I’ve written a few points for discussion but watch the video closely yourself first to avoid spoilers.

For Meditation/Discussion:

• God is always present in our lives, but we often fail to see him. We get caught up in the details, the busyness, the distractions of our day-to-day lives–in other words, we get so busy counting the passes that we miss the moonwalking bear. God is the moonwalking bear, and when we notice him, we can’t help but break into a smile.
• When was the last time you noticed a “moonwalking bear” in your own life? What was it?
• What are you so focused on that you miss the moonwalking bear?

Here are a few of my takeaways from the workshop:

• I like the fact that the iPad’s mute button can be programmed to lock the orientation of the device.
• The new iPad can be connected to a projector and everything you see on the iPad can be shown on a screen. With the first iPad, only certain apps could be projected.
• There are two great free books in the iBooks store for new owners of the iPad: iPad User Guide for iOS 4.3 by Apple, and iPad 2 Starter Guide by Macworld Editors.
• TapQuiz Maps World Edition is a must-have app for social studies teachers.
• Scan is a basic app for reading QR codes. QR codes are interesting, but I don’t see them being used in elementary schools until cell phones are allowed in class–which won’t happen anytime soon.
• I don’t know why I never tried Dragon Dictation before, but what a great app. Speak an email or a Twitter or Facebook update, dictate notes to yourself and copy and paste the text anywhere you want.
• With Air Sketch Free you can turn your iPad into a wireless whiteboard by projecting live sketches to a local computer over WiFi.
• iTunes U has really grown in content since the last time I visited it. The Khan Academy is a featured institution now, and there is a growing collection of free open textbooks. I downloaded one called English Grammar in Context that is really quite good.

As I continue to use the device I’ll post more about how I think it could be used specifically in Catholic classrooms.

iCatholic Magazine

On the same day CNS reported Pope Benedict’s announcement of a 2012 synod on the theme of “new evangelization,” my wife surprised me with an iPad for my birthday. In keeping with the spirit of the Holy Father’s announcement, I’d like to share a few iPad apps that might interest Catholic educators. The following apps are designed to be used with the iPad, taking advantage of its large screen and WiFi connectivity.

iCatholic [Free] – CatholicTV is on the forefront of new evangelization, and their iPad app is just another example of the kind of high quality work the Archdiocese of Boston is producing. The iCatholic app allows the user to read CatholicTV’s monthly magazine. You can download the entire magazine, or read it as it streams into the app page by page. Either way, you’re in for a visual treat as the full color photos and artwork brilliantly illustrate the content. More than just a monthly preview of upcoming programming, iCatholic delves into relevant topics of interest to today’s Catholic.

As I perused the November 2010 issue, I especially appreciated the article on how those with Celiac Disease deal with their allergy to the communion host. My sister has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease for over 30 years, and I was captivated by the stories of other Catholics who have learned to adjust to life without gluten. The November issue also covered baby boomers, the liturgical year, and cyber security.

The app takes full advantage of the iPad’s connectivity. Articles are enhanced with web links and videos that can be opened with a simple double tap. Neither the videos nor the links take you out of the application. Instead, they open in a convenient pop-up tab that can be expanded to the full screen.

All in all, every Catholic educator with an iPad should read iCatholic. But if you don’t have an iPad, don’t worry. The same content can be viewed online at CatholicTV’s website.

iBreviary Pro [Free] – The Liturgy of the Hours is one of the most beautiful but complex prayers available to Catholics. The Divine Office brings out the sacredness in each moment of the day and unites us in prayer with the whole Church. In order to pray it fully, a person usually needs a thick prayer book called a breviary, along with a fairly sophisticated understanding of the liturgical year. Someday we may have an adult Catholic population that is knowledgeable enough to maneuver the ribbons and rubrics of the Divine Office, but until then, the iBreviary app is a godsend.

iBreviary makes each day’s prayers available against a beautiful parchment background with no need to move ribbons or flip back and forth between sections. Available in English, Italian, Spanish, French and Latin, the free app uses official texts and also provides the daily Mass readings, not to mention an impressive collection of prayers and blessings.

While nothing can replace the feel of an elegantly bound prayer book, the visual appeal of iBreviary enhances the reader’s experience of using the iPad to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s unbelievable that an app this beautiful, useful and comprehensive should be free. There is no reason for any Catholic iPad owner to avoid downloading iBreviary.

Free Wallpaper – One of the first things I did after charging up my new iPad was change the main screen wallpaper. One of my favorite images is Sassoferrato’s Mary, and it makes a beautiful background for the app icons. The following picture links to the 1024×1024 image (799kb) that I use for my iPad. If you like it, feel free to download it. The best way to say thanks is by subscribing to Catholic School Chronicle, either by RSS or by email. I’d also appreciate it if you could tell all the Catholic educators you know about the Chronicle.

Sassoferrato Mary for iPad

To be sure, Catholic teachers are overburdened and rightly need to make teaching their number one priority; but it’s a shame that more don’t take the time to share their ideas and resources with the rest of the world. Blogging can take as much or as little time as you want, and can be as professional or informal as your personality and goals dictate. If you teach in Catholic schools, please consider starting a blog of your own.

Here’s the list of all the blogs by Catholic educators that I’ve been able to find. I’d love to be able to add to this list, so please let me know of any blogging teachers, administrators and catechists that I may have missed.

Teachers:

• BarbinNebraska – Barb Gilman, teacher and pioneer in social media for Catholic educators
• Being Catholic and Classroom Chronicles – Ann Lusch, high school teacher
• Campus Ministry at Trinity High School – Brian Flaherty, Director of Campus Ministry at Trinity High School, Manchester, NH
• Catholic Faith Education – Gilles Côté, catechist and former Catholic school teacher
• Catholic Teacher Man – Adam Thompson, English teacher at St. Thomas High School in Houston, TX
• Catholic Teacher Musings – Laura, a middle school teacher
• Catholic School Advocate – TJ D’Agostino, teacher
• edtech Vision – Colette Cassinelli, high school librarian and New Media teacher
• George Somers – Computer teacher in California
• Imagine and Teach – Ed Allen, assistant principal and theater program director at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, PA
• Jesus Teacher Tech – Carmen Ribera, High School Teacher, JSerra Catholic High School, St. Juan Capistrano, CA
• Mary’s World – Mary, K-8 music teacher in Dallas, TX
• My First Year – Allison Welch, high school Theology teacher
• NJ Tech Teacher Musings – Ann Oro, K-8 computer teacher
• Notes from McTeach – Karen McMillan, seventh grade teacher at Christ the King Catholic School in Northern California
• One Catholic Life – Yours truly, teacher and vice principal at All Saints Catholic School in Spokane, WA
• The Ordinary Catholic – Matthew Hebert, Catholic school teacher
• RocketReligion – Biteofpunkinpie, a “wife, mother and soon-to-be-teacher”
• Scriptorium – Gregory Graham, technology director at Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving, TX
• A Second Grade Teacher’s Blog – Patti Harju, second grade teacher in Michigan
• The Teacher’s View – Paul Martin, high school English Teacher
• Teaching Catholic – Kassandra Combs, Catholic educator in Northwest Ohio
• Techconnects – Nancy Caramanico, director of technology, Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Schools
• What Is Your IT Vision? – Paul Wood, high school director of technology in Texas
• Yellow Brick Road – Patti Ruffing, technology coordinator in Pennsylvania

Principals/Administrators:

• 21K12 – Jonathan Martin, St. Gregory College Preparatory School, an independent school in Tucson, AZ
• Catholic Education – Michael Zelenka, principal at Incarnation Catholic School, Tampa, FL
• Catholic Educator – Faustin Weber, headmaster at John Paul II High School, Nashville, TN
• The Constant Learner – William Brannick, principal at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergrast High School in Drexel, PA
• The Daily Saint – Mike St. Pierre, president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, NJ; also his President’s Blog
• iPrincipal – Kate Fogarty, Catholic Secondary Principal in regional Victoria, Australia
• President’s Page – Mike Khoury, president of Detroit Cristo Rey High School
• Principles and Principals – Jason Curtis, principal at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, NC
• Roy Petitfils – Administrator and counselor in Broussard, LA
• Souly Catholic H.S. – Charlie Roy, principal in Peoria, IL
• TADO: Teaching and Developing Online – Darren Cannell, administrator for Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School
• Work with Hope – Greg Dhuyvetter, superintendent for the Diocese of Orange, CA

Catechists:

• Catechetical Foundations – Mark Postma, Michael Tober and Adam Janke, credentials too numerous to mention!
• Catechist Corner – Carlos Torres, catechist
• Catechist’s Journey – Joe Paprocki, catechist and National Consultant for Faith Formation for Loyola Press
• Catechesis in the Third Millenium – William O’Leary, Director of Religious Education
• eCatechist – Dan Pierson, fourth grade catechist and former Catholic school teacher
• Engaging Faith – catechetical tips from Ave Maria Press featuring contributions from Mike Amodel, Karey Welde, Bob Hamma, Jared Dees, and Nancy Clemmons, SNJM
• Erin’s Blog – “A clearinghouse of catechetical information for the Diocese of St. Augustine” by Erin McGeever, Director of Christian Formation
• Jonathan F. Sullivan – Director of Catechetical Ministries for the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, co-chair of the Technology Committee for the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership
• To Know, Serve and Love – a catechist in New Jersey
• Liturgy and Catechesis Shall Kiss – Joyce Donahue, catechetical associate, Diocese of Joliet, IL
• Marc Cardaronella – Director of Religious Education in Champagne, IL
• The Religion Teacher – Jared Dees, Adolescent Catechetical Specialist at Ave Maria Press
• RE Teacher: Catholic Religious Education Resources – catechist Bellinghamster from Bellingham, WA
• Riparians at the Gate – Jennifer Fitz, fifth grade catechist and homeschooling mom
• Scrutinies – Dorian Speed, catechist, homeschooling mom and former Catholic high school teacher
• Smaller Manhattans – Christian LeBlanc, fourth grade catechist from South Carolina.

Today, web sites are too important to schools to be designed by a geeky teacher and his students. Catholic schools hire professional web designers or rely on parent volunteers with web design experience. Enter Lance Johnson and Adam Fairholm, the creative minds behind Catholic School Web Design, a web site dedicated to bringing useful web design information to Catholic schools. Though it’s only been around for three months, CSWD has already produced over a dozen helpful articles for Catholic school webmasters, including the following:

• Tips on Using Facebook for Catholic Schools
• Creating a Great Donate Page
• Subdomain Use in Catholic School Web Design

If you’re a Catholic school administrator, development director or web designer, pay CSWD a visit and subscribe to the RSS feed. You can also follow them on Twitter, too.

If you’re not familiar with Diigo or social bookmarking, watch the following video for an explanation. I hope to see you there.

• Popes, bishops and dioceses
• Priests
• Deacons
• Seminarians
• Religious
• Catholic Media Personalities
• Podcasters
• Catholic bands
• Other Catholics
• Resources
• Organizations
• Commercial

Fr. Roderick Vonhögen

I’d love to help him add to his list by giving him links to all the Catholic teachers on Twitter. If you’re a Catholic teacher and you Tweet, leave a comment below with your Twitter name and I’ll send the list to Fr. Roderick.

You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nsenger. If you’re not on Twitter, and you don’t know what all the fuss is about, check out the video at the end of this article.

P.S. I was a bit chagrined to find that Fr. Roderick and I are using the same WordPress theme, but what can I say, I guess great minds think alike!

Twitter in Plain English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Wesley Fryer

Wesley Fryer has published a presentation he made on Copyright for Educators. Wesley was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2005 and in this slide show he gives teachers important information about the impact of copyright law on the classroom.

Colette Cassinelli

As we prepare students to be people of faith in the 21st century, we need to be more and more familiar and comfortable with new technology tools.   I’m always on the lookout for useful technology tips, and Colette Cassinelli’s edtech Vision has plenty of great suggestions and tricks for using technology in the classroom.  Colette is a Google Certified Teacher and works at a Catholic high school in Oregon.  She describes herself as a “technology evangelist,” and blogs regularly about teaching with technology.

Check out edtech VISION and learn how to subscribe to RSS feeds, why G-Mail is Colette’s choice for reading email, and how to be a highly connected person.

Colette is a member of the Catholic School Teachers Network and will be presenting “Google Tools for Catholic Schools” at this year’s NCEA convention in Anaheim, California.