Blended Learning is both HERE and the FUTURE!

Blended learning is a term used to describe educational structuring whereby students have an online component AND a face to face component to their learning.

 

The goal is that the positive's for online learning and face to face learning are realized and enhanced within a blended course. For instance, some of the benefits to online learning is that it is flexible, easily accessible, and uses technology. The benefits of gathering face to face is that it creates group cohesion and chemistry, a team atmosphere, and it helps with student engagement. For a list of many other benefits check out this blog.

 

http://blog.wowzers.com/7-promising-blended-learning-stats-to-share-with-your-administrators

 

Blended learning is gaining popularity and the rise of blended learning seems to suggest that it will continue to grow in it's popularity and usage.

 

Personally, I have been blessed throughout my PhD journey with the individuals in my cohort as I have been strengthened and sharpened. The experience and knowledge pool is deep when you gather together as a cohort. Our semester was structured in that we had six weeks of online collaboration and forum posting, followed by one week together in class, followed by six weeks of online dialogue. I was blessed by learning from everyone within my cohort.  

 

While the benefits are many to blended learning this method of education still has a number of detractors. Do you think it is because people are afraid of new developments within education? Do you think that it is because the educational system is flawed in that it emphasizes old fashioned learning styles and modes? Curious as to your thoughts.

 

What All People Striving to Be Great Must Learn!

If you want to be great you must first learn to be less.

If you want to be a leader you must first learn to be a follower.

Our culture is inundated with winning and being number ONE. In fact, a popular motto is that second place is the first loser. Ironically, if you want to become great you must learn what it means to be second. You must learn what it means to be a follower.

A leader has followers. A self-proclaimed leader who has no followers is likened to playing a game of tag by yourself. You won't get very far and most people will think you strange for trying.

In order to be the best leader you can be you must know what it means to be a follower, to be second chair, to bat in the number two spot.

You must understand your God given role within your church and within your organization. So what if you are not a boss or a senior pastor!?! Become the best worker and or lay person within your church that you can be. If God wills it he will raise you up within your business or within His church. He won't do it though until you are ready.

I'm convinced that the worst thing that can happen to a budding leader is to elevate them to a position of leadership when they are not yet ready for it.

There is more written in the Bible about King David's life before his becoming king than when and after he became King. God is more concerned with the journey while we focus on our destination point.

All people who have become great know what it means to be a follower. They know what it means to submit to leadership. They want their followers to willingly submit to their leadership.

People of greatness never forget their roots or from where they came from. Humility leads to greatness while pride leads to destruction. People will never forgive a boss or a pastor who is arrogant.

I believe that everyone wants to be remembered and to leave a lasting legacy. Most people desire to become great but few achieve it. To become great you must learn what it means to be second, to be humble, to work hard, and to allow God to elevate you. Few have this determination and understanding.

Do you want to become great? Who are you following? Who is following you?



The Hidden Key to Youth Group Vitality and Growth - Focusing on the Teenage Men!

I am not a bigot or a sexist. I believe that God created males and females equally. Both teenage men and women are important and need to be discipled.

 

BUT, how your teenage males go is how your group will go. Hands down!

 

God has created men to be leaders (Ephesians 5). This leadership model starts becoming defined as teenagers reach puberty. This is when the awareness in the differences between sexes becomes apparent and obvious between teenagers. While albeit many times immaturely done teenage males start displaying and experimenting with these leadership roles and qualities. (This can be done through wrestling/horsing around, being overly vocal, flirting, etc.)

 

The hidden key to youth ministry is to channel and harness this energy. If you get the males in your group to 'buy in' toward your vision than the whole group will move in that direction.

 

In today's youth ministries to have more teenage boys than girls in your group is abnormal. That has not been the case for me. Within my entire youth ministry career my groups have had at least an equal amount of teenage boys or slightly more compared to the girls in our group.

 

How do I do it? Here's some ways in which you can attract and motivate young men within your youth groups:

 

1. Play competitive games (never play 'girly' games): Boys are attracted to competitive, athletic, and physical games so play these games often. In general, the teenage girls in your group will enjoy playing these games because it's cool to mix it up with the guys. On the flip side, for a teenage boy to do something girly it is embarrassing and uncool.

 

2. Focus on the 'character' boys in your youth group. In every youth group there is always at least one boy or a group of boys that are loud and boisterous. In many cases, they use their leadership to attract attention on themselves instead of on God. These are the boys to go after and win over. If you can win them over the group will follow them. Just a hint, to win them over you must gain their respect and challenge them. Otherwise, they will only create problems for you!

 

3. Have good men adult leaders. Boys follow men not religion. If you want the teenage boys in your group to grow up into Godly men they must have Godly male examples. Your youth ministry is only as good as the adults that are in it!

 

4. Have challenges! Teenagers loved to be challenged, but especially the young men. Challenge them with numeric goals in reaching their friends for a particular event. Challenge them to raise a specific amount of money to a para-church organization. Challenge them to lead. Challenge them!

 

5. Invest and do manly things with them! For example, I love fishing and will take a small group of young men out on a boat to fish and talk about life when I can. Young men love these type of outdoor together activities.

 

If the boys in your group are on fire for God so will the girls. If the girls in your group are on fire for God it's possible that your boys aren't. Don't put the cart before the horse. Go after the males! In order to guarantee holistic youth group growth and cohesion it starts with the teenage men!

 

Do you agree with this? What was your youth group experience? Did you have more girls than boys? I'd like to do future research on this so your input is valuable.