Did you know? CPH is seeking to fill a couple of editorial positions.
One is a director of curriculum, a management level position that would supervise nearly a dozen curriculum editors spanning products: Sunday School, VBS, day school, midweek school, confirmation, and adult Christian education.
Another is a curriculum editor: someone with interest, experience, and skills to editor material in one or more of the areas listed above.
The best candidates for both positions will have strong ability and interest in educational technology. Both positions are "working in the building" positions.
You can seek the specifics of these positions, and a few others available here at the LCMS publishing house, at www.cph.org; scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Careers," or browse straight to www.cph.org/careers.
Do you know of someone with talent who is too shy to apply? Contact me at tom.nummela@cph.org and I'll try to encourage. We truly want the best possible people in these positions.
Help us prepare the resources that will help you teach God's children His Word!
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2014
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
What Drives Technology Adoption?
A long discussion in a business meeting today prompts me to ask: "What drives adoption of technology in the local Lutheran Sunday School?" That answer to that question will obviously vary by location. It will also change depending on whether you talking about technology that serves the Sunday School leader, the teacher, or the student.
But here is the central issue: is it better for Concordia Publishing House to meet the customer's current preferences in terms of technology? Or should we work to move the customer to new levels of accepting and using technology, knowing that it is in the customers best interests?
Should we push our customers into using technology?
It is likely that we can provide better resources for less cost to the customer through technology: by offering product in downloadable form rather than print, or on CD, or on DVD. We can, and occasionally do, point the customer to resources available from Internet sources that enrich the educational process. But much of that is not cost-effective until there is a certain level of acceptance is reached within our customer base.
For example, in 2011, CPH offered our annual children's Christmas service products as "download only" resources. Sales fell below the previous year's, and we have numerous customers who complained of inability to access the services through the Internet; we even wound up duplicating CDs by hand of the "downloadable" product and mailing them to some customers. A sizable percentage of our annual sales of this product still come from people who order CDs rather than download the files from our Web site.
Should we wait until all our customers are ready?
One thought is that if the customer really likes and wants the product, and we offer it as downloadable only, the customers will eventually come around. They will learn the technology and processes that allow them to have the product. Of course, some of them may just go elsewhere for a comparable product.
Now in 2013, most computers sold this year will probably not even have a CD-drive. New data for that computer is almost always downloaded, and often wirelessly at that. It seems that our customers will eventually come around to downloadable resources. Do we do them any favors by delaying our own adoption of that technology?
So, I wonder . . .
Given a choice, would you rather receive a CD of music and printable files or download those resources directly to your computer from our Web site? Why?
If a product you are interested in is available only as a downloadable resource, would you buy it or would you look for something else?
How long do you think it will be until you'll be comfortable with download? Today? Next year? Never?
God bless you as you use technology to teach God's children His Word!
But here is the central issue: is it better for Concordia Publishing House to meet the customer's current preferences in terms of technology? Or should we work to move the customer to new levels of accepting and using technology, knowing that it is in the customers best interests?
Should we push our customers into using technology?
It is likely that we can provide better resources for less cost to the customer through technology: by offering product in downloadable form rather than print, or on CD, or on DVD. We can, and occasionally do, point the customer to resources available from Internet sources that enrich the educational process. But much of that is not cost-effective until there is a certain level of acceptance is reached within our customer base.
For example, in 2011, CPH offered our annual children's Christmas service products as "download only" resources. Sales fell below the previous year's, and we have numerous customers who complained of inability to access the services through the Internet; we even wound up duplicating CDs by hand of the "downloadable" product and mailing them to some customers. A sizable percentage of our annual sales of this product still come from people who order CDs rather than download the files from our Web site.
Should we wait until all our customers are ready?
One thought is that if the customer really likes and wants the product, and we offer it as downloadable only, the customers will eventually come around. They will learn the technology and processes that allow them to have the product. Of course, some of them may just go elsewhere for a comparable product.
Now in 2013, most computers sold this year will probably not even have a CD-drive. New data for that computer is almost always downloaded, and often wirelessly at that. It seems that our customers will eventually come around to downloadable resources. Do we do them any favors by delaying our own adoption of that technology?
So, I wonder . . .
Given a choice, would you rather receive a CD of music and printable files or download those resources directly to your computer from our Web site? Why?
If a product you are interested in is available only as a downloadable resource, would you buy it or would you look for something else?
How long do you think it will be until you'll be comfortable with download? Today? Next year? Never?
God bless you as you use technology to teach God's children His Word!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Going Digital
My Sunday School team is discussing how best to format the next revision of Sunday School material for Concordia Publishing House. This would be for material published for fall 2015 and following quarters. Among our observations are these points:
Digital material also presents several significant advantages. Customers could have some choice in designing their own scope and sequence. Distribution of material to teachers might also be possible electronically.
Do you have time to answer a couple of questions about this possibility?
Would you purchase Sunday School materials as a digital subscription?
What advantages would you look for?
Would you print student material locally in color or black and white?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this thorny issue. Leave me a comment or write me at tom.nummela@cph.org.
God's blessings as you teach His children His Word.
- Our scope and sequence is pretty solid; we might eliminate a bit of the annual repetition imposed by the Church Year.
- The biblical art created for Growing in Christ and reused in Cross Explorations is a winner.
- The demand for Sunday School material in general continues in a downward trend; many congregations are struggling to maintain their Sunday School in the face of a poor economy and fewer students.
- Advances in digital publishing suggest that we look seriously at how Sunday School material for teachers and students could be provided to congregations digitally.
Digital material also presents several significant advantages. Customers could have some choice in designing their own scope and sequence. Distribution of material to teachers might also be possible electronically.
Do you have time to answer a couple of questions about this possibility?
Would you purchase Sunday School materials as a digital subscription?
What advantages would you look for?
Would you print student material locally in color or black and white?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this thorny issue. Leave me a comment or write me at tom.nummela@cph.org.
God's blessings as you teach His children His Word.
Monday, October 15, 2012
How Close Are We to a Technology Tipping Point?
A colleague reminded me last week of the reality of the "tipping point" when it comes to the adoption of technology in our society.
Mobil phone technology went from fantasy (remember Dick Tracy's wrist radio?) to clunky (with phones the size of small suitcases), and then in a few short years to commonplace, nearly ubiquitous.
Digital textbooks were unheard of (at least by me) just a few years ago. Today I hear predictions that virtually all public school textbooks will be digital by 2016.
In each case, the adoption of the technology followed a familiar bell curve, more or less.
But, the rate of adoption seems often to be a roller coaster, slowing creeping uphill to a "tipping point" and then racing down the slope to popularity.
It makes me wonder where we are in the use of technology by the Sunday School teacher and in the Sunday School classroom. How close are we to a tipping point?
I'm relatively certain that we are still on that uphill climb. Some might think we are still a long way from that tipping point. I wish I knew.
To be sure, there are some innovators and early adopters, places where Internet access, projectors, and Smart boards can be found. And I know that technology will bring some wonderful blessings (check out the Glo Bible at globible.com). But, my sense is that we are some way out from that tipping point.
What do you think? How soon will churches be willing to invest in technology for the Sunday School classroom?
Which will come first? The equipment being available (computers, screens, projectors, boards) or the media (digital TG, projectable posters and other media, links to on-line resources) embedded in the resources you buy?
Where are you on the technology curve? Where do you think our church body as a whole is?
How soon will you be ready for digital Sunday School resources?
God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!
Mobil phone technology went from fantasy (remember Dick Tracy's wrist radio?) to clunky (with phones the size of small suitcases), and then in a few short years to commonplace, nearly ubiquitous.
Digital textbooks were unheard of (at least by me) just a few years ago. Today I hear predictions that virtually all public school textbooks will be digital by 2016.
In each case, the adoption of the technology followed a familiar bell curve, more or less.
But, the rate of adoption seems often to be a roller coaster, slowing creeping uphill to a "tipping point" and then racing down the slope to popularity.
It makes me wonder where we are in the use of technology by the Sunday School teacher and in the Sunday School classroom. How close are we to a tipping point?
I'm relatively certain that we are still on that uphill climb. Some might think we are still a long way from that tipping point. I wish I knew.
To be sure, there are some innovators and early adopters, places where Internet access, projectors, and Smart boards can be found. And I know that technology will bring some wonderful blessings (check out the Glo Bible at globible.com). But, my sense is that we are some way out from that tipping point.
What do you think? How soon will churches be willing to invest in technology for the Sunday School classroom?
Which will come first? The equipment being available (computers, screens, projectors, boards) or the media (digital TG, projectable posters and other media, links to on-line resources) embedded in the resources you buy?
Where are you on the technology curve? Where do you think our church body as a whole is?
How soon will you be ready for digital Sunday School resources?
God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Will you use PowerPoint in Sunday School?
I'm not the cutting edge technology person I once thought I was. More and more, I'm relying on others for assistance in the technological parts of my work. But I'm striving to grow.
I'm doing workshops now using PowerPoint outlines. It really is a helpful tool.
The new Cross Explorations curriculum from CPH will offer several PowerPoint resources. The Explore openings will be available as PowerPoint programs, including the songs with linked music. The Express Music sessions will have the option of recorded music, lyrics on PowerPoint, and lyric PowerPoints with linked recordings. These resources, of course, will be beneficial only to congregations where projection systems are in place allowing the PowerPoint resources to be displayed in the assembly area or classroom.
To be frank, we don't really know how many of our customers will find those resources helpful or how many will simply be frustrated. I'm looking forward to the mail.
The point I'd like to make is this: technology is here to stay. To the degree that we fail to use it in Christian education, we risk being marginalized by the students and families for whom technology is fully integrated into their daily lives.
* What resources do you think our publishing house should be offering in digital formats or with digital components?
* Do you use projected PowerPoint resources in your Sunday School? When and how?
* What should be our top priority in this regard?
God's blessings as you use technology to teach God's children His Word!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)