using the facebook twitter app. Now when I tweet it instantly posts to facebook. Pretty cool huh? But I didn’t stop there…

Our youth ministry also uses the mass text messaging service SimplyText (now Communicate) from Simply Youth Ministry. When you create a text message in SimplyText you have the option to link to your twitter account. This means that every time I send a mass text message close to 300 students who subscribe instantly receive the message on their phones, and the message goes to twitter. Because my twitter is linked to my facebook account my status is also instantly updated. Plus, Simply Text allows me to set up multiple texts and assigned them to be sent at different times and dates. In one 20 minute sitting I can set up 2-3 weeks’ worth of text messages and forget about it. I know that every day for the next month close to 300 students will get daily contact from me, not to mention the 1000 people who follow me on twitter and facebook. Doing a month of social networking in 20 minutes… now that’s efficient!

Continue Reading…

Favorite iPhone / iPad Apps Part 2

July 7, 2011 in iOS, Mac, mobile, Resources, Software with 0 Comments

Here’s part 2 of my favorite iPhone / iPad apps for ministry and everyday life.

1. Bible – LifeChurch.tv - This is my go to Bible reader on the iOS platform.  I’ve tried others, but I always come back to this one.  The team at LifeChurch just keeps making it better and better.

2. AppShopper - As a app junkie, I’m always looking for new apps and AppShopper is a great way to find out what’s new.  One of my favorite things about this app, is creating a wish list, and you’ll receive and email when the app is updated or on sale.  I’ve saved a ton just waiting till the app I wanted was on sale or even free.

3. Kindle - This is my go to book reader.  I think iBooks is prettier, but I love Amazon’s pricing and I love being able to access my books on all my devices.  I always look to kindle first for ebooks.

4.GarageBand - This one is iPad only but if you are interested in making music, this is an amazing app.  It’s the touch version of the popular app on OS X.  You can play piano, drums, or guitar and record them.  It’s also been so fun watching my kids make music of their own and get into it.  I love this app.

5. iMovie - This is my favorite quick video editor for iOS.  Again, the touch version of another of Apple’s desktop iLife apps, but it works so well on iOS.  It’s great for simple videos on the go that you can upload directly to YouTube or Flickr.  Easy to use and fast.

6. OmniOutliner for iPad - Another iPad app here, but it’s so useful. I often organize my thoughts in Outlines, and this is a great tool for that.  I use it for projects, teaching, writing, and just organizing.  It also works with the desktop version which I also really like.  Like all Omni apps, it’s a little on the expensive side, but I always feel it’s worth it in the end.

7. Documents To Go® – Office Suite - I’m a big fan of Google Docs and do a lot of my writing there, and this is best Google docs editor I’ve used.  I can access all my google docs there so I can edit or write on the go.  It also can access microsoft office docs stored in dropbox so you can edit or access on the go.

Bonus Pick: Live Curriculum - OK this one is a little selfish, but I’m pretty proud of it.  It’s the first app I helped design and produce.  It’s the app to access Simply Youth Ministry’s LIVE Curriculum. Click here to learn more about it.

There are so many other apps I use all the time, but I’d love to hear about some of your favorites.  What ones did I miss?  Tell me in the comments.

Favorite iPhone / iPad Apps – Part 1

June 29, 2011 in iOS, Software with 0 Comments

I often get asked what my favorite iPhone / iPads are, and I thought I would share my current list with you guys. I’m a total app junkie so it was difficult to narrow this down, I tried to make it a top ten, but there are a few more than that so I’m dividing it into a couple posts. Some are favorites because they help make work easier, some make everyday life more enjoyable and some are ministry focused. Also these are in no particular order.

1. Evernote – This is my go to note taker. I use it on my phone for quick photos or audio notes to myself. I also use the iPad version to take notes in meetings or at conferences. It also works great as a desktop app. There’s also the ability to email notes or do web clippings into your notebooks. The best part is they all stay in sync. I find new uses for this all the time.

2. Dropbox – We’ve talked about this before on this blog. This is another one of those services that I use all the time. The Dropbox service allows you keep files in the cloud and keep them in sync across your devices. This app is how you access your files from your iPhone or iPad. Having access to my files anywhere is a life saver. I also love that you can play media files from the app directly.

3. Flipboard – This is my favorite news reader, and sorry, but this is iPad only. I love the way it looks and the way it works. It turns my twitter, facebook, google reader into a dynamic digital magazine. Plus you can read from their curated topics or add your own RSS feeds.

4. TomTom U.S.A. – I have a horrible sense of direction and I do a fair amount of travel, so always being able to find directions to where i need to go is great. I find the built in Google Map to be difficult to use, that’s why I love TomTom. It has a great built in search for locations and then will give take you there. This is a lifesaver.

5. Angry Birds – I don’t feel like I need to explain this one. Love it or hate it, it keeps my kids (and maybe me) occupied.

6. Keynote – This is my go to presentation software on my desktop and the mobile version is a great way to review and make quick changes to a presentation. I actually like the iPad version so much I often start my presentations there.

7. Pages – If I need to do some writing with more formatting than Evernote will let me, I use pages. It’s the best word processor I’ve used on the iPad.

Stay tuned for more apps in part 2.

Friday Fun: Conan’s Team Loves Final Cut

June 24, 2011 in For Fun, Mac, Software with 0 Comments

Earlier this week I let everyone know about the new Final Cut Pro.  It’s been met with controversy for some of the changes that it made.  Not to let that controversy go unnoticed, the Conan staff let’s their feelings be known.

What did you think of the new Final Cut?

New Final Cut X now Available in the Mac App Store

June 21, 2011 in Mac, Media with 0 Comments

The wait it over, all you video geeks (you know who you are) can go download Apple’s latest video editing software, Final Cut Pro,  from Mac App Store.

It’s only $299.99 which sounds like a lot, but considering it wasn’t that long ago that this product was $1000, it’s pretty good.

You can also pick up Motion and Compressor for an extra $50 each.

I can’t wait to try this out, I’ve been a Final Cut Express user, and I’m excited to give Pro a try.

Never Tie a Water Balloon Again

June 20, 2011 in For Fun, Gadgets with 0 Comments

I saw this on Facebook today (I wish I could remember who, sorry for not giving you credit) and it is a must have for any youth pastor.  It’s an essential tool for any of the water themed activities you might have this summer. It a water ballon fill and tie tool all in one contraption. This would have saved me hours when I worked as a Jr High Ministry intern.

If you want to pick one up they are only $10, seems worth it to me, you can get it at Vat19.com.

Green Screen Video Tips

June 14, 2011 in For Fun, Mac, Media with 0 Comments

I don’t know if you saw the 40 40 40 Angry Birds video I posted yesterday (Watch it HERE), but i wanted to share a few things I learned about shooting a video with a green screen. We worked with Ian at Halfway Bridge making it, so he helped guide us through it, and here’s a few things I learned.

  1. Green Screen Material – there’s really nothing magic about what you use to make your green screen and there are a number of options you can use.  There’s material(which we used), paper, and if you want a permanent setup there’s paint.  If you think it’s something you may be doing often there are kits that come with the material and lights (more on these in a minute).
  2. Smooth – the only magic about your background is you need to make sure it’s smooth.  Our background was folded fabric, so we had to take time to iron it first.  If you are planning a shoot on a schedule, make sure you take this into account.  This is important because folds and creases can interfere in the chroma process you’ll do in your software later (That’s the process of replacing the green background with something else).  Nothing like going through your entire shoot only to find out the footage isn’t going to work.
  3. Lighting – I learned from Ian that this is really the most important part.  Any variations in color interfere in the chroma process. It also helps the subject of the video to really pop from the green background. Making sure the lighting is consistant and even also took a little longer than I expected.  (I was such a rookie).
  4. Wardrobe – Make sure any actors aren’t wearing green.  We had to scrounge up a new shirt for Riley so part of his torso didn’t disappear against the green backdrop.  Lucky we are a bunch of youth workers so there’s always a left over event t-shirt in our office.
  5. Plan the shoot – Make sure you know what you need to shoot.  If you are shooting off a script, make sure you have your shot list written down so you know you’ve got everything you need.  It’s a pain to go through the entire setup twice. If you aren’t sure, shoot it anyway, it’s better than missing the shot.

I also didn’t know you can do green screen editing right in iMovie (Ian was a little more advanced than that), but editing your green screen footage is easier than you may think.  If you’ve never done it before you may want to experiment a little before jumping in.

Here are some ideas for youth group videos with a green screen:

  • Promo: If you are going somewhere put some students or staff in front of a photo or video of where you are going.  You could ham it up and make it really funny.
  • Announcements: make people look like they are in a funny place while they give announcements.  Maybe with a movie in the background and pretend your actors are interacting with the film characters
  • Skits: put just the right background behind a skit you might be doing

There’s probably a bunch of other uses, share yours in the comments.

Save 40% at SimplyYouthMinistry.com

June 13, 2011 in Resources with 0 Comments


Simply Youth Ministry 40-40-40 Sale

Every year in June we have a huge 40 40 40 sale over at SimplyYouthMinistry.com.  There are tons of resources for 40% (and some for 20% also), it’s the best time of year to stock up on student books, curriculum, and other resources.  It’s never too early to think about next fall and what you’ll need.

You can also grab 40 FREE Backgrounds while you are there.

Just incase you need a little more reason to go, we made a fun little video to help promo it. And it involves one of my favorite games, Angry Birds.

Simply Youth Ministry 40-40-40 Sale. Starts June 14th at 12 AM PST, Expires June 16th at 3 PM PST. No code needed.

Apple Camp 2011

June 9, 2011 in Mac, Media, News, Software with 0 Comments

It’s that time of year to sign-up your 8 – 12 year olds for Apple’s free day camp held in their retail stores.  I’ve sent my kids that last few years and they’ve had a blast.  This summer, like last, focuses on movie making.

Description from their site:

A fun, free workshop where kids become filmmakers.

At Apple Camp, kids aged 8-12 learn how to shoot their own footage, create an original song in GarageBand on an iPad, and put it all together in iMovie on a Mac. This free workshop, held at the Apple Store, spans three days and ends with campers debuting their masterpieces at the Apple Camp Film Festival. Space is limited and workshops fill up quickly so sign up now for a super creative adventure.

Day One (1.5 hours)

  • Introduction to the basics of moviemaking, including creating a storyboard.
  • Create an original soundtrack by making a song in GarageBand on an iPad.
  • Prepare for shooting footage outside the store overnight or inside the store at the end of the workshop.

On day one, Apple Camp also includes an optional, one-hour Parent’s Workshop that focuses on using and setting Parental Controls on the Mac. Registration is not required.

Day Two (1.5 hours)

  • Introduction to iMovie — simple-to-use moviemaking software.
  • Use a Mac to import and edit collected movie footage, incorporating stills and music.
  • Create a film.

With guidance from Apple Camp Counselors, kids will use iMovie — part of the iLife suite of creativity applications built into every Mac — to create, edit, and produce their films.

Then on the Saturday following camp, there’s a film festival where all the kids get to show the movies they’ve made.

Registation opened the morning, and in the past, spots have gone fast.  Not a bad free summer activity.  And if you don’t have kids of your own, it may be a good way to get some of those younger middle schoolers in your ministry excited about movie making and they can help make videos for youth group.

Click here to go to the Registration link, and see if there’s one near you.

 

 

 

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