Jose+Amaya's+Capstone+ESSAY

=Jose Amaya's Capstone ESSAY=

**Write a 500 word essay summarizing your DDBC experience and how you plan to apply what you learned to your Catholic School teaching or parish catechetical ministry. Demonstrate how you have applied your understanding of ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers and applied them to a faith formation environment. Include relevant research about technology and learning, especially as applied to faith settings, if appropriate.**

Due Date: December 5, 2014
A Gift from God

I am the Director of Faith Formation for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The AMS is a global Archdiocese that never sees the sun set. It serves 1.8 million active duty Catholic men and women and their families stationed around the world and across continental United States. Catechetical Leadership development, catechist training, curriculum guidelines and resources are some of the priorities I attend to in my role. Although I had some basic skills using technology, I made it my goal to pursue a deeper knowledge and understanding of the use of digital tools to connect and share resources online in service of those who serve. I was encouraged by my immediate supervisor to take Digital Discipleship Boot Camp.

In a recent NCCL Rep Council meeting in Chicago I found myself talking, over dinner, about what I learned in the Digital Discipleship Boot Camp. Two of us at the table had previously been at an engaging meeting to discuss whether to resurrect the technology committee. A diocesan director from the New York Province was also sharing about how they have incorporated technology in their catechetical plan. We talked about the use of technology as tools for connecting with others and for sharing the faith online with a worldwide audience. I brought up the concept of ISTE’s National Education Technology Standards for the use of technology. A young catechetical leader asked: “How come I did not know there are standards for the use of technology? Is it on the USCCB website? Where can I learn about it?” At this point I said “I have been taking a course called …”

I have become an advocate and promoter of DDBC in my ministry environment with my colleagues and those I train around the world and in the organizations I belong to such as NCCL and the Mid-Atlantic Congress. As Director of Faith Formation training people online and developing catechetical tools to support catechetical teams and families online, DDBC has given me the language and understanding, the tools and confidence to engage in conversation and advocacy for the use of technology and digital media to evangelize and catechize. Technology is perhaps the primary method of connecting with a global population and the medium to share faith formation resources for adults, youth and children in the AMS. As a whole, the Church may be thirty years behind in the use of technology and social media but the AMS has a state of the art website ([|www.milarch.org]), a Digital Media Center with live stream capability and an AMS USA App. This made it all the more important that I learn more about the use of digital tools and devices.

DDBC has given me greater confidence to engage those I serve through the AMS Forming Disciples Blog, online trainings for catechists and leaders, video streaming training across countries and continents, GoToMeeting, online catechist faith facilitation, eNewsletters, AMS Catechists Talk Facebook group, video recording, maximizing the use of my smart phone, and the development of AMS Family Faith Assessment and AMS Family Faith Passport. These are some of the tools I have been developing and implementing as I have been taking the Boot Camp. It is important to use every medium possible to connect with people and to share resources.

As the Church has been affirming since the Inter Mirifica (1963), social media and technology is truly “a gift from God.” I am often asked how I am able to connect and resource catechetical leaders who are all over the world. I explain with confidence that distance is not an issue. In the digital age, we can choose tools we would like to use to connect and share with friends, family, and our professional circles worldwide.

It is still important to meet face to face as possibly needed, but video conferencing allows us to hold productive meetings without leaving our offices or even the comfort of our homes. We used live streaming to launch the AMS Forming Disciples for the New Evangelization curriculum guide in 2013. I just returned from a training tour in Europe. I trained 103 catechists and catechetical leaders from 6 different countries using a laptop, a small camera with built in sound system from an installation that did not have the technology capability in the chapel. The AMS Catechists Talk Facebook group helped as a platform for catechists to connect and share best practices as I went on the training tour.

In sum, my experience with DDBC not only introduced me to a wide range of digital tools but also provided me with language and tools to engage in conversation with confidence in the office and professionals from organizations. My experience and the skills I learned have had a positive impact on the openness and use of technology in my ministry department. I recommend DDBC as a great resource to equip individuals to proclaim Jesus Christ in the digital age.