(My) 7 guidelines for effective corporate e Learning

"In adult learning, cognitive goals are always application oriented’ we don’t have any 3- hour exam to sit for - real life is our examination hall! We need both explicit and tacit knowledge when we need it - on demand." soulsoup

I (Don) thought there was some important information in this blog entry for our ministry in Catechist Training. What do you think?

Post a comment to the Blog

I (Don Kurre) want to invite you to post a comment on the Diocesan Director's Forum Blog. The DDRE Forum blog is intended to be a conversation about catechetical issues and activities of the Forum. At the end of each blog posting you will find a comments link. Click on the link to leave a comment to the above post. Clicking on the comments link brings you to a page with a "Post A Comment" link. Clicking on the "Post A Comment" link brings you to the "Leave your comment" form. Type in your comment. Choose an identity, if you are a registered Blogger user choose that identity or click on the anonymous option. Then Click on the "Logo in and Publish" button. Return to the Blog's home page and after a few minutes your comment will appear with the "Comments" link is clicked. If you have any questions or difficulty posting a comment please contact me at reoatnque.com. (Replace "at" with @ to contact me by email.) Please leave a comment.

Don

TIME.com: It's a Wiki, Wiki World -- Jun. 06, 2005

TIME.com: It's a Wiki, Wiki World -- Jun. 06, 2005: "From the Magazine | Business
It's a Wiki, Wiki World
Want to add your 2¢ to an encyclopedia? Join the crowd"
Being the founder of the Internet's largest encyclopedia means Jimmy Wales gets a lot of bizarre e-mail. There are the correspondents who assume he wrote Wikipedia himself and is therefore an expert on everything--like the guy who found vials of mercury in his late grandfather's attic and wanted Wales, a former options trader..."
Here is the link to Religious Education in the Wikipedia. The "Catechesis" does not show up in the encyclopedia at all. Maybe we need to fix that. What do you think? But there is a link to The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Click here.

Don

Gaillardetz's Hecker Lecture in "Origins"

The address Richard R. Gaillardetz, who will conduct a Symposium for Diocesan Directors December 8, 2005 through December 11, 2005, gave at the annual Hecker Lecture was published in the May 19, 2005 (Volume 35, No. 1) issue of Origins. The title of the lecture is, "Apologetics, Evangelization and Ecumenism Today."

Symposium with Richard R. Gaillardetz Update

The Diocesan Director’s Forum Symposium Committee held a conference call today, Friday, May 20, 2005, to continue planning for the Symposium with Richard R. Gaillardetz. Please note: The Symposium will begin on Thursday evening, December 8, 2005 and end with Liturgy on Saturday evening, December 11, 2005. The Symposium will be held at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village near O’Hare airport. The cost of the symposium will be between $305 and $465. The cost includes the registration fee, room and board for two or three nights with a single room or double room. Participants will register through the National Office. Diocesan Directors are encouraged to invite members of their staff to participate in this symposium. Diocesan directors will receive an Email from the National Office next week (5/23—5/27) with further details and the possibility for early registration. Scholarships for the Symposium will be available. The Committee continues to work on the details of the symposium including title, schedule and process but we wanted to share the basic information with members of the Forum as offices prepare their budgets for fiscal 05-06.

Example of Good Adult Ed Methodology

Gnomedex is a tech conference that began in Iowa. Dave Winer who will be one of the keynote speakers had this to say in his blog today, Scripting News: 5/16/2005: "Gnomedex is right around the corner. It seems everyone is going this year, me too. I'm giving one of the keynotes, it's going to be BloggerCon-style, so I'll talk for 10 minutes, maybe do a demo, then lead a discussion. Are you going? What should we talk about?" Asking potential participants what they would like to talk about is great adult ed methodology.

jkOnTheRun: The Tyranny of Email

Something to remember about Email from jkOnTheRun: The Tyranny of Email: "Finally, remember that email is a public and permanent record. Email is plain text and goes out over public networks, and is often stored on servers for a long time and may be backed up for a longer time. It might feel 'throwaway' at the time, but it will not be thrown away, as senior executives at Microsoft, Enron, Worldcom, and others have discovered. If you have something to say which won't bear the public light of day, it shouldn't be said in email. And if you are sending something confidential or sensitive, consider sending it as an encrypted and/or password-protected attachment."

Coffee Hacks

If you are like me and spend a lot of time in your car you might find this "Coffee Hack" helpful."The hole in a roll of duct tape laid flat on the floor of your car makes a handy extra coffee cup holder." You will find more coffee hacks here: Coffee Hacks:

Don Kurre

Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome

Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome: "

American Succeeds Pope in Former Office
Archbishop Levada New Prefect for Doctrinal Congregation

VATICAN CITY, MAY 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named the archbishop of San Francisco to succeed him as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Vatican announced today that Archbishop William Levada, 68, will fill the vacancy left by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger upon his election to the papacy. Code: ZE05051303"Date: 2005-05-13

The Word From Rome May 13, 2005

The Word From Rome May 13, 2005: "By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

On May 13, as had long been rumored, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

An E-mail from Sister Rose Pacatte, F.S.P.

*I received this e-mail from Sister Rose and post it here with her permission. Please remember Sister Rose and her family in your prayers.*

Dear Sisters, Friends and Family,

The Paradise (CA) Post came out today with the obituary for my nephew Gabriel Harry Mordecai. You can read it here and sign the guest book if you would like.

OBITUARY for Sr. Rose's nephew Click here

We also received the official finding for the cause of death: asyphyxiation by hanging: accident. Gabe did fall off of the top bunk, but he had a rope around his neck. However, it was not suicide. He was trying to get high - and he had done it before. Another kid taught Gabe and his twin how to do it.

I wondered if I should draw your attention to the cause of death - but if it might help parents become aware of what their kids are doing, they can help them. Therefore, I decided to share this with you as sad and distasteful as it is. Risky behavior has always accompanied adolescence.

For some of you this may be a whole new aspect of life that you have no wish to explore, and I respect that - but we need to know the reality of adolescence, the choices kids are making and why: one of the behaviors that is killing them. These are the people of God to whom we are sent to communicate God's love. I keep asking myself: what more could I have done? I was lucky if I saw my sister and her children every other year or so; we are such a large family; could I have called more? Been more "prsent"? All my siblings are asking the same questions. However, the bigger question for me is: Gabe, his brother, and maybe the other kids in the story were and are familiar with God's Word - did it mean anything to him at 13 years of age? Did anyone teach about risky behavior in Bible study, homilies, religious education, in regular school? How can we help to bring faith and life closer in a meaningful way, so that faith can inform the decisions ! and lives of children, teens, young adults, parents? The eternal question... I am the first to admit it is very, very hard to speak publically about what has happened to my nephew, but if we do not speak of it, how do we prevent it from happening again?

I think my sister went so public with this because she wants to prevent this from happening to another family. Professionals are telling her that doing something positive would help her know that others could be helped by this devastating death of her child - who was messing around as kids will do, but in a very dangerous, risky way. We were told that a few days before Gabe was brought in to the hospital, another boy, the same age, died the same way.

News article about "Asphyxiation" as thrill seeking Click here

Thank you for your messages of prayer for our family; they mean a lot.

Blessings to you and your families. May God enlighten parents and caregivers everywhere to "see" on time and respond to their children in ways that respect the body and life.

Sincerely,
Sr Rose

National Conference for Catechetical Leadership Online

National Conference for Catechetical Leadership Online

A Brief Walk through the National Directory for Catechesis
By Daniel Mulhall
Published in the March 2005 issue of "Catechetical Leader." This article is now available on the NCCL web site. Click here to access the article.

DDRE CLUSTER NOTES

These are the notes taken during the Cluster Discussions held at the Annual Meeting in Louisville.

Critical issues

Some recommendations from the Critical Issues Cluster

• NCCL should be more active in national conversation about catechesis
• We need a broader-national network among DDRES
• We must keep NCCL really grassroots.
• We can make the organization be more proactive.
• It is time to invite Bishops to come. Hear us and how we work.
• Invite bishops to things like Diocesan forum. Especially at the Cleveland Meeting.
• Get more people involved from individual dioceses.

Common Competencies

· How can evidence be gathered to prove competency based assessment? (journaling, gathering materials for portfolios, certificate which supports which standard it meets).

· Use writing/journaling as an assessment tool. Help people to see they can achieve competency in several areas.

· How much pre-education /consultation should proceed a diocese implementing? Beginning a portfolio for each catechist and even a fact sheet can be disseminated as educational piece.

· Textbook selection for lay ministry formation program. There is a Bishops’ document, coming out in Nov. saying what content areas should be covered in course areas - (suggest: set the standards first and then review text content in light of this.)

· Committee on standards and certification is looking at making sure certifications granted by accredited agencies be recognized nationally.

See Carol Gastelum: a Retreat/reflection experience to educate the various ministry (ministries ) on the standards certification for their specific ministry.

Whole Community Catechesis

What is positive and exciting?

· Collaboration of “whole” parish staffs in planning and process

· Number of family groups reacting positively

· Eucharist liturgy becoming focal point

· Families sharing faith with children

· Positive model of adult faith formation - OHWB

· An experience of a catechumenal model

· Can be a form of evangelizing catechesis

· Attracting adults without children

· Energizes parish as community

· An outburst of creativity

· Using the giftedness of new people

· Liturgy and catechesis working together

· Sacramental catechesis as separate component

· Parishes supporting and more conscious of households of faith

· Publishers supporting model with print materials and websites

· State and national workshops/conferences on theme

· Parishes collaborating

· Increase in understanding of and participation in liturgical life of Church

· More opportunity for works of service and justice

· Parishes working to include “non-participating” parishioners in catechetical outreach - homebound, young adults away at college or military, outreach to those in hospitals, care facilities, those incarcerated.

· Inclusion of persons with disabilities and special needs

· Can be more affordable model

· Support by excellent catechetical leaders - Bill Hubesch, John Roberto, many diocesan directors

1. What do we see as challenges and concerns?

· Maintaining a consistent, authentic, and developmental curriculum that reflects Vatican, national and diocesan norms

· Families who choose to not participate and leave

· Children without families faith support being neglected or abandoned

· Integrating this model into comprehensive youth ministry

· Not building a team - catechetical leader overcommitted

· Sustaining this model beyond first few years

· Parishes eliminating texts and developing own materials

· Sustaining model when staffing changes

· Adequate catechist formation

· Sustaining model where liturgy is mediocre or poor

· Inconsistent attendance by Families

· High energy to offer preparation sessions multiple times

· Uncertainty that Catholic doctrine is being taught adequately and learned well by children and young people

· Inadequate space for model which encourages community meals and large assemblies

Formation of Parish Catechetical Leaders

Some suggestions

· The parish will need to wait. (While DREs get trained.)

· Everyone will need to spend significant money.

· Preparation must be multi-faceted.

· Create a growth plan and time line.

· Don’t think of DRE formation as training for a job. Think of it as training for a cluster of jobs.

· Make a big public display of the accomplishments of those who do things

· Use national profile on catechesis to support our positions

· Motivate with a power point presentation –

“Why do you want a professionally trained DRE?”

$700-$1000 needed/year. Make it quantified

Prep needs to be multifaceted

Create a growth plan and a time line – everybody benifits

· Use the DRE series.

20 sessions, once a month – all day Sat.

Dioceses and college cooperate

Different on-site classes

In most cases parishes pay for it

· NCCL set up info link so dioceses can find out which place have available courses on-line

· DREs who need financial assistance

Diocesan funds needed

In our diocese Bishop mandated a fund

Can NCCL do it nationally?

Endowment

Run in cohorts – get MARE

· Can we get names of people who gave money for endowments?